Rideability of sportsbikes "across country"
Discussion
As much as I love my VFR1200F I'm starting to research my next bike. I'd like something with more modern tech (IMU especially) and lighter in weight.
Reliability is a major concern for me and as such I'm looking at Honda again in the guise of the 2017 onwards CBR1000RR.
What I'm interested in is how the more fully fledged sportsbikes cope with nadgery back road riding. Is it going to be an utter pain in the arse to ride on the poorer quality section A and B roads - I'm not talking about farm tracks here, just the usual rat runs etc? I'm 32 but haven't ridden a proper sportsbike (i.e. clipons etc) since my Triumph Speed Four in my early 20s. I do a reasonable amount of touring throughout the year but only a short urban commute.
So, going from A - B "across country", am I going to be in for a harder time on something like a Blade? Is a super naked a better idea? The 1290R/GT really gets my interst..... The VFR can do reasonably well considering it's weight but it does take quite a lot of effort to do so.
I cannot bring myself to get an adventure bike yet.
I've got an old CBF500 for the REALLY crap weather/camping trips.
Reliability is a major concern for me and as such I'm looking at Honda again in the guise of the 2017 onwards CBR1000RR.
What I'm interested in is how the more fully fledged sportsbikes cope with nadgery back road riding. Is it going to be an utter pain in the arse to ride on the poorer quality section A and B roads - I'm not talking about farm tracks here, just the usual rat runs etc? I'm 32 but haven't ridden a proper sportsbike (i.e. clipons etc) since my Triumph Speed Four in my early 20s. I do a reasonable amount of touring throughout the year but only a short urban commute.
So, going from A - B "across country", am I going to be in for a harder time on something like a Blade? Is a super naked a better idea? The 1290R/GT really gets my interst..... The VFR can do reasonably well considering it's weight but it does take quite a lot of effort to do so.
I cannot bring myself to get an adventure bike yet.
I've got an old CBF500 for the REALLY crap weather/camping trips.
There is a reason why super/hyper nakeds are massively outselling sports bikes! My last Sports bike was a Suzuki GSXR1000. Not far short of 200bhp. The main thing was that in order to feel comfortable on it (i.e. take the weight of your wrists) you need to moving quite quick and on this bike you'd be going way too fast!
On B roads etc I'm sure a sports bike like the Fireblade would be great fun but most people are now finding that for the road a really capable naked bike will provide just as much capability and fun with little of the downsides (cramped riding position and pain in the wrists when riding slowly). Usually a naked is better at carrying luggage too - that said I ran my GSXR down over the Dolomites and in to Italy with little bother and some soft throw-overs!
Get a MT-09 instead!
On B roads etc I'm sure a sports bike like the Fireblade would be great fun but most people are now finding that for the road a really capable naked bike will provide just as much capability and fun with little of the downsides (cramped riding position and pain in the wrists when riding slowly). Usually a naked is better at carrying luggage too - that said I ran my GSXR down over the Dolomites and in to Italy with little bother and some soft throw-overs!
Get a MT-09 instead!
Let me give my real world perspective on this one.
I live around an hour from N. Wales and just less from the peak district, I've owned Ducati's for years and pretty much always sportsbikes, I've had my Panigale 1299S from new in 2016 and it's spent most of it's time hooning around North/Mid-Wales and trackdays.
Back at the tail end of 2020 I bought a new Gen3 Superduke R, always fancied one and the Gen3 just ticked every box. Now it's fast and compliant, but it isn't razor focused like the Pani.... but what it did immediately was allow me to ride all day without the usual aches and pains, and suddenly the Peak district became somewhere I could enjoy where I couldn't previously on the Pani.
To put this into real perspective.... my Panigale hasn't been used since the KTM arrived and just sits in the garage, the KTM does it all and enables me to go to places where I wouldn't even dream of trying to go (or certainly not planning to go to) on a sportsbike. I can "attack" the roads and go down roads that would just cripple me, have the bike tied up in knots whereas the wider bars, head up (allowing me to see over dry stone walls/hedges), longer suspension travel makes it feel like I've moved to a new area as the roads I'm travelling are different to before, but the destination (coffee stops) remain the same.
