Sport vs Sport Touring

Sport riding is where I get my greatest thrill, nothing even comes close for me like going to my favorite isolated area of twistys with four or five of my friends and testing the outer edges of the tires, the group I ride with all ride fast and safe but if you even have 1/8 of an inch of chicken stripes on your tires this probably isn't the group for you, the mistake that I have made in the past is bike switches, I'm always the only VFR in the group of pure sport bikes and when we do a run where we have to go about 100 miles before we get to the good stuff I can usually expect one of my buddies to give me the puppy dog eyes and ask about switching bikes, the worst experience I had is when I switched with a Aprilia RSV Millie for about 130 miles of pure slabbing, it got to the point of where I was looking at every mile marker and praying for a rest stop.

I'm not the greatest fan of Sport-Touring but when you go on the road trips and destination that I do it diffently fits into the Sport-Touring category, this is the main reason I own the VFR. Four times in the last 2 years I have did days that I have traveled at least 600 miles and I couldn't image not having the VFR, sure there is a couple of bikes out there that it might be a bit more comfortable on (FJR, Concours 14 ) but they wouldn't even come close to giving me the same feeling as the VFR in the twistys...

 

I had just about talked myself into spending the money on a K1200GT until reading this thread. This is the kind of riding I like to do and this is what the Futura was good for. chesthing's comment on the FJR is about what I expected out of that bike with not having ridden one yet, heavy feeling. Now I guess I'll have to find a VFR I can demo.

 

I had an '08 Concours 14 and recently totaled it. I just happened by the dealership the other day and they had an '04 VFR on the showroom floor and I took a little interest in it so my Kawasaki salesman (and friend) said I should take it out for a spin for it is a really fun bike. I did and the short of it is I will not be replacing my C14 with another one. I pick up my new (used, new to me) VFR on Saturday. :biggrin:

 

as an old man who has had 3 heart attacks and a 5 way by pass,my 98 vfr is the perfect bike .it is perfect on the highway ,can carry 3 soft bags and a tent ,but then when you want to unload and play you can,been to san francisco and played on all the roads between salinas and bakersfield,well probably not and been to the dragon 3 summers in a row.going back ti san francisco in the spring.the linked brake s are perfect when your eyesight and reflexs are not as good .it is just not as fast as my cbr 900,but i can keep up with everyone arounfd here

 

Damn, you talk like your in your 70's or 80's. These days 57 isnt considered old at all, and I'm totally jealous you are already retired. Me, I'll probably work till I drop.

 

I kind of come down the middle leaning more to sport touring. But my first track day has changed things and I am leaning more torward sport.

I've been studing suspension set ups and the like, so the furure will tell!

BZ

 

I guess touring. I do 110 miles a day from Austin to Temple round trip. Recently took bike 430 miles to Ft. Sill OK and really was not sore. Although the seat after 300 started to feel like concrete. I guess if the seat was softer it wouldn't be considered sport Plus I think OSS works at the same place I do...small world VFR or not.

 

i dont know how to feel

thats deffinatly me.

i dont know what i really want. i love the comfort of being on a touring bike and the stability on long trips. but i also love to spend time on on one wheel when i get in the mood

 

While I haven't done any serious touring with my VFR (longest trip, 260 miles round trip), I still lean towards the sport touring end of the spectrum them pure sport.

I certainly enjoy the occasional spirited ride down a twisty road. I just don't get to do them that often. The main thing my VFR does, and does well is add a smile to my commute.

While you can ride a 600 sports bike or litre bike on the street, that isn't what they are built for. They are track and racing machines. They ergos are set up for maximizing speed and precision at the expense of comfort and being able to ride for long periods of time. To me, the VFR is a street sports bike. It adds ride me all day comfort to sport performance. What more can you ask for?

I will admit that the SV I use to have was a bit more fun in the twisties, but it wasn't the bike for all day riding. I'm faster on the VFR and can ride longer. It's the perfect 'one bike' solution.

