A tourer it is not

K

Klonny

New member
So as a sort of a post to help prospective bikers, since I know I was reading all these posts before I pulled the trigger on my FTR I’ve got some thoughts on touring with a FTR.

Touring thoughts: after riding 1400 miles in 4 days I realized that the FTR is not nor ever will be a “touring machine” despite what some people post on here and the Facebook page.

After 300 miles every mile seemed like 5 and I was appreciating the designers 3 gallon limitation!!! after 8 hours I was beat!!

I had a wind screen on and really what that did was just make it noisy as hell ( but did take some of the wind blast off my chest at 80 mph). The rack was nice and I could easily strap my duffle bag, no need for panniers if you get the luggage rack.

I also adjusted the compression and rebound for a more ultraglide feel, but it still couldn’t compare To my buddy’s Multistrada in terms of ride comfort.

One serious issue was the tires on South Dakota freeways! They use those rain/snow grooves and while the next state over was fine with them, The South Dakota freeway was bordering on scary with the stock tires it wobbled like crazy and all I could think was how I would not be able to do an emergency avoidance with any confidence.

The cruise was awesome... sort of since it seemed to wander by one MPH, which is fine if your alone but aggravating in a group setting.

And of course the kickstand feeling like it would tip over if not set up just right.

But I have to say It was worth the ride once I hit Vonacker Canyon Road.
 
LoudFTR

LoudFTR

Member
The FTR is not meant to be a touring motorcycle. Literally every other model in the brand is better for that purpose. If you chose this motorcycle for long distance, I would question your common sense. And decision making skills.
 
Moto-775

Moto-775

New member
I second the tires statement. We have rain grooves on all the roads here and I replaced tires at 1000 miles because I was sick of thinking I had a flat!
 
Murdock

Murdock

Active member
A forum is for discussion and sharing opinions, so here is mine ;-). I was 6 days on tour, about 2000 kilometers. I can of course agree to some statements:
  • Range is limited but my companions on their KTMs are limited similar
  • Seat comfort is bad after 2 hours but that is also valid for many other bikes until you pimp your seat (with a gelcoat inlay for example)
  • The stock tires are more for the eye than for the road. But all my bikes came with stock tires that needed to be replaced by a better choice
To me, touring does not mean to eat kilometers on high speed, so I never had an issue with wind protection and no noises from the original small windscreen.
The seating position is convenient for long trips and the fact that you do not need to shift much (if you don't what to) plus the cruise control is fine for that as well. For me, riding comfort was fine without any adjustment. Maybe have not found the best configuration for you yet? And the side stand is no issue after you get used to it after a while and choose your parking position knowingly.

Like said in the beginning, this is only my opinion. Riding experience is a very subjective thing. I have done 10-day-tours close to 3.000 kilometers on my Buell before and was happy enough with the standard seat. I hope you find a setup that makes it more convenient for you for the next tour (y).
 
J

JDP

Active member
It all depends on the rider also, I’m 63 years old with bad feet and I rode my ftr1200 from Annapolis md to Denver Colorado and the only issue I had was getting gas all the time, I ride Coast to Coast once a year usually on a Honda Valkyrie but I could see myself doing it on my Indian if it wasn’t the gas issue, sounds like Knonny needs to by a gold wing
 
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ferraiolo1

ferraiolo1

2021-2024 IMR Ambassador
Staff member
Any bike can be a touring bike, it depends on how much comfort you want.

a good friend of mine is currently doing a coast to coast ride on a 2007 ducati monster 695, with just a set of saddlebags and a backpack.
 
K

Klonny

New member
LoudFTR said:
The FTR is not meant to be a touring motorcycle. Literally every other model in the brand is better for that purpose. If you chose this motorcycle for long distance, I would question your common sense. And decision making skills.
Click to expand...

ummm did you read reason for posting it? I didn’t say I bought this to tour with, I’m Not trailering my bike to a Sturgis And I’ll never own a bagger... so that leaves few options.

I don’t get why instead of saying “ that’s all true what you said thanks for posting and keeping the forum active ” people get all spicy and insulting... Next time try keeping your comments to yourself friend.
 
mark.lb

mark.lb

Well-known member
Tomorrow morning I am riding to my Indian dealer for a service. I will need to do 25 miles on the freeway each way on the route at 7:30am. Not looking forward to the freeway ride at all. Not because the bike is not capable but because it just is not fun! This bike is a country road bomber. It begs to accelerate hard, corner, pass cars, trucks and Harleys with ease. I don’t need the stress of rush hour traffic and semi-trucks first thing in the morning. The last time my FTR was on the freeway was riding to my last service.
 
EllenGtrGrl

EllenGtrGrl

Active member
mark.lb said:
Tomorrow morning I am riding to my Indian dealer for a service. I will need to do 25 miles on the freeway each way on the route at 7:30am. Not looking forward to the freeway ride at all. Not because the bike is not capable but because it just is not fun! This bike is a country road bomber. It begs to accelerate hard, corner, pass cars, trucks and Harleys with ease. I don’t need the stress of rush hour traffic and semi-trucks first thing in the morning. The last time my FTR was on the freeway was riding to my last service.
Click to expand...

In another half hour or so, I'll be leaving for work on my FTR. It'll be the third time this week commuting to work on the bike. The distance from home to work? 25 miles. During the summertime, when the weather is decent, most of my commuting is done on a motorcycle, and as a result, the mileage piles up pretty rapidly, since my commute to and from work is a 50 mile round trip. Freeway riding is a hassle even during the best of times. Rain grooves can be a pain, and I get sick of jousting with cars at 75-80 mph. Still, I will ride part of the commute on the freeway this morning, to save time. At 6 am, the freeway traffic on I-894, and I-94, can still be a hassle at times (and yes, the rain grooves can make handling a feel a little less planted than I'd like at 80 mph, with the stock tires [yes, I will replace them, in due time - I don't feel like spending several hundred dollars for tires at this time]), but I's bearable.

After work, on the trip home? No way am I going to fight uber tight traffic on the freeway - I stick to the back roads, with the added bonus, that if the I have the time (not today, I have to stop off at a supermarket, and get a few groceries, that will go into the backpack I use to carry things in during my motorcycle commuting), and the weather is nice, I can take the long way home on back roads, doubling my ride distance, and riding on some lightly used, winding county highways, where I can go faster (for instance, I don't ride like a lunatic, but several days ago, I hit a long open stretch of empty back road on my FTR during my ride home from work, and I did something I seldom do - I did the ton on my FTR for the first time [I was on the other side of 110 mph, when I finally said, enough is enough, and backed off to far more sensible speeds]). It makes for a nice stress reliever after a rotten day at work.

My FTR1200 does the job I want it to do pretty well - it works as a commuter for me, and as a back roads burner. Yes, I could probably do some touring on it, but I've never been a part of the Goldwing & BMW "I need to ride seriously long distances on my weekend to keep my head from exploding" crowd. I get too bored after a couple of hours in the saddle.
 
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