I live around an hour from N. Wales and just less from the peak district, I've owned Ducati's for years and pretty much always sportsbikes, I've had my Panigale 1299S from new in 2016 and it's spent most of it's time hooning around North/Mid-Wales and trackdays.
Back at the tail end of 2020 I bought a new Gen3 Superduke R, always fancied one and the Gen3 just ticked every box. Now it's fast and compliant, but it isn't razor focused like the Pani.... but what it did immediately was allow me to ride all day without the usual aches and pains, and suddenly the Peak district became somewhere I could enjoy where I couldn't previously on the Pani.
To put this into real perspective.... my Panigale hasn't been used since the KTM arrived and just sits in the garage, the KTM does it all and enables me to go to places where I wouldn't even dream of trying to go (or certainly not planning to go to) on a sportsbike. I can "attack" the roads and go down roads that would just cripple me, have the bike tied up in knots whereas the wider bars, head up (allowing me to see over dry stone walls/hedges), longer suspension travel makes it feel like I've moved to a new area as the roads I'm travelling are different to before, but the destination (coffee stops) remain the same.
Edited by Freakuk on Monday 21st August 15:41
My S1000XR gets far far far more use than any other bike for this exact reason. Other than its added weight, which you only ever feel during heavy breaking, I can't see any downsides
All day fast and option to put some panniers off or strap a tent to the back if I wish.
I can ride an hour to Wales, blast around all day, ride home and still want to take the long way back, whereas on Sportsbikes I've had in the past, its fast ...but only for an hour or two at a time before I'm wanting to get off.
Edit: I'm 31 and recent bike history is '17 R6 - '19 Tracer 900 - '22 Rs660.
I did the touring thing on the R6 - It CAN be done - But making it so much harder and less fun for yourself.
All day fast and option to put some panniers off or strap a tent to the back if I wish.
I can ride an hour to Wales, blast around all day, ride home and still want to take the long way back, whereas on Sportsbikes I've had in the past, its fast ...but only for an hour or two at a time before I'm wanting to get off.
Edit: I'm 31 and recent bike history is '17 R6 - '19 Tracer 900 - '22 Rs660.
I did the touring thing on the R6 - It CAN be done - But making it so much harder and less fun for yourself.
Edited by EVOTECH3BELL on Monday 21st August 15:18
There's literally no reasons or benefits to buying a sportsbike for touring across countries or riding on poor quality roads, none.
You do it because that's the bike you want to ride.
The suspension can be set up to deal with poor roads, the main issue is that the riding position can get uncomfortable.
If you're decently fit and ride the bike a lot, it will become bearable, but never comfortable..
You do it because that's the bike you want to ride.
The suspension can be set up to deal with poor roads, the main issue is that the riding position can get uncomfortable.
If you're decently fit and ride the bike a lot, it will become bearable, but never comfortable..
svracers said:
Rode a 2006 gsxr1000 across europe. Took in france germany italy and belgium. Not had 1 issue with comfort. Dont be a softy with a tourer get a sportbike and you can enjoy the twisties and autobahn!
Without using the word softy... I still have a 2006 GSXR1000 that is used for 3-4 days a year touring in the UK or Europe. I find it fine.Over longer distances and varying roads anything will be a compromise. The GSXR doesn't excel on damp single track over the moors but it still works. If this is a major issue with Google maps and Street View available it is easy plan out what you see as unsuitable roads.
Recently bought a T7 and I’m having to commute on it whilst the XR is off the road.
It’s far more fun than I expected, in fact. It’s great on the awful roads around my way & is far more composed than it should be at proper motorway speeds.
I might well get a bit fed up after a long day on it, but for a few hours riding it is superb.
Still very early days, but I suspect that I might be quite content with it as my primary (road) bike.
Would want a QS, slipper clutch and more road-biased tyres though if that was the longer term plan.
It’s far more fun than I expected, in fact. It’s great on the awful roads around my way & is far more composed than it should be at proper motorway speeds.
I might well get a bit fed up after a long day on it, but for a few hours riding it is superb.
Still very early days, but I suspect that I might be quite content with it as my primary (road) bike.
Would want a QS, slipper clutch and more road-biased tyres though if that was the longer term plan.
Biker9090 said:
Thanks so far.