 

OKCVFR,
Recognizing the lighter VFR is more tossable than the great new '08 Concours, can you comment on the riding position difference between the '08 Concours and the VFR?...handlebar to seat height including foot peg position? Do you find the VFR riding position much more aggressive with more weight on your hands? Was curious if you have raised the height of the handlebars on your VFR to strike a more upright position?...or feel a need to do so like some have with risers to be a bit less aggressive?
Thanks,
George

 

I definitely am on the sport tourer side of the curve. In a given year I will spend as many miles on multiday tours as I will just riding locally. The VFR is a joy on long trips, but it makes every trip fun.

 

Well if you look at Honda's web site the VFR is listed with all the sport bikes. I would have to say that it is more sport than touring, however its the most comfortable sport bike that I've ever been on. I too ride with a pack of sport bikes on the weekends and am either at the front or right behind the lead guy. One of my friends that has an R1, Ducati 996, & just picked up on a 06 GSXR 1000 says I'm a bit crazy when I ride, but I don't think he realizes what this bike is capable of. Maybe I should let him take the bike on one of our rides so he can see how awesome the bike is. I do also go on some long trips to visit my parrents. They live about 300 plus miles away each way.

So my opinion is more sport, However if you talk to my insurance company its a sport touring bike! Don't tell them I ride wheelies though:tongue:

 

I ride all of the above. I ride my bike to work about 45 % of the time so, Commute. I take light trips with my wife on weekends. When out on my own, definately on the sporty side. I like to work on my riding technique when I am out. Even if I am commuting and I find a good curve I take the chance to work on my cornering. I would have to say I am a sport rider.

 

hmm..my style changes with the road and the day..sometimes its long ways from home for a week and careful and I is a tourer, next time it's blow the youngsters away day and i is mr racer(In my mind)!! Just depends..sport or st? st is just a bag strapped to my bike..
as for the vfr..its a fat st after i been riding the kids gsxr...Its also a wicked sportbike after I've been riding the fat st's..

take ur pick.

 

Can't remember the exact words but some years ago Pete Egan wrote a piece discussing whether bikes were toys or tools. I think the general idea was that sports bikes were toys and that tourers were more like tools.

The VFR though is one of those bikes that can be either a toy or a tool depending what you are doing at the time.

That does it for me anyway :smile:

 

Definitely sport touring. There are some decent roads around me, but they tend to be bogged down with slow drivers, and there are few places to pass legally (or safely). So most of my riding is straight-line highway/freeway kind of stuff to get where the riding is better. At a guess, I figure about 30% sport.

 

Well maybe i'm in the minority but i am definately more of a tourer type. I have done several long distance (up to canada etc) trips without much discomfort. I really love the ablity to take off and use that power or cut up some twisties (unlike a true dedicated tourer).While it doesn't accell in any one area but is more than competent in most. I also commute daily about 20 miles one way, rain (200 some odd days of rain), shine (which there is little of out on the north oregon coast) or even snow every once in a while. it really has proven to be the leatherman of all the motorcycles i've owned.

 

Daily commute on my '86 (35 miles each way, half of which is mountain twisties). Sport to commute, I guess. Touring is heavily limited by the fact that my wrists and back ache after about 100 miles or so of riding.

Did ~120 yesterday (hwy 9, skyline to 92, back to Alice's, 84 to Pescadero, lunch at Duarte's, Hwy 1 to Davenport, up through Bonny Doon back to Felton and up 9 to home). It was split in three, due to waiting for a friend to meet me up at 92 and 35 (2 hour wait...), and then at Duartes for lunch.

If I thought I could make my (mostly) stock '86 more comfy, I'd think more touring with it, but really I just plan on getting a matching '07 RWB to setup for full on touring, and then start doing more SPORT oriented upgrades on the '86.

Long-term, I figure I'll have something like a 6th gen VFR or FJR for long rides, and a Ducati 848 for the really fun stuff (and track use).

Now, if there were bar-risers for the '86.... Hmmmm....

 

Hmmm, thats a toughy :unsure:

& since commuter has been thrown in the mix, & I've been known to race here & there. I'd have to say I'm a "RIDER" .

I like to do 800-1200 miles in a day trips Sport-Touring, I like to tear up the canyons, love to commute saving gas & my soul, love to strip down an otherwise un-racing/track bike & spank the RR bikes on track day's laughing the whole time from having fun (was that a street legal VFR, Hawk, or Sprint that just lapped me :bootyshake2: ).

So I'll just stick with "Rider" :wink: !