2009 Sport-Touring Shootout

[sarnali2]

Originally Posted by SmokeU

Eh, Beemer's too ruch form my blood. I'd take the Concours(obviously partial to them) or the FJR.

Oddly enough this same thing came up in the 80's, I wanted something more performance oriented then the '80 FLH I had and narrowed it down to the then new Connie and K series BMW. I wound up getting the BMW then though It was a tough call and was happy with the bike. The Connie's nice but I just like the GT better. I almost bought one this time around but I got a better deal on the FLHT so I bought it instead.

[yonian]

"The S-Ts from Japan all have horizontal adjustments for the headlamps"


Really?

Sweeping the beam from side to side is a fresh idea, although vertical adjustment to compensate for changing loads might be more useful.

Locomotive headlamps nutate constantly for conspicuity, that's even cooler.

[trickyric5474]

I don't know why so many mc mag writers miss that the Honda ST1300 does in fact also have a dampening adjustment for the rear shock in addition to the preload knob. The large pre-load knob is on the left side of the bike while the dampening adjustment is on the right side of the shock, use a standard screwdriver to adjust....it makes a HUGE difference in how the ST1300 handles, from the factory it is set way to soft. Start at about 1 3/4 to 1 1/2 turns from full stiff then adjust from there. You won't believe the difference this adjustment can have on the ST13's personality.

ALSO the ST1300 does in fact have an oil sight glass. It is also on the right side of the motor.

ST has a motorized adjustment for the headlamps vertical height (Not individual, one rotating knob on the dash adjusts both together and can be adjusted while riding). The horizontal adjustments are manual via screwdriver while parked.

Guys, if you're not going to look over the owners manual before you review a bike at least look at the left AND the right side for all the bikes features.



Ride Safe

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by trickyric5474

I don't know why so many mc mag writers miss that the Honda ST1300 does in fact also have a dampening adjustment for the rear shock

Which would be useful on those hot, dry rides.........

[newagetwotone]

I love the number of people who come in here saying "if you just change this, if you just add this, if you just make new ones of these" for the bikes they like, not to mention the number of <10 posters we get that just have a bad attitude that the reviewers missed something, we need a big sign on the sign up page "LEAVE 'TUDE AT DOOR!"

Honestly i'd think that the manufacturers that provided these bikes to mags (online or print) would make sure they were set up perfectly and do the best to make sure they are the BEST they can be.

[acecycleins]

I like all the bikes. None are in my budget. BUT if I were to choose one right now the FJR would be my choice. I just like the way it feels when you ride hard.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by yonian

"The S-Ts from Japan all have horizontal adjustments for the headlamps"


Really?

Damn, we didn't think anybody read this stuff! Good catch. Fix is in the works.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by newagetwotone

I love the number of people who come in here saying "if you just change this, if you just add this, if you just make new ones of these" for the bikes they like, not to mention the number of <10 posters we get that just have a bad attitude that the reviewers missed something, we need a big sign on the sign up page "LEAVE 'TUDE AT DOOR!"

Honestly i'd think that the manufacturers that provided these bikes to mags (online or print) would make sure they were set up perfectly and do the best to make sure they are the BEST they can be.

Thanks for defending us, NATT, but I'm happy to have new people on the forum. You are correct in assuming the OEMs give us bikes that are precisely prepped. As for the ST13, we were highly impressed with the handling of our test mule.

[Kenneth_Moore]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Duke

Thanks for defending us, NATT, but I'm happy to have new people on the forum. You are correct in assuming the OEMs give us bikes that are precisely prepped. As for the ST13, we were highly impressed with the handling of our test mule.

Besides, it's fun to watch Pete go after them.

[bramfrank]

Originally Posted by newagetwotone

I love the number of people who come in here saying "if you just change this, if you just add this, if you just make new ones of these" for the bikes they like, not to mention the number of <10 posters we get that just have a bad attitude that the reviewers missed something, we need a big sign on the sign up page "LEAVE 'TUDE AT DOOR!"

Honestly i'd think that the manufacturers that provided these bikes to mags (online or print) would make sure they were set up perfectly and do the best to make sure they are the BEST they can be.

I don't hang here much - I spend my time on other forums - but the reality is that I wasn't taking shots at the testers or their results, just pointing out that every review of the FJR at this site mentions the retracting windshield, but how hard is it to include the fact that there's a simple fix if you don't like it that way? Yes, I agree that it is also something that can be resolved by Yamaha adding a switch - but the issue affects few people (in that not many want to switch back and forth regularly), so it really doesn't justify adding $10 to the price of every bike.

I do like your comment about setting up the bikes properly because I saw that this test had the sample FJR delivering 119 hp where the test of the '06 that was published here in '07 had that bike pumping close to 130 . . . . and nothing has changed with regard to the design.