Late to the party, but better late than never I hope. Can't argue, actually have to agree with Rifledriver's Harley referral... they were meant to be ridden like he is riding them! My .02 worth is a balance between BigTex and Rifledriver , I went with a 2020 Ducati Diavel 1260S Comes in under 500lbs dry, just over 500 wet, you can ride with a large tank bag or add saddle bags if you need them But since you said you were towing, storage on the bike doesn't sound as important Broke the bike in fully stock, added a Corbin seat and camera system so those that know me would be able to see what really happened ,if something were to happen that is, and hit the road on this week long ride in South Texas. Nothing like Alaska and I prefer paved roadways, though a few areas were spent on dirt and gravel with no issues other than the dust... LOL: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/the-great-texploration-2020.628978/
I nominate Rifledriver to put together a Ferrari Chat motorcycle ride sometime in 2021/2022 that we get a group together to enjoy... Maybe Route 66 ... Texas Forever has to attend, since he started this thread! S
Only one that was suggested that I am aware of, the Goldwing. And as for fit for purpose in Alaska less than 1/3 of the roads are paved and thousands of heavy touring motorcycles use those roads every year. Some people know how to ride.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Is there room for anything other than a tank bag? Problem with real touring without more space is you need to have good raing gear and cold weather stuff. Takes some space. You never know whats going to be comfortable to sit on all day until you do it. The second most comfortable MC I ever had was a Kawasaki GPZ750. It just fit right, had a good seat and rubber mounted pegs. 2021 is booked up but 2022 could be a good year. This is what 2 of us packed for a trip that included going into the boonies. Parts, tools, wet gear, cold gear, gas and clothes. The Pelican case was a Sat. phone.
In the original question was this; "What would you say is the best touring motorcycle that still is fun to ride?" Touring and fun to ride I assumed were the standards. Then; "Traditionally, I like to stick with motorcycles that weigh no more than 500 pounds, but I realize this might be hard to achieve." One has to ask oneself what is 95% of your riding going to be ? For me that is touring and fun to ride. The new Goldwing is phenomenal for both. I was never a Goldwing fan until this one came along. I assumed they were all Barcaloungers on wheels. Nope. This thing is a blast. A comfortable, powerful, reliable, long distance, lean-over-to-the-pegs blast. I've had them all. Maybe if I were 20 again that answer would be different. But yes the search for the elusive Sport / Dirt / Touring bike continues. There once was a car designed to satisfy all needs. It looks like this; Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm in. Bring the ex motorcycle cops for "insurance". If Texas Forever hasn't found a bike by then he can use my Road King and experience all the awesomeness of a Harley on long hauls. Afterwards feeling in his hands should come back in just a few days. A week at most.
I'm trying to stay true to my answer, based on the OP's request. You guys are all going OT with your 800 lb bikes !!!!!! He asked for 500 lbs max. Dirt use Easily towable Sport Touring Which leaves us with the one and only, under 500 lbs WET !!! We can agree to digress onto 800+ lbs bikes though
Wet: 1000+ lbs for the Goldwing 800+ lbs for a big Harley 650 lbs for the FJ 610 lbs for the Multistrada 538 lbs for the Diavel 1260 488 lbs for the HP2
I had an Fj1200 and it was a great bike. It just fit and pulled like a freight train. I think the whole Harley vs other bikes dynamic has changed over the past couple of years. At least in Western NC and Colorado. Everyone seems to give each other the low wave regardless of what type of bike that they are on. At the start of Tail of the Dragon, every is talking to everyone regardless of make.
I wasn't familiar with the HP2. Very impressive to have shaft drive and 1200cc but it looks pretty dirt oriented. doesn't look like a place I'd want to spend 400M+ in a day.
I've loved BMW's idea of Sport Touring since a neighbor of mine got a Harvest Gold R100RS back in the 70's. By the time I was ready for one, the model was an R1100RS in the early 90's. I've had it for seventeen years now. One of my friends is a genius mechanic - held some MC drag race bracket records as a team mechanic back in the day - and we cooked up an idea to make it more versatile. One thing lead to another, and this is the result. Image Unavailable, Please Login R1100S front fork and bars, R1100GS suspension, R1150RS front wheel and ABS ring, R1150R Telelever arm (Much prettier than the original unit), optional 6" wide K1200RS rear wheel, shorter billet Paralever arm to match the R1100GS for the suspension, deleted the center stand, which didn't reach the ground anymore, Brian welded up a paddock stand for working on it, lengthened the side stand 4", and put GSXR 750 foot pegs on it (Amazingly, they just bolted right on!). Still have it and am about to do the finishing touches (I moved back to Texas and didn't have Brian's shop and expertise anymore). Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login I'm going to get an aux gas tank to replace the passenger seat and make it look OEM. Then Alaska from Colorado.
Image Unavailable, Please Login With a windshield, different set of wheels, HPN tank, 400M+ no problem, cruises like a GS all day. The light weight results in very little tiredness, but obviously this is a one-up bike, but it can go places a lot of other bikes cannot.
What is that? I don't keep up with current BMW's anymore. I like the ones before the brakes were linked.
Sorry, just not going to believe that is going to be comfortable for very long. Spent way too many full days in the seat to believe it. And I am not talking about 50 miles between beers. And I honestly cannot figure out how low weight makes you less tired. Do you carry it? I let my wheels support the motorcycle. Looks like a nice solution for a non existant problem.
Yeah, but more of a Sportster type ride. I have no FHE, and frankly about a 400lb +- (personal) weight limit so I'm not the target demo.