Maybe a new "which to choose?" topic?

[ButNotTooNice]

Hi, all. I'm an almost-newbie. I rode many, many years ago, but I'm now really keen to get back into it. (Every time I see a nice bike go by I start daydreaming about how much fun it was!)

I have lots of questions, but all are pretty much answered elsewhere on the forum. The one I can't find addressed is about the appropriate bike style for long trips.

I love the look of sports bikes, and would love to get one. But I wonder: how comfortable are they to ride for long periods of time? Do your back, arms, and..um..other parts, get tired from the position required to sit on the bike? While I could see taking an upright bike with backrest on long trips when the weather's nice, sports bikes look like they'd get uncomfortable after a few hours.

If anyone experienced with different kinds of bikes has any advice I'd appreciate it!

Thanks,

Doug

[Sev]

This is way to subjective because different people are built in different ways. Basically it comes down to your skeletal and muscular structure.

I know one guy who tours on a gixxer thou. My uncle uses a Honda Goldwing, my Aunt a Yamaha V-star 1100 (really popular with thier club). I ride a Honda 599, though if you're REALLY interested in long distance rides the goldwing is probably your best bet. Otherwise it all comes down to what you're comfortable on.

[sapaul]

I ride the BMW K1200S, I cannot ride this for long distance at the speed limit of 120kmh but I can ride it for hours at 150-160 because the wind picks me up a bit and supports the weight. I am 44 and find the bent forward position more comfortable than sitting upright.

[Wizzard]

Welcome to the forums Doug .
For me the natural progression was to go from choppers to cruisers .
Regards, Wizzard

[Lion_Lady]

Different folks fit different bikes differently.

That said, it seems that a postion, mostly upright, with a slight tilt of the torso forward works well for long rides.

Not so much forward lean that you MUST support your upper-body weight on your hands, but enough that you have a little weight on them. I've ridden for hours on my BMW R1150R Rockster like this. I rode to Tennessee from Baltimore, in October (~800 miles each way). Regularly do day rides of 200-300 miles on my bike with few stops, except to stretch everything and move or eat/pee.

My wrists don't hurt and my lower back doesn't either from vertical pounding that a straight up position would.

The leaned back stance of many cruisers puts stress on the neck and stomach muscles.

Purely vertical puts stress on the tailbone and spine (the spinal discs must act as shock abosrbers with road bumps).

You gotta go sit on bikes... my Rockster fits my confirmation perfectly with no mods, but I know others have had to add barbacks, etc to get everything to fit them.

P

[2wheel]

My F4 would hurt my lower back after a while, but my VFR is much more comfortable. The reach to the bars is not as low. The riding position is more upright.

[JustJames]

I have no choice but to get a cruiser (I am only 5' 6" and cann't flat both feet on most of the sport bike). It is not that I don't like cruiser but I like to ride fast and lean hard, even sometime I position my self on cruiser like I were on sport bike (lean forward and my arm support upper body).

For you, it'd be better to sit on all cruiser / standard / sport and see which one comfort you the best.

[macdaddy]

A tough question, and ultimately an individual answer. The problem is, its hard to get a sense of how you'll feel at the end of a multi-hour ride on a bike just from sitting on it in the showroom. Renting a bike, or borrowing a friend's for some long rides is probably the best idea. Generally, the touring and sport-touring bikes are designed for those long hauls, so I would start with those.