Scooting with Dru

Here I am, 4 years into the riding adventure and I am starting to look to the future of my riding.  Though I am relatively young, I have things to consider.  Risk really is not the major concern for me, every day I wake up is a risk.  Taking a shower is a risk.  Riding is just another risk, one that I mitigate with gear, but still a risk.

For me the future of my riding is more about the type of riding.  When I first started this adventure, it was on a tiny displacement scooter strictly for the office / home commute.  My wife who is extremely afraid of motorcycles was not thrilled, but she did not dig her heels in. The longer I ride though, the more I want to just go.  These days, I ride a 500cc scooter and while it is alright for many uses, 500 mile days on the super slab is not really where it is at home, certainly not at the speeds that the US highway system travels at.

Having looked at what I want to supplement the scooter with, I think I would like to move to a full sport touring bike for those longer business and recreational trips.  Though I have been given a lot of advice to look at the adventure tourers, I just feel more comfortable with the fairings and trappings of the sport touring segment.  Looking around, there are a handful of serious options for me.  The Kawasaki Concours, the Honda ST-1300, the Yamaha FJR1300a, the Honda NV700v or the Triumph Sprint GT.  Of these, the FJR and the Sprint GT are probably the front runners for me.  The ST-1300 is really hot in the bubble and when you live in an area that sees 90+F days for 3-4 months, hot is not all that attractive.  The Concours is a great bike, but I cannot seem to find a comfortable spot in the saddle.   I suspect that an aftermarket seat would correct that.  The FJR seems to be an excellent bike, but I have been unable to find one to test ride.  The Sprint GT is new enough that it falls in the same category.