Fastest Tourer? FJR takes a respectable 6th place

Hayabusa's are not in the mix. These are Sport Touring machines! And any narrow minded folks, don't look above (or would that be below?) 6th

Top 10 Fastest Tourers - Visordown

I have put enough miles on a K1300GT (>1k miles) to be surprised to see it in #2 position. It doesn't feel as fast as the FJR in normal driving, I had to beat the snot out of it to get it to go. Ohhhh, it has a 6 speed. Booooo, the 6 speed did not have the right ratio mix for the way I drive so I was constantly shifting 2 gears up or 2 gears down to get the performance and comfort I was looking for. The K1300 made my FJR look like an automatic.

A chain drive will let less HP perform better than a shaft drive but the chain is not as maintenance free as the shaft. At some point the chain will need cleaning, it will need adjusting, it will need replacing but a good oiler will help.

The comparison is amazing the way it includes apples, beef, artichokes and ghost peppers then declares a ranking scale :lol:

Not too shabby considering 3 of the higher finishers have been introduced after this 11 year old platform.

Bustanut joker said:

Not too shabby considering 3 of the higher finishers have been introduced after this 11 year old platform.

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And some have more displacement and more cylinders too. And, in the case of the Kawak, they had >5 years to take dead aim at a nearly unmoving target.

I can't imagine what 150 mph feels like on the Multistrada.

I simply can't tuck in on that machine.

It looks like 'fastest' really equates to 'most horsepower' in this list.

They quote the HP and assume that means it goes faster (1/4 mile or top speed).

In reality, I would use the 1/4 mile times and the C-14 might come in first, and the FJR 2nd or 3rd.

Then if you measured cost per HP, the FJR would be 9th or 10th!

Why was the Kawasaki Z1000SX Touring ranked higher than the FJR when it makes less HP (and I assume no faster top speed)? Also, is the K1400GTR supposed to be the Concourse...the bike pic didn't have the required panniers attached?

In my experience.....

Did a nice spirited ride with a guy on the K1300GT, it seemed remarkably even to the fjr in out of corner acceleration and handling. It certainly wasn't pulling me.

Found a guy on a DUC Multi on a seriously super deserted stretch of secret highway here in ID, he faded into the mirrors once I passed 110, guess he didn't care for the fun, and I was disappointed.

Have passed several BMW 6 cylinders, cuz no one wants to push a bike that costs a mint....

Had my lunch handed to me one day by a really fast guy on a piped Connie 14. I hung with him for a while on a great stretch of road and lost my nerve--say what you will--those things are simply fast as hell.

Havent' found an ST yet I didn't eventually go around. Same for any twin Beemer.

And yeah, I'm sure a really great rider could lap me on any of the above--it's good to have so many great choices out there.

Allen_C said:

Why was the Kawasaki Z1000SX Touring ranked higher than the FJR when it makes less HP...

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That is why I previously mentioned the improved efficiency of a chain drive over a shaft drive making better use of available HP.

Well the FJR would place much higher with a 6th gear/overdrive (like the K16 has). Even putzing and not on it, you can't go into 6th unless your at least doing 50-55ish and then it's still lugging a bit.

I don't think these three belong on the list:

Kawasaki Z1000SX

TouringTriumph Sprint

GTDucati Multistrada

With their low, non-adjustable windscreens, I don't see how you can consider these 'touring' rigs.

roger dodger said:

In reality, I would use the 1/4 mile times and the C-14 might come in first, and the FJR 2nd or 3rd.
Then if you measured cost per HP, the FJR would be 9th or 10th!

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1/4 mile times (or zero to 100) would give you quickest but not necessarily fastest. Yes?

Typical moto-mag type comparison. You really can't compare bikes as similar as some of these without riding them for yourself. We have lost one or two FJR folks to the big Beemer recently. I don't know of anyone who has switched to the others, but I do remember someone years ago switching from FJR to Norge. Personally, whenever I think about replacing my FJR I like to look around and maybe try something different, but I haven't found anything I'd rather have.

bhendron said:

I don't think these three belong on the list:
Kawasaki Z1000SX

TouringTriumph Sprint

GTDucati Multistrada

With their low, non-adjustable windscreens, I don't see how you can consider these 'touring' rigs.

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The Sprint maybe, but you're right about the other two, not sport/touring rigs....heck all they did was put some hard bags on that Ninja1000 and "poof" they call it a sport/tourer?? You can do that to ANY bike then!

What is respectable about 6th place? ….unless you're the Cubs.

Old Michael said:

….unless you're the Cubs.

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or Phil Kessel and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Old Michael said:

What is respectable about 6th place? ….unless you're the Cubs.

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Doesn't matter we all know the FJR is STILL the best bang for the buck on the sport/touring market.

Plenty fast,reliable and easy to work on for the most part.

Hmmm...
Sport Touring? Wonder how the fore mentioned bikes would do under the testing requirements provided by the Iron Butt Rally?
Oh wait... There has been testing! 5 of the top 6 bikes were Yamaha FJRs. Touring suggest a marathon, not a sprint. I know at least 2 of those FJRs were over 150k at the time also.

This is one of those cases where "fastest" does not equal "best."