Do these guys actually ride motorcycles or do they just hate them?

For me the ultimate touring bike has got to be the Honda Pan European. I have had both the 1100 and the ST1300. A little heavy at walking speed but open them up and the performance and handling is stunning.

I owned a 2004 Honda Blackbird for 2 years - an absolute rocketship, but even with bar risers installed, the riding position is very heavy on the wrists anywhere under 150kmh. You find yourself relieved to stop at the traffic lights and give your wrist joints a rest. Also, on anything less than broad sweeping curves, handling is hard work. It's such a heavy bike and it feels like it too. I was happy to sell it and get myself another Gen.5 VFR800 - now that's a great sports tourer.

“Panel of experts" Made me chuckle. They're anything but. Loved the nostalgia, how bikes have moved on now. thanks.

I had an FJR 1300 & did 785 miles in one day driving through Europe most comfortable bike i ever had

Hey Honda, bring back the ST1300 with a little sportier tuned exhaust, cruise control and self cancelling turn signals.

Being very biased about the gsxf750, they are a cracking bike as long as you don't treat it like a super bike. They are heavy and you have to work abit through the twisties but that what riding is about. I love mine and do alot of miles on it, no disrespect to people who don't like them but for what I need it definitely delivers

The GSXF750 is a rock solid all arounder for riders using their brains rather than their emotions. More than enough power to get you in trouble, nice top end rush and likes to rev like the GSXR engine it's based on. Many have well over 100k and still going strong, and dead nuts reliable. Brakes are mushy, but a set of upgraded pads fixes this. For the power hungry a set of GSXR cams (direct replacement) gives you well over 110HP at the loss of some low end torque. The motor is the key here, buy a 98+ model and you have a bullet proof bike that will take a ton of miles and smiles while asking for more.

I own a gsxf750 best bike i had love it and looks still modern with bulletproof engine

Who are the dotes who put this list together? What qualifies them as sport tourers? Hyabusa a sport tourer? No bags? Vfr is a great bike (had two) but that’s the number one? Come in man.

I am on my second Bandit 1200 (2006 model currently), ergos are the most comfortable for touring for starters, excellent engine, very good handling etc etc, hard to fault the bike really. HUGE seller worldwide! How it didn't make the top 10 of your list is quite unbelievable. I have owned a number of bikes over the past 37 years including vfr750, hornet 919, z1000. If you want a powerful comfortable do it all bike then test ride a Bandit 1200 or the newer 1250 cc.

Yes, old video. I just bought an '03 Sprint ST, lowly 10th place finisher. However it was compared favorably to the VFR in another review. As said by others, not all 10 are sport tourers, and others that are, were omitted like the Caponard and the Norge. And the difference between the ones that are, are more styling exercises. Take that out of the equation and there was little substance to the criteria. BTW, I love my Sprint. 118 hp in a sub 500 lb. bike: what's not to like! Any of these bikes maintained per the manufacturer are a tremendous value in 2017 if you look around. You can have all the modern computer controlled riding aids the new bikes are equipped with. They don't enhance the riding experience: only the cost of ownership.

Don't let this put you off the gsx750 (katana), go give one a test ride because they do everything you could want from a sports/tourer are very comfortable for its class and are super reliable , yes they are a bit heavy but if you're doing more touring type riding that isn't a big negative and the positives make up for it

I bought a 2012 FJR1300 new that year & am still loving it 4 years later. There's nothing on the market that would match my expectations better.

The Blackbird is an awesome bike, comfortable, reliable, durable, and is a Honda what more do you need? I got both X11 and XX on my garage, not even one failure what so ever on both machines, although I must say that the new VFR1200 overtakes the sport-touring crown, but either Honda will make a great tourer. Cheers mates.

No mention of the cbr 1000 f which sold hundreds of thousands and is still by today's standard a very quick and super reliable bike

Don't let any of these downers give any motivational speeches. The audience might be slitting their wrists before it's over. The bald dude is especially depressing.

I guess our definition of "tourer" is different. I do recognize that Europe and USA have different roads as a rule of thumb. More twisty turny roads in Europe, more long open stretches in the US. But, sport touring to me suggests a fast good handling bike with the added capability of bringing luggage. Most of those bikes dont have saddlebags. I realize a Harley Electra Glide doesnt fit the definition, but what about the Concours and bikes like that?

Dave Miller looks like he's talking from a Young Offenders Institute.