Yeah, it's not so much the out and out comfort, it's the ease of riding quickly. How much I'd need to be chucking myself around the bike etc to get it to go at speed.
I'm your size but 44 and have a new1290 Super Adventure S. It is bloody quick, feels like a big supermoto. Feels quick as its got huge torque as a 1.3litre VTwin. Amazing suspension and light for a ADVYeah, it's not so much the out and out comfort, it's the ease of riding quickly. How much I'd need to be chucking myself around the bike etc to get it to go at speed.
I've come from a K1300S (not disimilar to the VFR1200F) and a GSXS1000F so they were not slow.
Good offers on it (and the SDGT too) at the moment. All the toys on it, more than most other bikes tbh, and all the safety things too.
You're honestly best just going test riding different things, and thinking out of the box a bit.
Edited by snagzie on Wednesday 23 August 11:22
svracers said:
Rode a 2006 gsxr1000 across europe. Took in france germany italy and belgium. Not had 1 issue with comfort. Dont be a softy with a tourer get a sportbike and you can enjoy the twisties and autobahn!
I think the key point here is that people are different. We have an Old Git regular who happily does the trips on an S1000RR. Others struggle comfort wise over the same roads on both adventure bikes and touring bikes. The point is that more people struggle with comfort on sports bikes, especially as they get older, and that's not about being a softie. A naked or an adventure bike would be better for touring but they're not everyones cup of tea. They aren't mine because adventure bikes conjure up visions of greying/balding overweight older men imagining they're doing paris-dakar when in reality then go no further than tescos. Naked riders to me have them because they can't handle or are scared of sports bikes. I own a sports bike and i'm getting on, greying, unfit and somewhat scared of my bike so what do i know. Just ride the bike you like in your heart. OP the 2017-19 blade can tour and looks amazing.
Biker9090 said:
Thanks so far.
Yeah, it's not so much the out and out comfort, it's the ease of riding quickly. How much I'd need to be chucking myself around the bike etc to get it to go at speed.
Yeah they're fine for that, maybe modern ones more than older as the handlebars are quite a lot wider than they used to be. My RSV4 isnt as easy to hustle as my Svartpilen but Ive never consciously thought about. The suspension is good too, better than the street triple RS I had. As mentioned in the other thread about sportsbikes the RSV4 is a good choice for effortless speed as the torque is in the midrange so you have all the power you need instantly on the road, despite the long gearing. It was noticeably better than the S1000rr I test rode even though reviews alway say that's got a good mid range. Yeah, it's not so much the out and out comfort, it's the ease of riding quickly. How much I'd need to be chucking myself around the bike etc to get it to go at speed.
To be fair, if you are dead set on a sportsbike, a 2017 Fireblade (especially the SP with the electronic Ohlins) would not be a bad choice IMO as they are very good on the road compared to some other sportsbikes, ride over crappy road surfaces superbly, can be comfortably ridden at any speed without complaining, and won't go pop or otherwise let you down.
From experience however, riding nadgery back roads on a sportsbike is not that much fun, mostly because you're always looking for gravel, potholes, horses
t, and any combination of the above. As others have suggested, something with a more commanding position giving you better visibility will always be better in such environments - so that'll be a naked or adventure bike, then.
Get a Fireblade on a faster, open bendy A road however and you'll have a lot of fun, even at legal speeds.
I am obviously biased, so take my comments with a pinch of salt!
From experience however, riding nadgery back roads on a sportsbike is not that much fun, mostly because you're always looking for gravel, potholes, horses
t, and any combination of the above. As others have suggested, something with a more commanding position giving you better visibility will always be better in such environments - so that'll be a naked or adventure bike, then. Get a Fireblade on a faster, open bendy A road however and you'll have a lot of fun, even at legal speeds.
I am obviously biased, so take my comments with a pinch of salt!
Adv bikes or nakeds, provided they're ground up developments and not just a sports bike with fairings removed are brilliant tools for UK roads. Softer more forgiving suspension works much better on the road, wider bars to push and pull around corners and something that is meant to be enjoyed at legal speeds and that's not considering the all day comfort you can obtain from some. Sportsbikes look incredible but as a tool for our roads they're compromised in a lot of ways. There's more entertainment in riding a bike at the top end of its capabilities as opposed to one which could support a much greater talent.
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