What does "true sport touring" mean? I'll argue bikes like the Suzuki GSX-1000GT+ and Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX are better true sport tourers if there is any "sport" involved. Let's face it, ST's, FJR's and RT's are more touring than sport. Doesn't mean they can't be ridden in a sporty manner (guilty! lol), but I find that they are more sporty in look than ride. YMMV.
If they were a third of that it would still out of $ reach for many. That is why I think they are still a good buy 15-20 years later. The ST1100 was outdated 20 years ago when the 2005 RT was the best sport tourer on the planet. It ain't far removed from it now.You might be on to something there....new RTs selling over 31K dollars I hear
Its all subjective. When I bought mine I had 3 canidates in mind. The concours the ST1100 and BMW rt1100. The ST won because of an advanced V 4 water cooled engine and 16K mile valve adjustments and what the ST owners and bike magazines were saying about this magnificent machine.
I can respect that, but I don't knonw what you mean about the weather protection being that good. My inital ST "test ride" was in the rain, and I was soaked. FWIW, I've covered well over 700 miles on a dedicated sport bike... for me, sport touring is a mentality, and not necessarily a type of bike. I guess I don't understand the sport part of your sport touring motorcycle definition. A Goldwing, HD Street Glide Ultra, or Indian Roadmaster can do all of the things you mention (range questionable) with similar comfort. And the K1600 is considered to be a touring bike more so than a sport tourer (first for me). IMO, you've described the strengths of touring bikes, but I don't see were the "S" part of "ST" applies. Bikes like the ones I mentioned, additionally Tracer9 GT, Ninja H2 SX SE, Multstrada, and many ADV-styled bikes should also be included... the RT is not the only new model remaining as you suggest.
Sounds like price was a very important factor as the 1400 Concours didn’t come out till 2005 and the ST and the RT 1100 were more than 10 years old and replaced by newer higher performance models from their manufacturers.
I’ve saved so much money over the years because I do the maintenance on my cars and motorcycles at least until the point cars are now. A valve check on a 2005-2013 boxer BMW might take you two hours including fairing removal. It’s essentially a simple valve check on 2005-2009s because the valves don’t change much or at all over 20,000 miles and if adjustment is necessary, screw & locknut, it’s still within two hours. If you have to change a valve shim out on the Honda and you can’t do it yourself all the money you saved buying the Honda goes out the door. IIRC dealers get 6.5 hours for a ST valve check. Of course, some thrifty people just defer or dismiss maintenance so they don’t pay anything. Hondas can handle an owner that doesn’t do the maintenance much better than a BMW will. There is that.
Thats true but not always. My ST1100 has had only 1 valve adjustment at 16K now at 94k she still purrs like a kitten. This bike has cost me very little in maintenance. Sometimes a large price does not mean quality. Take Toyota's for instance very little maintenance on their engines that last forever vs say a BMW or Mercedes that u need a large cash box for maintenance just to keep it running. I guess the prestige of saying I have a S class sounds better than saying I own a Camry that will last forever
I imagine I paid far less for the RT than you did for your ST and enjoyed it almost as long (72,000 miles 2020-2025, sold with 162,000 miles for half of what I paid for it LOL) as you’ve had your bike if you bought it new. And that includes maintenance during the time I owned it. Every mile I rode the RT it handled better, stopped better, managed air better and got better gas mileage than my 2005 ST1300. That is worth something with every mile ridden. I will say there were more times when someone walked past my friend on his Honda to come up to me and tell me a story about a BMW a family member owned long ago or ask questions about my BMW. That rarely happened when I was on a Honda and I’ve owned a bunch of them. There are reasons people pay more for certain vehicles than they do for others and it doesn’t always come down to being a snob. That’s pretty insulting to be honest. The value of a vehicle isn’t always simply a monetary figure. I spent a lifetime in sales and most people don’t buy the cheapest choice that they can make whether it be for underwear or cars and motorcycles. You have to wear the underwear and the pain of owning it lasts longer than the pain of extra price at purchase. I think I have said all that I can say to the subject and will close out my contributions. Cheers.That true but not always. My ST1100 has had only 1 valve adjustment at 16K now at 94k she still purrs like a kitten. This bike has cost me very little in maintenance. Sometimes a large price does not mean quality. Take Toyota's for instance very little maintenance on their engines that last forever vs say a BMW or Mercedes that u need a large cash box for maintenance just to keep it running. I guess the prestige of saying I have a S class sounds better than saying I own a Camry that will last forever
U cant b all that bad! U b from boston! I was mass ave and huntington before i moved!Hi All,
So I'm pretty sure what kind of answers I'll get here, but here goes. My 2000 ST1100 has been a great girl, and we've done a lot together. Lately, I just had a hankering for something different. It may be due to her letting my down on a trip from Boston to Florida, but that was on me. I hate to say this, but sometimes I feel like she's just not as sexy as I want anymore. Also doing long rides, the throttle locks just aren't making it, and the urning for cruise control is in the air. All that said, I'm thinking about a 2005 BMW R1200RT or 200x Triumph 1050 ST. I keep going back-and-forth about keeping on the ST or changing partners. If I stray, I know I'll miss the long range and the smooth engine. I will appreciate cruise control, lighter weight, and fuel injection though. If I keep her, I'm looking at a full water hose replacement this winter. I could have both <smile> A real option is to have both and see - domestic tranquility be damned
Thoughts?
Here she is before Florida trip, with a shorty on, and some of the other family. I've done the "red wire bypass" and clear lens swap among other care and TLC.
Sometimes I think maybe a better windscreen? The lip is great, but again, not sexy - okay, I'm old, that's why I have a VFR and Ducati for the crisis.
Here's the RT. Not sure I'll be happy going from smooth 4cyl to Boxer
The Triumph is also a looker - chain drive, I know
I'm sure that the marketing department would like to cut those failures out of the numbers also, but I don't accept that logic.
Find any bike, car or truck that has no failures.
Your post is not about vehicle failures in general, so I never responded to that. Your post is about motorcycle drive-line failures. Part of your post is specifically about some of the causes of BMW GS drive-line failures and how they affect the numbers when compared to other manufacturers. This is what I responded to.
The GS is a very capable off road bike... many have proved that. However, no bike is completely indestructible so you have to assume some wear items will need to be inspected and replaced if necessary.
I think that's painting with too broad of a brush. For the majority of the off-road I've seen GS's traverse (i.e. gravel and fire roads), I've been able to manage on a sportbike or lighter sportish bike with luggage no less, albeit with an occasional clearance issue, lol. An accomplished off-road rider friend of mine traded in his big GS after repeatedly blowing out his suspension on moderate jumps. He is now on a Multistrada with no issues. One rider's "off-road" may not be the same as the other. To be fair, it's uncommon to see BMW's in extreme off-road competitions, so it's unfair to think it's going to compare in that respect against brands that do. No disrespect, but I see the majority of GS (and other kitted ADV bikes) much like I see the extreme Jeeps... they may be capable off road, but only a small handful will find out to what degree. Essentially, more show than go... but I live in Southern California, and I suspect it is a bit more common here.
Well, you can split hairs if you want. No, a GS on single track roads wouldn't be anything I'd do.. heck I'm a poser and didn't get the GSA because I wanted to go off road, I got it because it's an excellent touring bike.