The FJR 1300 should be in the top 3! If not the Best bike from this list. ✌🏻😃

Fjr is the only one that really stood the test of time and evolved to be a true sports tourer. The Kawasaki is a bit long in the tooth not keeping up with modern technology and the rest are more sport bikes. Can’t believe they put the Hayabusa in the mix

Love my 04 ZZR 1200, Incredible power and comfort

After 57 yeas of riding I have never owned or ridden a "souless" machine. Either you are sensitive to what's going on under you or you aren't.

great series of vids , i know there old , but there good reviews , when im searching for stuff they are always worth a look

The VFR800Fi is still the best, even today. No other bike is as good. Mine has 100000km's on the clock, rides like new!

To me a Sport Tourer has to have hard bags standard on the bike. What happened to the Concours 10? St1100/1300? Triumph Trophy? Half of the bikes presented were flat out sport bikes. Hayabusa as a sport tourer? Might as well add the ZX12r as a sport tourer. The BMW K1200RS has a midrange that stomps! That is what sport tourers need is midrange punch!

One of the things I would say is that way back then the perception of bikes was very different (I am 65), and there was a lot of snobbery if you owned the latest and greatest hyperbike/Moto GP replica/Super Bike, with matching leathers with said "Bird" on the back also wearing said matching leathers, and a credit account with your local chiropractor! Anyone who was not in the "club" would be looked down upon, but having said that there are so many bikes from that era that should have been included since now we have the benefit of hindsight after all these years! My pick for the contest would be.. Suzuki Bandit 1200/600, Yamaha Fazer 1000 and 600, Honda VFR800Fi/and VTEC, Kawasaki ZZR600, Kawasaki GPZ1100, Suzuki GSXF750/600, Honda CBF1000, Honda 600 Hornet, Aprilia Futura RST1000 (as featured in this film), Triumph Sprint 1050 (as featured), Yamaha FJR1300 (as featured), Ducati ST3/4 (as featured), Yamaha TDM900, BMW 1150RT/850RT, BMW1200ST?. Loads of people around the time toured on Ducati M800s/M900, Suzuki SV1000(2003) , Honda VTR1000, Yamaha TRX850's none of which would really qualify for this category so its very subjective and not definitive. Bikes such as the Hyabusa, Blackbird, and the ZZR1200 and VMax should not really be included as they are big super powerful hyperbikes for the time, because if you do then all the 1300/1400/1500/1600cc muscle bikes would then have to be included! Just to also put prices in perspective 10000GBP for a bike around 2000-2003 was a lot of money in those days, in comparison to now, you can buy a new bike that outperforms most of the above mentioned, today for around 9000GBP (and certainly nearly new/low miler examples) with the exception of the current Hyabusa and other current hyperbikes. Tastes and aspirations have changed over time. Just My "Two Penneth's worth".

16 kawasaki concours Z1400, best road tour bike ever made. 120,000 miles. Time for a new one....

gsx 1100 f, on his days, but also today are enjoyable...

I think bandit 1200 shouldve made the list, love my bandit

I have a 2005 FJR with 68,000 miles and I love the bike. It's fast , handles very well and is practical

The silver VFR800FI shown at start of the film, is pre VTEC 97-99 models. Many would argue this version is better that the '01 onwards VTEC models. ..I've had a '98 VFR800Fi for around 5yrs now and am about to get a '07 Blackbird!

Great Bikes are brilliant at specific things. My BMWR1200R classic is for me the best bike on the planet. With the Telelever front end nothing comes close when a pillion and heavy luggage for touring is added. It is also very fast well made and safe. But its no Blackbird but that edge is beyond both my skill and ride style but that's okay.

FJR1300 is the one i'd pick. A sports tourer is basically a comfortable sports bike... Anything more is a tourer, anything less is a sports bike. This is a strange mixture of bikes - probably all they could hold of on the day of filming. The VFR has that crouched over riding position, so i wouldn't want to tour on that. If the Hayabusa and Blackbird were releaed today, with performances relative to our time, they'd be classed as hyperbikes. The rest, nah, for me FJR, works, truely comfortabe, truely fast, not as heavy as the Concours (GTR1400), ST1300 that it's usually grouped with.

God these shows look really low budget but I loved them. Wish Men and Motors was on TV again.

I don't understand why you didn't mention the Honda St1300 European Pan. In my opinion, this is the right thing. I have an ST1300, 2002, and I wouldn't change it for I don't know what. Very Reliable, I would go to the end of the world with it if necessary.❤🎉

