Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Other Bikes Looking for a two-up touring rig

Ok. I'm looking for a second bike, so telling me my speedmaster is quite capable of two up touring is besides the point here.
I'm looking for something my wife and I can travel on (weekend trips, that sort of thing) with plenty of room for her stuff. I'm not looking for a Goldwing, just something with a little more torque and luggage capacity. Anybody have any experience/preferences for this sort of bike? We have never really done this sort of riding before so any advice on things to look out for or steer clear of would be helpful.

The TBA is working great for Robin and my self. THe saddle bags and the bag on the rear rack are plenty for a week of touring. As for torque, what are you looking for? On I-5 we cruse at between 85 and 90, on hwy 101 about 75 to 80, on Hwy 1, about 60, otherwise we run into the back of the cages! If you want a larger bike to feel more secure on the freeways, check out the yamaha royal star, they make the harley road kings look small. But in my humble opinion, there is nothing like hitting the roads in a simple MOTORCYCLE! Put your face in the wind, chanllenge the road, and face this wonderful world. Don't hide behind a wind screen, listening to your stereo, and useing your bulk and size to smooth the road. These Triumphs put you into the wind with a lot more class then any other bike on the road today. These bikes make you ride, and thats what its all about, The Ride!

Funny you mentioned the Royal Star. I was just looking at the Royal Star Tour Deluxe. It's a nice looking bike. I've read articles on the Royal Star Venture (which is basically the same bike) and it recieved some great reviews. They compared it to the Electra-glide and a BMW touring bike and the Royal Srar came out on top on performance, but the Harley won the sex appeal vote. I also looked at the Sprint ST. It doesn't look as comfortable as a big touring cruiser, but it is sexy.

I'm seriously considering a touring bike. I'm looking at the BMW R1200RT and the Honda ST1300.

Bill,

I have had a '96 BMW R1100RT (I think I have a picture of it in the photo section) from new which I use for serious touring purposes.
It gives you everything a serious tourer needs, is quite nimble and balanced and more than 100 lbs lighter than the Goldwings and Electra Glide tourers.
It has more than ample luggage space and should I ever wish to change it, I would simply upgrade to the new R1200RT (which appparently is even lighter).
If I were to find a negative point, I would say it is slightly top-heavy with a full tank making parking maneuvers (in tight spaces) require a little more care/planning.

Without pannier bags (which detach with the turn of a key) it's pretty much sporty too (although not a sportsbike).
In over 9 years never a single glitch, a bike you can easily become attached to.
I just love it.

Nuthin,

Perhaps this is an option you may wish to explore too, as it is not as big/heavy (or expensive) as the Goldwing or the BMW LT1200 tourers.

Hi Nuthin,
There have been some great suggestions here. The BMWs & Venture are a bit pricey new, but are my first choice in all day/week/month touring. The Honda ST1300 is another option along with Yamaha's STJ(?)1300 - both of which grew up from 1100ccs recently, and would make looking for a used one a great buy. The Yamaha has an electrically adjustable windscreen like the R1150/1200RT. The Royal Star would probably be a good buy also. BMWs hold their value, but around 3 years old, have a big drop in resale price. Then they hold that value forever.
NOW, one that was not mentioned: Trimph ST Executive. They apparently aren't in the lineup now, but they are just like the ST but have an upright seating position. That is the tourer I want, but my bride will not be able to see over my head like she would on a Yamaha VStar 1100. That is important to her. She loves to ride with me, but can't do long trips because the blocked vision bothers her. Rick Mayer told me he should be able to built my saddle to give her enough lift to "look down" at the top of my head.
All these bikes are great and buying them is like purchasing handguns and cameras - "if they feel good in your hand, buy it". Of course in this case, "if it feels good under your bu++, buy it".
Ride 'Em Safe,
Dennis

"I AM WAITING FOR THE DRESSER VERSION OF THE ROCKET"

JERRY

Hi Again Nuthin,
The Yamaha sport tourer I was thinking of is the "FJR1300", not the STJ I referred to - don't know what I was thinking, maybe I wasn't. Looks like a dream bike for touring.
Ride Safe,
Dennis

Yeah both the Yamaha FJR and the Honda sport tourers look great. I've never ridden anything other than a cruiser, so it might take some getting used to.

A dresser version of the Rocket would deffinitely be an option. Are they coming out with one or is it speculation at this point?

I'm in the same boat as you, but have to wait 2 years to get one. Knowing how much you want to spend would help in the recommendations. On the cheap side, look at a Kawasaki Concours. It's been around for years so it's durability is proven with that Ninja motor. Only costs around 8-9 grand and comes with a good set of hard bags.

Another option is the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 which is the bike I'm thinking about. Very comfortable riding position, good passenger room, but doesn't have lower fairing coverage.

If you have more cash to spend, the ST1300 and FJR1300 are definitely high performance sport touring rigs. A Sprint ST would also be worth looking at.

If you want to stick with cruisers, Triumph should be coming out with a Rocket 3 touring setup for the 2006 models. A big Harley like the Ultra is a nice long distance bike, but that's more closer to the Gold Wing than you probably want.

I'm with Sal on the Concours. A friend just got one and when I get a chance, will put some miles on it to see if it sits anywhere near as comfortable as the BA. If it does, the 7.5 gallon tank is the best feature for me, but the shaft, hardbags, water cooled 1000cc HP and torque and relatively cheap initial outlay is hard to beat. It'll carry loads of weight at hwy speeds, and will certainly carve the canyon roads with the best of them... sport tourers, not full-on sport bikes... although he does say when taking the twisties home from work it's less work to go faster than on his Ninja.
Seven and a half gallons! Man, that's a serious cross country touring machine! I'm looking at getting a 3 gallon aux tank to keep up.

Triumph makes a couple of nice touring bikes. Or, if you want a 2 wheel version of the Chrysler 300H or Bentley V8, it is rumored that they are planning to make a touring version of the R3 soon.

A good friend has a Kaw Nomad. I'm really impressed with this bike. Smooth, strong, comfy and good looking. Price is pretty fair for what you get. Very passenger friendly! Worth a look.
Mike Sr.

Nuthin, There is obviously a dresser rocket in the planning stages & it should be out within one to two years. Since I just bought an 05 America I'll wait on it. Just can't see going to another brand of bike when I love my triumph so much.

Honda makes some really nice bikes for 2 people,my dad has a 1997 shadow spirit 1100 and him and my mom go on long trips all the time, plus the bike just likes to run and run he now has over 40,000 miles on it.

I keep telling him its time for a new bike and he just says why?