The Sport-Tourer Is Dead. Long Live the Sport-Tourer.

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The Sport-Tourer Is Dead. Long Live the Sport-Tourer.

Left to right: Kawasaki Concours 14, Yamaha FJR1300, BMW K 1600 GT, Triumph Trophy SE, BMW R 1200 RT. (Photos by Rich Cox)

A reader named Joe Salz recently sent me the following email.

I ride a 2005 Honda ST1300 ABS, which has provided 94,000 miles of trouble-free riding pleasure. But it is 20 years old, and I would like a new replacement. Unfortunately, Honda quit making the ST1300 in 2013. 

I would settle for a Yamaha FJR1300ES, but Yamaha quit building this model in 2024. The Triumph Trophy was a nice rig, but the last one rolled off the production line in 2017. The Kawasaki Concours 14 emphasized the sport side of sport-touring, but it was dropped in 2022. 

Among machines currently in production, the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+ and GX+ claim to be sport-touring machines, but their chain drive and tiny windscreens make them nonstarters for me.

If one desires true two-up capacity, shaft drive, integrated luggage, cruise control, heated grips, and a decently sized electrically adjustable windscreen in a machine that is not so big that it needs a reverse gear, there is but one lone survivor: BMW's R 1300 RT. 

What the heck happened?

Joe's email arrived as we were preparing a review of the R 1300 RT for Rider‘s November issue. In addition to the RT, BMW also makes the K 1600 GT, which meets the criteria he lists above. But Joe's larger point – the death of the open-class sport-tourer – is valid.

For Rider's May 2013 issue, I participated in and wrote a sport-touring comparison test of the BMW R 1200 RT, BMW K 1600 GT, Kawasaki Concours 14, Triumph Trophy SE, and Yamaha FJR1300 (as seen in the photos). The ST1300 was absent because it had already been cut from Honda's lineup. Only the BMW RT and GT are still in production.

We've always been fans of big sport-tourers. Of the 35 bikes we've selected as Motorcycle of the Year since 1990, 12 have been sport-tourers, and eight were open-classers.

Open-class sport-tourers fell victim to the juggernaut of open-class adventure bikes, which offer less wind protection but as much power, technology, and comfort with the added bonus of off-road capability. But not everyone wants an adventure bike with a tall seat, a 19-inch front wheel, and 90/10 tires.

Today's sport-tourers tend to be based on sportbike or adventure bike platforms: Honda NT1100 DCT, Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+ and GSX-S1000GX+, Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX and Versys 1100 SE LT, and Yamaha Tracer 9. All are powerful, sophisticated, highly capable machines (three have been MOTY), but they fail to check some of the boxes on Joe's (and other people's) list. Most put more emphasis on sport than touring, especially when it comes to passenger accommodations.

As good as BMW's RT and GT models are, we miss the variety of open-class sport-tourers, with different brands offering unique engine configurations, styling, and character. Sport-touring isn't dead, but the segment has undergone a paradigm shift. Is it better or worse? Let us know what you think – drop us a line at rider@ridermagazine.com.

See all of Rider‘s sport-tourer motorcycle reviews

The post The Sport-Tourer Is Dead. Long Live the Sport-Tourer. appeared first on Rider Magazine.

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