I am very glad my bike is the NUMBER ONE ♥️

I've owned 5 of the bikes mentioned & done over 100,000 klms on 3 of them. Bike choice is a personal thing so what one person says is a great bike someone else will not like them at all. Another reason why these so called "experts" have no idea what is good for everyone. Just because a bike can do 40-60 k's faster than the other one does not mean you will get there faster,you would still sit on your preferred cruising speed & be comfortable & get there in the same time.Saying the ZZR1100 ruled the roost in the 80's is a bit strange seeing as they didn't even come out till 1990,I should know as I had 7 of them in the 90's & preferred them to the ugly 1200 as well only just than the 'Bird but once I rode a Hayabusa all the others were as they say "just like prey" I've covered a quarter of a million klms on a Gen 1 & a Gen 2 Busa & I ride my '09 model almost every day & it still excited me every time I get on it,that feeling stopped after a couple of years on the others. The only bike that comes close "for me & the way I ride & the riding I do" is my ZX14R Kawasaki which is what Kwaka should have brought in the early 2000's to have some sort of competition against the 'Bird & the 'Busa instead of the dingo ugly ZZR1200 & the fast but not that comfortable ZX12,yep I had one of those as well.Nowdays I only ride my 'Busa as my Mrs has taken over the Big K as her preferred ride over her last bike which by the way was.....a Gen 2 Hayabusa. To each his/her own people & most of what these Poms say is rubbish especially the Hayabusa being ugly,wtf??? most pommy mags say this yet they like things like the RS Sprint or the ZZR1200 both goggle eyed monstrousity's to me personally. Ride a bike,if you feel comfortable & completely at home on it then buy & enjoy,if not pick another,after all in this day & age you have the biggest choice of motorcycles ever. Keep ya knees in the breeze!

Did they say that an Italian bike is just as reliable as Japanese bikes? Correct me if I'm wrong but I barely see any of the European bikes mentioned in this vid in the street or for sale but the Japanese bikes are still selling and running strong after all those years.

Is there a reason we have to be informed that all these bikes have a 4 stroke engine? You'd have to go back 30 years to find a new bike with a 2 stroke engine, and that wouldn't have been a "sport tourer". These guys just love to hear themselves talk, and think their personal opinions should determine our decisions. "The Honda Blackbird is feeling a bit slow now" LOL!

96 zzr1100....250 miles for a (brisk) dash to wales from lincs no problem.

The blackbird is a best !!!!

The members of the panel don’t sound very excited about motorcycles.

These socalled "experts" should be working for a funeral service company instead.

Very helpful video

I think the Fj1300 should've been in the top 5

I rode from Windsor, Ontario, Canada to the Tail of the Dragon in Smokey Mountains, USA (9hrs) on my Hayabusa with soft panniers and a big tank bag. Made a weeks vacation out of it.

i have a honda 125 cc.2010 model what # would you give it

I've just replaced my old, red, battered vfr800fi (pre vtech) with.......another (nearly mint) vfr800fi in red. I did masses of research l, really fancying a change but just kept coming back to the same bike. For what they cost now you really cannot do better. There are loads out there that have been maintained meticulously and the bike ticks every single box. The only thing I found odd is that the Triumph Sprint wallowed in 10th position. If I would have gone for something different, the Sprint would probably have been the one.

So the winner was the smallest capacity, lightest and physically small motorcycle. Not very imaginative conclusion from so called expert reviewers to me. I thought this was meant to be about sports-touring bikes which by definition means there has to be a compromise between handling and comfort. Cleary the VFR800 would struggle to carry a decent amount of luggage and a pillion with the same comfort as the larger bikes?

I've gone back in time!

Hopping next bike will be CBR XX :)

I have #9 and it's a great bike. Aside of maintenence since it's a 98. It's been lowered, wider rear tire, and better jet kit. Made this handle a lot better. It's pretty fast mid range in my opinion. Vibration starting at 80mph and not many performance upgrades. One thing mine has factory luggage rails, but I can not find factory hard luggage (panniers ) . Any idea where I can find them.

Time has told which bike the paying public really rated. FJR and Busa are still on the books...others are dustbin of history. Still want a blackbird though.

VFR?!! Come on!

Next Week:: "Top Ten Best Horseless Carriages Of 1904 -- 3-Seaters."

Love the Triumph Sprint. It looks like a track bike. It’s fun to thrash a smaller displacement bike than rolling down the road on a recliner. I’ve had a BMW K75RT that was a great sports tourer. After that I had a couple of st1300s and loved the way it could cover ground. They were awfully too heavy though and at 74 I was having trouble reaching the ground and holding it upright.

Damn! Does the sun ever come out over there???

If the Busa is on the list, the Kawasaki 12R damn well should be too...

Interesting history lesson.

if the busa is geared for 196 mph how comes mine does 206 on the gps?

They show the VFR 800 Fi Then rattle on about the Vtec..Having owned the 750 the 800Fi and a Vtec the best of the 3 is the Fi.. The Vtec felt flimsy in comparison and didnt like the Vtec engine so much.. So went back to the Fi and after it sat in the garage for 2 years untouched and ignored it started on the button.!. chuck a nice Hi level can on it and they sound Great too.. Pick up a clean loved low miler for under £2k now and you can ride round the planet on it, and still feel your Ass when you get off.

be nice to see more of this sort of review used bikes are more afordable and more attainable

Holy cow! A blast from the past...all antiques now.

