Sports Tourer

Sports tourer with full fairing ( Suzuki GSX 750 F )

Yamaha Fazer with half shell

Sports tourers are street-legal motorcycles that combine everyday and touring suitability with sporty driving performance and chassis properties. While the engine performance of the open-top versions differs insignificantly from the super athletes, in contrast to these, you have a more comfortable seating position and a slightly more comfortable suspension . The front passenger will also find something more than a makeshift seat cushion on the continuous bench seat, so that traveling as a couple is definitely possible. Almost all sports tourers have a full fairing or at least a half fairing. Side cases can be mounted using optional luggage systems from the manufacturer.

Conceptual demarcation

The design of the engine is usually modified compared to the super sports version. Modified camshaft profiles and valve opening times, longer intake ports and heavy crankshafts optimize the torque in the medium speed range compared to its maximum output. A reduced maximum speed improves the stability of the motors. The fairing is wider, taller and more comfortably dimensioned and offers better wind and weather protection than super athletes. The motorcycle frame is designed for the benefit of a more upright posture. A larger wheelbase and a more relaxed steering angle improve straight-line stability, but not to the same extent as with pure tourers. The additional weight of a larger fairing, longer chassis and frame as well as additional engine and equipment components change the ratio of unsprung to sprung masses , which calms the driving behavior on uneven road surfaces. Anti-lock braking systems are usually fitted as standard, with some manufacturers also offering compound brakes and traction control systems . A voluminous fuel tank increases the maximum range , while a very long gear ratio ( overdrive ) reduces engine speed and fuel consumption on long stretches of the motorway. The ground clearance is comparatively high compared to pure tourers in order to enable a sporty driving style with a large lean angle . Cardan drives that are preferred are more durable and require less maintenance than chain drives.

Typical are hard-shell cases in the vehicle color that can be locked, splash-proof and integrated into the cladding as standard. The accessories are mostly electronically adjustable chassis, heated grips , cruise control , navigation system , on-board power sockets and a tire pressure monitoring system.

Motorcycle models

The categorization of a motorcycle as a sports tourer is sometimes controversial, as various models can be classified as both sports tourers and tourers . Almost all European and Japanese motorcycle manufacturers have sports tourers in their product range. The development in the 2010s is in the direction of fully faired sports tourers with a displacement of over one liter, a rated output of more than 72 kW (98 PS) and a top speed of over 200 km / h.

Market overview of sports tourers in production

image	Manufacturer	model	engine	Displacement	power	drive	Empty weight	Sales start (facelift)
	BMW	R 1200 RS	2 cylinders, boxer engine	1170 cc	92 kW (125 PS)	Cardan drive	236 kg	2015 (2018)
	Honda	VFR 800 F (RC 79)	4 cylinder, V-engine	782 cc	78 kW (106 hp)	Chain drive	242 kg	2014
	Honda	VFR 1200 F (SC 63)	4 cylinder, V-engine	1237 cc	127 kW (173 hp)	Cardan drive	267 kg	2009 (2012)
	Kawasaki	ZZR 1400	4 cylinder, in-line engine	1441 cc	147 kW (200 hp)	Chain drive	268 kg	2006 (2008)
	Kawasaki	Z 1000 SX	4 cylinder, in-line engine	1043 cc	105 kW (143 hp)	Chain drive	230 kg	2010 (2013)
	KTM	1290 Super Duke GT	2 cylinder, V-engine	1301 cc	127 kW (173 hp)	Chain drive	205 kg	2016
	Suzuki	Hayabusa 1300 ABS	4 cylinder, in-line engine	1340 cc	149 kW (203 hp)	Chain drive	266 kg	2008 (2013)
	triumph	Triumph Sprint GT 1050 (215ND)	3 cylinder, in-line engine	1050 cc	96 kW (131 PS)	Chain drive	268 kg	2010
	Yamaha	FJR 1300 A	4 cylinder, in-line engine	1298 cc	105 kW (143 hp)	Cardan drive	264 kg	2001 (2013)

Other sports tourers include:

• Aprilia SL 1000 Falco (1999-2003), RST 1000 Futura (2001-2003)
• BMW F 800 ST (2006–2012), F 800 GT (since 2012)
• BMW K 1200 RS (1996-2004), K 1200 S (2005-2009), K 1300 S (2008-2015)
• BMW K 1200 GT (2002-2008), K 1300 GT (2009-2011)
• Ducati ST2 (1997-2003), ST3 (2004-2007), ST4 (2002-2005)
• Honda CBF 1000 (2006-2011), CBR 1100 XX (1997-2007)
• Honda VFR 750 F (1986–1997), VFR 800 FI (1998–2010)
• Kawasaki ZX-12R (2000-2005), Z 1000 SX (since 2011)
• Kawasaki 1400 GTR (2007-2016)
• Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 (2006-2016)
• MZ 1000 ST (2004-2008)
• Suzuki GSX750F , GSX 1100 F (1988–1996), GSX 1250 F (since 2010)
• Suzuki GSF 1200 Bandit (1996-2006), GSF 1250 Bandit (since 2007)
• Yamaha GTS 1000 (1993–1997)
• Yamaha MT-09 Tracer (since 2013)

Market development

Of the 50 best-selling motorcycles in Germany in 2013, there were only four sports touring bikes with the BMW F 800 GT (20th place), Kawasaki Z1000 SX (26th place), BMW K 1300 S (33rd place) and BMW R 1200 RT (39th place). According to Heinz May, motorcyclists "currently prefer to buy the specialists such as athletes, naked bikes or tourers - and if they resort to all-rounders, then to the travel enduro ." The sales figures of the travel enduro BMW R 1200 GS K50 were more than twice as high in the same period like the four aforementioned sports tourers together. According to Clemens Gleich, "sports tourers have become practically unsaleable in Europe."

The trend towards a second motorcycle has resulted in greater specialization of the types of vehicle, as it reduces the demand for “both-and-motorcycles”. Lower average annual mileage of less than 4,000 km per year has reduced the requirement for comfort, especially since people often travel to vacation by car train or trailer and suitability for long distances has become of secondary importance. Touring enduros with up to 150 hp rated power, semi-active chassis and a lot of driving and travel comfort have penetrated the sport touring segment.

reception

The magazine Motorrad defines sports tourers as “machines that stand for a lot of driving fun plus comfortable travel to the target area” and “also create a good mood during racetrack training”: “Both-and-motorcycles that weren't extreme, just extremely versatile: good touring suitability and high everyday competence, paired with brisk driving performance and sporty driving characteristics. ”Exclusion criteria are a lack of fairing, slowness,“ gross chassis weaknesses ”and an“ upright posture ”.

See also

• Tourer
• All-rounder

Web links

• Stefan Kaschel, Gerhard Lindner: Megatest Sporttourer - This is the summit . In: Motorrad , issue 19/1999, September 10, 1999.
• Christian Heim: Comparative test sports tourer . In: Reise Motorrad . Edition 5/2012. 5th August 2012.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ New registrations of motorcycles 2013 Germany ( Memento of the original from July 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Industrie-Verband Motorrad Deutschland eV 
2. ↑ Heinz May: One for all. In: Focus . September 16, 2014, accessed February 12, 2015 .  
3. ^ Clemens Gleich: New Old School. In: Heise online . April 10, 2014, accessed February 12, 2015 .  
4. ↑ Mileage and consumption bill . In: DIW Berlin . Weekly report 41/04.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Thomas Schmieder: Sports Tourers through the Ages: Are Generalists Out? In: Motorrad , issue 15/2014. July 3, 2014, accessed September 1, 2014 .