#SportTouring

Sporty sport-tourer or ADV-lite?

by Tom Roderick

KTM announced the return of the touring supermoto to North America with the new 890 SMT. Originally announced for other markets for 2023, the new SMT will arrive in dealerships in the United States and Canada in December as a 2024 model. Pricing remains to be announced.

by Yossef Schvetz

Suzuki announced a new model to its GSX-S1000 lineup, adding a crossover motorcycle that bridges the gap between a sport-tourer and an adventure bike. We previously uncovered evidence of the bike under its codename GSX-S1000X, and we now know it will be marketed as the GSX-S1000GX. And if that name isn’t already a bit of a tongue-twister, in the U.S. it’ll be called the GSX-S1000GX+.

Some would say BMW's K1200LT doesn't get the credit it deserves for being an uber touring rig. Probably because a certain Honda Gold Wing keeps stealing all the touring thunder. However, if you're looking to do some serious touring, don't have a lot of money, but do have ambition and just a little bit of knowledge on how to fix stuff, this 2000 K1200LT is calling your name.

Certification details for a new Suzuki GSX-S1000X model have been published in Switzerland, hinting at a GSX-S1000GT variant that could be a potential competitor to the likes of the Kawasaki Versys 1000 and Yamaha Tracer 9 GT.

Multiple outlets are reporting that Ducati is preparing a new touring-focused version of the Supersport 950, based on a filing released by the California Resources Board for a “Supersport T” and “Supersport S T”. Motorcycle.com can confirm that the CARB filing is real, but everyone seems to be getting what the “T” stands for wrong.

If it weren't for the Suzuki Hayabusa, the Honda Blackbird would be far better known. A case of bad timing, I guess. Still, that doesn't take away from the fact the Blackbird was, and still is, one fast motorcycle. And much like the 'Busa, with the right accessories, it makes for one hell of a sport-touring rig, too. This is the perfect example.

New motorcycle model introductions follow a well-worn path: travel to the event location, eat nice meals, get briefed on the bike of the moment, ride a route designed to highlight the bike’s strengths, take photos/video, eat more good food, return home, and write up a review. After 27 years in this industry, I still get a cheap thrill about throwing a leg over a new motorcycle before it is available to the general public. However, what really gets me going is when I have a chance to log more than just the couple of hundred miles typically covered in an intro and spend some real time on the road with said bike.

While we're all awaiting official word of a new R 1300 GS, BMW surprised us with a teaser for an entirely different model: a new M 1000 XR.

Astute readers are probably wondering why Motorcycle.com is publishing a First Ride of a bike that’s not coming to the States this model year. Our reasoning is that, thanks to the sleuthing of Dennis Chung, we suspect the Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ will be coming to the U.S. in 2024. (Read about it here.) So, we thought our fellow MOrons might be as interested as we are in how well the new technology incorporated into the GT+ performs. We hope you enjoy this taste of what it has to offer. –EB

Only three motorcycle manufacturers in the world can claim to have been in continuous production for more than 100 years, and Moto Guzzi is one of them. When it comes time to make a historic transformation to the brand, that change carries a lot of weight on its shoulders. With the Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello, the manufacturer alludes – twice – to that long history in the name alone. First, the V100 honors the century of production and maintains form with past naming conventions, while the last part of the name refers to Mandello del Lario, where all Moto Guzzi motorcycles have been made since 1921. When looking at the V100 for the first time, the Moto Guzzi lineage is unmistakable. So, where’s the risk?

Remember sport-touring motorcycles? Maybe you don’t, thanks to the rise of adventure-touring bikes cross-pollinating the genre. Well, before the craze of wanting to explore both the paved and unpaved paths of the world, there was a subset of motorcyclists who felt the call for exploration without the need to play in the dirt. Asphalt touring was one ingredient necessary to satiate the exploration hunger, but being able to get from Point A to Point B via the longest, curviest path possible was the other. Having the ability to pack a co-pilot on the back and/or assorted gear in saddlebags was further accoutrement to make the dish even sweeter.