Guy Boutin's Motorcycle Touring and Travel Pages

Adventures in Sport Touring with the Honda ST 1100, 1300 and the BMW 1200RT

Exploring North America...One Road at a Time

Why I ride Sport Touring Bikes

Let me begin by saying there is no right or wrong choice, what kind of motorcycle you choose is entirely up to to you, and whatever you choose should reflect your style, wants, and needs.

I'm not going to discuss the different type of bike genres, but instead focus on why I choose to ride sport touring bikes-what this section is ALL about, what I like, and why.  My choice of bikes doesn't make me more elite, or better, it just says who I am.

I ride sport touring bikes because they are fast, agile, and mostly comfortable.  They lean well in the mountains and canyons, have things like adjustable wind protection, FI, ABS, and hard bags.  They are not Gold Wing comfortable or Ninja fast, but not far off the mark.  Outfitted with smaller, slicker fairings, they shoulder away the rain and cold, and on the open highways make 115 mph seem like a reasonable speed.  Most are shaft drive, with large gas tanks to zap me across the vast expanses of the American West, not worrying about where the next gas station is.

Sport tourers have most of the amenities of a full touring bike (especially the BMW RT) but without all the weight and bulk, which depending on what you like or need, can be a good or a bad thing.

These versatile machines, are mostly limited production bikes of the various manufacturers.  Outside of BMW,  you probably won't walk in a dealer showroom and see one on the floor.  They cater to a unique brand of Long Rider.  Usually their owners ride a lot miles, in all kinds of weather and terrain.  They use them for cross country tours, and everyday commuting.  In the Iron Butt Rally sport tourers are the overwhelming choice for a reason, mainly because they do so many things well, at little or no cost in performance.

If you want more info about my bikes specifically, click over to this page.