Any other Sportsbikes out there?
 

Just wondering if there is any other Sportsbike Travellers out there? I've done my first decent trip and I am currently planning my second for this year, so it would be good to hear from someone else who rides that type of machine long distance and get their feedback.

If anyone else out there likes discomfort with a smile let me know!

hey pj. there is no better feeling then when some schmuck on a harley who thinks he's a hell's angel but actually belongs to the peter fonda fab club says " you rode that all the way here!" i've only toured on sportbike's. and i love it. rode my zx-9r across canada and back and toured western u.s.a and mexico on my z1000.

a little uncomfortable and hard to pack but hey, what the hell. haha. i also do iron butt rides on my bike which are usually in excess of 1500km's in one day. my zx-9r looked like a rolling caravan loaded up, no hard bags or anyhting, clothes and gear for a month plus a tent and sleeping bag,lol. i'm thinkin about pickin' up a klr650 as well though. for sure if i go tour Australia this summer. catch yah later

Nick Sanders did a RTW on an R1 so why not?

Went on my own on a ZX6-R to the Nurburgring, Mosel valley and Black Forest in September '07. Got a couple of strange looks and comments on choice of bike from owners of big tourers (Pan-Euro, K1200GT) when waiting for the ferry. Not sure what they made of the lad riding the Aprilia RS250 behind me.

Got my ferry booked for late May '08 and probably going to the HU meeting near Heidelberg, Germany then down into Austria and Italy and back up via Amsterdam-Newcastle. Me and mate (Honda RVF400) are going back over for the Moto GP at Assen in late June then see where we end up. Probably doing another trip in September too.

Main problem is tank range as I only get about 100-120 miles before switching to reserve. Stopping for fuel every 90-100 miles or so means that the riding position isn't really an issue for me. I was speaking to a Fireblade rider in a local bike shop last year and he reckoned he could do Calais to his holiday apartment in Benidorm in a full day which is cracking on to say the least.

yes
 

hiya i have a 07 fireblade been harlow/dover/boulogne/brugge/amsterdam/bruxelles/boulogne/dover/home all ina weekend great better then the harley anyday and a lot faster
off to germany soon on it
got it in late june its got 8000 on it not bad for a sportsbike just get out there and do it
catch yah on the road

Nick S - got to love him!
 

NS is starting another one in April, again on a Yam RI that is sponsored by Hein Gericke (a few years ago he made multiple trips RTW on an R1 in one year - I think it was 3). He got a biggish spread in the MCN last week and he says that this will be his last RTW but he won't be stopping his trips to Timbucto and the like (he has been shown riding a Yam XT660R for that route).

It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has ridden with him: reports in the written press seem to either love him or hate him! :rolleyes2:

Germany is perfect for sportsbikes. Great road surfaces and some cracking twisties. I have a very rough plan on where I'm going and hopefully seek out some of the roads recommended by HU users.

I've read similar articles. The one about the trip he lead to Timbuktu comes to mind. I think the general opinion is he's a great personality and very genuine but some people on that trip couldn't handle his relaxed attitude to planning, but surely that's what it's all about. Enjoy the ride, see where you end up.

Biker Britain was on Men & Motors last night. Did a feature on a HU meeting and an interview with Grant. Nick looked knackered in the footage of him riding that R1 but who wouldn't doing 1000miles per day for 19 days.

Nice meeting you.
 

Nice meeting you all. Glad to know I'm not the only one out there getting funny looks off touring bike types. Forgot to mention that it is a 03 FireBlade that I tour on.

So has any of you guys been across Russia on one? If so I'd love to hear from you, also on a madder note has any of you tried to do the Atlantic Road through the Sahara on one? I'm gonna do one of these this year and can't decide which yet.

I have the Nick Sanders DVD at home too by the way, it's pretty good but he's way too fast for me. Sure does know his stuff though.

i know it's not a full on "sportsbike" but for 2 up european touring, my 10 year old zrx1100 has been superb, big comfy seat, lowish seat height, useful when supporting a pillion and luggage on sideslopes, good handling and more grunt than a rutting rhino. twin 6 pot brakes are great on downhill alpine passes.
Economy wise, 50+mpg on easy roads. (although when it's playtime this will drop to 35mpg:innocent:).
Due to the lowish seat height, the odd rough road has proved no problem, the only thing to be careful of is the sump bolt hanging low. that has been grazed a few times!
Use what is best for you!

I've done some 3,000 mile, 10 day type trips in the western US on a CBR-1100-XX Blackbird. It has Heli bars and Givi bags. I plan on going from westcoast California to loop the perimeter of US this Spring on it.
bob

I met him in Moz, next time I want stop..

Sportsbikes long distance
 

Did Vienna to Calais (around 1000 miles) on a slab-sided GSXR1100
a few years back and multiple Euro trips in a GSXR750.
Later a YZF1000R ThunderAce proved to be the best thing
for rapid two up touring (Germany to Croatia on one hit mostly)
If you're comfortable with a sportsbike position then go for it.

For anyone thinking of doing the Atlantic route on a sportsbike
I can't see any reason why not. The minefield bit on the way into
Mauritania is only a few km and no big deal. Might be
sandy on the day or might not. The rest is empty roads.
There were times on the F650GS where I wished for about
three more cylinders...

DF

Hi PJ, although they aren't full on sportsbikes, me and the mrs are riding a couple of bandits (1216 big bore and 600 respectively). last year we did vancouver-calgary-fairbanks-back down the stewart cassiar hwy to vancouver-sunshine coast-victoria. some of the roads up there are just built to be torn up by a sports bike. the only niggles were hitting the road building season up north (spring) which meant long stretches of mud and gravel. not a real problem just made the bikes a bit twitchy and was slow going, especially watching guys on KLR650's etc blast past us.
This year we've gone south from Victoria, down the west coast of the states and mexico (mainland not baja) and the bikes have been brilliant, so many good twisty roads. just watch out for the mexican bloody topes (speed bumps) they'll eat the lowest part of your bike if you don't have much ground clearance. (the 600's been lowered and the exhaust looks very sad!) apart from that it's been awesome.
run what you brung i say
adam

fazer
 

Again not a full on sports bike, but this summer I'm doing a 4 month 10,000approx mile trip through Scandinavia and Eastern Europe on a Yamaha Fazer 600. It's got a fairly upright seating position and I find it quite comfy to ride :mchappy:(well, for the relatively short distances I've ridden on it so far).
My mate will be riding a BMW F650GS so we can report the relative merits at the end of the trip. 3 weeks til kick off!:D!! bring it on!!!!
Tony

ThunderAce
 

Hi.

I have done scandinavia on my ThunderAce a feve times. Excelent bike for long trips, only mod so far is a higher screen for more wind protection. Will probably do a quick trip from Finland to Norway now when I go home on vacation this month.

cheers.

Tom

I've done some trips on diverse sportsbikes.
I drove from Belgium to Turkey (twice), Tunesia, Greece, Poland,... on a Kawasaki ZXR750

With my yamaha Thundercat I drove to Syria

And my yamaha R6 has brought me to Bosnia Hercegovina & Croatia, South of France, ...

Yep, it's a nice way to travel.
you do have to take some limitations into account but I drove offroad sections, very bad roads,... with my sportsbike.