• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Sport-touring bike opinions?

Triple Threat said:
The S1000RR is so badass, that it got lucky and was ridden by Connie.

Triple
Click to expand...

:laughing

I expect to be buying one in a couple of years! :banana


OK, so I have a question for you sport tourer experts... a guy at work, who's kind of short (maybe 5'6"), is thinking about getting a sport touring bike as a first bike. He was looking at a BMW 1200rt (I think that's what the letters were)... would this be a good one to get? It was really clean, 24,000 miles, but it looks kind of big and heavy... is he going to have trouble with it due to his height? I'm not familiar with the bike, so I didn't really have an answer for him...
 
It's lighter than any of the other bikes the OP listed. :teeth

Personally, I wouldn't recommend it as a first bike...but that's just me.
 
Gixxergirl1000 said:
:laughing

I expect to be buying one in a couple of years! :banana


...a guy at work, who's kind of short (maybe 5'6"), is thinking about getting a sport touring bike as a first bike. He was looking at a BMW 1200rt (I think that's what the letters were)... would this be a good one to get?
Click to expand...

If you've seen my gray touring bike, it's the same one. Great bike, not a great beginner bike.

Triple
 
Last edited:
Gixxergirl1000 said:
:laughing

I expect to be buying one in a couple of years! :banana


OK, so I have a question for you sport tourer experts... a guy at work, who's kind of short (maybe 5'6"), is thinking about getting a sport touring bike as a first bike. He was looking at a BMW 1200rt (I think that's what the letters were)... would this be a good one to get? It was really clean, 24,000 miles, but it looks kind of big and heavy... is he going to have trouble with it due to his height? I'm not familiar with the bike, so I didn't really have an answer for him...
Click to expand...

Connie: I'd recommend your friend give serious consideration to the F800ST. It's a great sport tourer as a first/second bike. Does many things really well, is quite forgiving while still feeling sporty, is quite comfortable without being too big and bulky. It also comes in a "short option" with a 31.x" seat. I rode one all around Europe for a year as my entry back into Motorcycles. Loved it. When I moved to the states, I decided to swing more "sport" than "tour" and upgraded to an S1000RR :teeth
FWIW. YMMV.
 
RRrider said:
Connie: I'd recommend your friend give serious consideration to the F800ST. It's a great sport tourer as a first/second bike. Does many things really well, is quite forgiving while still feeling sporty, is quite comfortable without being too big and bulky. It also comes in a "short option" with a 31.x" seat. I rode one all around Europe for a year as my entry back into Motorcycles. Loved it. When I moved to the states, I decided to swing more "sport" than "tour" and upgraded to an S1000RR :teeth
FWIW. YMMV.
Click to expand...

Triple Threat said:
I completely agree. The 2013 model is called the F800GT and it's an even better bike. Either way he can't loose.

Triple
Click to expand...

I'll pass that model along. He's definitely not looking to buy new... if anyone has any leads, let me know.
 
Gixxergirl1000 said:
Stuck a post it to his monitor to start looking for them, but I'll leave the quest up to him! :laughing
Click to expand...

At San Jose BMW right now.

It's got like $1,500 worth of bags on it.

2008, 32,500 miles, $7,995; if you know anything about San Jose BMW you'll know they went over it with a fine toothed comb.

Sport Touring star with all the right stuff. Very clean, well equipped and maintained F800 ST. Heated grips, BMW expandable SIde Cases and a trick Coocase tail trunk with Remote Keyless unlocking feature. Good tires, runs very smooth and strong .. just a nice bike at a nice price.
Rare Matte Silver factory finish

Bikes_639_useddemo.JPG
 
^^^That's my old bike! well not exactly as mine is still living in Germany, but same colour scheme...looked just like that. Although I usually took off the panniers except when touring.
 
GAJ said:
At San Jose BMW right now.

It's got like $1,500 worth of bags on it.

2008, 32,500 miles, $7,995; if you know anything about San Jose BMW you'll know they went over it with a fine toothed comb.

Sport Touring star with all the right stuff. Very clean, well equipped and maintained F800 ST. Heated grips, BMW expandable SIde Cases and a trick Coocase tail trunk with Remote Keyless unlocking feature. Good tires, runs very smooth and strong .. just a nice bike at a nice price.
Rare Matte Silver factory finish

Bikes_639_useddemo.JPG
Click to expand...

I'll e-mail him a link, thanks Geoff! :)
 
Gixxergirl1000 said:
OK, so I have a question for you sport tourer experts... a guy at work, who's kind of short (maybe 5'6"), is thinking about getting a sport touring bike as a first bike. He was looking at a BMW 1200rt
Click to expand...

No.

I'm 5'8" and spend my days on tall bikes (R6, motocrossers, and supermotos), and the RT is the only bike I've dropped (vs. laid down) as an experienced rider. Granted, all three hard bags were loaded, AND I had a pillion, and I pulled an idiotic move of trying to back into a spot at the curb, but even without that it's a lot to handle for a short guy. While the RT is unbelievably easy to handle above 5 mph, it is just too tall for a beginner and too expensive to drop, which all beginners will (sometimes frequently).
 
Last edited:
ohio said:
No.

I'm 5'8" and spend my days on tall bikes (R6, motocrossers, and supermotos), and the RT is the only bike I've dropped (vs. laid down) as an experienced rider. Granted, all three hard bags were loaded, AND I had a pillion, and I pulled an idiotic move of trying to back into a spot at the curb, but even without that it's a lot to handle for a short guy. While the RT is unbelievably easy to handle above 5 mph, it is just too tall for a beginner and too expensive to drop, which all beginners will (sometimes frequently).
Click to expand...

The seat height is the same if not lower than many sport bikes which beginners seem to think are ideal for them.
 
Kornholio said:
The seat height is the same if not lower than many sport bikes which beginners seem to think are ideal for them.
Click to expand...

From the looks of it, I'm guessing it weighs probably what- 100lbs more? And its weight sits higher than a sportbike's.

Oh- he's interested in that one posted earlier! Thanks, Geoff! :thumbup
 
Gixxergirl1000 said:
From the looks of it, I'm guessing it weighs probably what- 100lbs more? And its weight sits higher than a sportbike's.

Oh- he's interested in that one posted earlier! Thanks, Geoff! :thumbup
Click to expand...

My RT weighs in at 504 lbs wet. Your 2005 GSX-R 1000 weighs in at 444 wet. So 60 pounds. I don't think that's that big of a difference given the drastically different style of bikes we're talking about. Besides, the shaft drive alone is a major source of that weight outside of the engine.

BTW, the 2005 GSX-R 1000's seat height is 31.9 inches. Exactly 0.1 inches shorter than my RT...in the normal setting. ;)
 
Yeah, but don't forget where that weight is carried. The sporty will have a much lower center of gravity. Weight doesnt always equal weight.
The BMW seems like a poor choice for a first bike, but thats just me, especially when there is such a wide variety of options available.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top