The sport-tourist motorcycles for travel: pros and cons

Motorcycles of the sport-tourist class are very popular with those who like to ride far and for a long time. They, in fact, were created specifically for traveling, and not for races on the track, and with radical sportsbikes, they are related only by appearance and a powerful engine that allows to develop a huge speed and cover considerable distances in a short time. According to its aerodynamic characteristics, the tourist does not concede sports to bike. Everything, of course, is good, only this class of motorcycles has some disadvantages, which we will now talk about.

By weight, this class is very different from the rest. Most models are in the range of 210-280 kg. Sports and tourist motorcycle can accelerate to 300 km / h and can easily and naturally keep cruising speed under 200 km / h. For example, Honda VFR 800 or Yamaha FJ-09. But high speed does not help to quickly overcome large distances. No, no one argues that a sports tourist can fly a couple of hundred kilometers in one breath, only then it will need a refueling on which he will lose time. Why do you need speed far beyond 200 km / h, if the expense in this mode of driving will be huge? And it's not even about the cost of fuel, but the fact that the faster you go, the more often you have to stop for refueling. And some tourist enduro like the BMW F650 will go smoothly at a speed of 110-120 km / h and refuel twice a thousand kilometers of the road, and as a result, the destination has all the chances to arrive before the sport tourist.

Thus, the sporting roots of a tourist motorcycle are not so necessary. A sufficient supply of power is available to many tourenduros and just highway tourists. Look at, for example, a couple of "relatives" - Kawasaki ZZR 1400 and Kawasaki Concours 14. These Japanese motorcycles have much in common; they are both considered sports tourists, only the first has more than 200 hp, and in the second about 140 hp.

The pros and advantages of a sport-tourist are not at all in its potentially high speed, but in another. These motorcycles, originally designed for motorcycle trips, are much more comfortable than conventional sportbikes, they have more advanced wind protection and have a greater power reserve and energy-intensive suspension, not to mention the possibility of taking with them all the necessary luggage.
At a cruising speed of 140-150 km / h, the fuel consumption will be moderate, allowing not to stop for fueling too often, and the opportunity to take a relaxed position behind the wheel will allow driving many hundreds of kilometers a day without signs of fatigue.