what's your favorite sprot-touring bike?
 

:rolleyes:

for me it's either an st1300, of a 650 vstrom set up w/ street
tires, a forkbrace, sonic forksprings, and a givi trunk......

hopefully, my opinion will change after i get my bar and luggage
situation hammered out on the superhawk......

VFR... hands down. I may be a bit biased since I owned one. ;)
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...04VFR80011.jpg

I could see doing some long days on a V-Strom DL1k. I really like the looks of the '02+ VFR's though.

I think the closest thing to my idea of a true sport tourer would have to be a Ducati ST3/ST4 it's light wieght and handles well with very good power and has bags. I had an ST1100 and while I loved it's long legs and high fuel capacity I can't agree that a 650+ lb anything is a "sport", I would just call it a fine handling tourer without all the trashy bells and whistles. Now I know the BMW guys will chime in but to me that old boxer design is hardly more relevent than a Harley.

I would also say that Honda missed a great opportunity not to revamp the SH to a sport touring package to extend it's life. But I guess because they already had the VFR800 they thought it would be redundant.

Honda has the Varadero in Europe which is the VTR1000 fuel-injected! Looks like the V Strom.

They are in the states as well, a friend of mine has one here in TN. He has actually had it 3 or 4 years.

Hey now, the new boxers have more HP/torque than the SH.. And get better gas milage.

I'll take your word for that but I bet the heads still drag if you're not real careful!

I think the VTR makes a pretty good sport tour bike in the lightweight/400 mile per day catagory.

If I won a contest and got to pick out a new sport tour bike, I'd probably go for the Sprint ST. I lose interest in bikes as they approach and surpass 600 lbs.

If Honda ever gets smart enough to build a 500 lb. 1000cc Interceptor with low range grunt, I'll probably buy one.

VFR but I did make superbling into a wanna-be VFR in terms of ergos and fuel range that easily did 650+ mile days/1500 mile weekends.

If Honda ever gets smart enough to build a 500 lb. 1000cc Interceptor with low range grunt, I'll probably buy one.

ditto...

I would love to try a Sprint (will surely get to ride one through work) but not so keen on the exhaust routing (looks good but have concerns about heat buildup in seat area)

As soon as I sell my Victory cruiser I am gonna get a Sprint ST. They are reasonably priced, only 470lbs dry, with a great motor and best of all...they look good. My best friend and I are planning on going cross country for about a month next fall or the following spring.

I owned a DL1000 strom and rode my Pop's ST1300 and both are good tourers but I tend to fall asleep on bikes like that. I love the VFR's but have never spent any time in the seat. I always fall back to the Triumph Sprint as I rode a friends for a while. I loved the looks, it was comfortable, and damn fun. If I had the money I would have a black ST in the garage right now.

Oh yeah....It isn't black but she'll do.
http://photos.motorcycle-usa.com/200...rint_ST_14.jpg

Yep, a fine looking bike indeed. First thing I would do if I got one is deal with the exhaust heat issue (same as on all bikes with that aesthetically pleasing yet functionally impractical routing). Seems to me the ST gives you the best of all worlds (quick with good spread of power, light enough to be sporty,...). I can`t wait to ride one :)
Having spent a bit of time on one earlier in the Fall (rode about 1500 kms), I would also suggest a Bandit 1250 as being another fine option; reasonably cheap to buy and insure and gobs of mid-range (definite grin factor!), roll-ons are such a blast. Set up with bags, a taller windshield (maybe heated grips and a Vista Cruise) and you`re good to go.
In so far as the Varadero is concerned, it was never imported into the US. We are getting it in Canada in 08 but I'm not sure if "y'all" are though.

Double Ditto!

Speaking of the Bandit, another option I have seen setup for touring is a FZ1. They are fun to ride and can be set up for distance riding.