The FJR1300 came available in US markets in 2005. i bought one brand NEW IN 2005. i was very dissatisfied with it and traded it for a Kawasaki concours 14 in 2008. This video is old!

I know this is a old video and all the bikes on it are great motorcycles only three of them would be true Sports Tourers the FJR BMW & Honda VFR. All the rest are more sport then tour no bags and very little wind protection.

Since 2006 BMW have been ultra unreliable, service it, component failure, service it component failure, service it component failure...All high end and super high price. ABS modules, ESA Shocks, Fuel Strips, Switch Gear ,Final Drives are all very common failures. Any post 2006 BMW is not for the feint hearted and certainly not for anyone wanting to run a bike on a tight budget.

Watching this in 2023 and giggling when the bloke said you don’t see many FJR1300’s about. Basically every police department in Australia them 😂

VFR souless? I'm assuming you didn't mean the VFR 750. I had to sell two bikes last year, selling the 94' VFR750 wasn't even a consideration.

Just call it a sports tourer if it's too heavy to call sports bike.

While everyone is entitled to their opinions about reliability, control, structure - all things that can be traced to mechanical design and engineering, all the other words about looks, comfort, "soul", are just subjective thoughts that only go as far as that person's bias.

5:55 yes.. or I can get japanese.. and service it.. and ride it and ride it and ride it and ride it and ride it and ride it.

Ho has a Problem with d cups comming your way???

I've owned a vfr 750 and a vfr1200f. The 1200f is SOOOOOO much better to ride and it flat out accelerates faster than most 2021 bikes.

The Aprilia is comfy as to ride

I'd like to see you redo this again

Cant agree more

Shaft drive makes the trip so much better, more fun when riding more and maintaining it less. You wouldn’t want chain drive on your car, so why have it on your bike?

honda transalp XLV 600 forever!!!!!!!!!!!

Some rather odd arguments made for if a bike is good or not. "Its british", "Im not keen on this engine (gives no further explanation)", "I dont like shaft-drive (uhhhm. Ok? Why you care that much about the power transmission?). At this point, the review stopped being interesting for me at least

Mate, does it EVER stop raining in England? Also I rode a Blackbird 400kms on a cold wet day. Most painful instrument of torture I have ever had the displeasure to use. Cramps and lousy wet grip with the Dunlops made the whole trip a misery.

why is the Triumph one that was discontinued in 2005 , if this was posted in 2015?

No 1 - VFR 800 Fi

Shouldn't we have seen the bikes tested with panniers?

Only one sprt/tour in this list, the Yamaha FJR1300. These are sport bikes. How about BMW R1200RT and K1600GT, Kawasaki Concours14, Honda ST1100?

My vote went to the Blackbird for top slot, fast, little wind blast, comfy ,takes luggage and comfy on the pillion for she-who-must-be-obeyed.

the Suzuki gsx750f is also known as Suzuki katana gsx600f

Watched this years ago and the bikes seemed so cool, watching it now over ten years later they look prehistoric lol.

fjr- zzr competitors? ?

Im still amazed that people think "Its British" is an actual argument... (－‸ლ)

Is the ZZR really a bus, or is it a bullet train?

ST 1300 top bike

Concours 14

I am so gobsmacked the Blackbird wasnt no1..

Why are they asking motorcycle journalists about touring bikes? They only care about sports bikes. I remember Bike magazine did a "special" on touring bikes. All the winning bikes had insane amounts of power and not one of them had any luggage ability.

🏍👍

i was looking at these bikes and i started asking myself "why are they so ugly? are they retro styling them already?" I looked down at the published date and its pretty recent (march 2015) so in my head i was like "holy shit! they're serious.. whyyy? . they were doing so good with the styling now-a-days" then i scrolled down more and saw that i was originally aired in 03... fweee

10:36 ''like the Aprilia'' Does that mean that he likes the bike or her compares it to Ducati ? Because that bike was Ducati, not Aprilia, i'm confused a little bit.

I like D cups coming head on.

I had the 99 VFR as shown in the profile pic. Unfortunately a dirty bastard stole it. It had everything just right for me except I wanted a bit more than 100 hp. However it is not a sport bike it is the ST. 1999 had no o2 sensor nor cat converter. I did have some great fun and great appreciation on the road. I could ride from NC to PA with no problems. Buy a 5th gen for the best engine. 11.087 1/4 m run with powercommander and piperwerx.