Visordown readers' Top 10 tourers
We've had a look at your reviews and ratings, and then we've done the maths. Here are your top 10 most highly-rated tourers
HERE are your top 10 most highly-rated tourers, as voted for by you.
We've taken all the tourers from our huge database or owners' reviews, then averaged out detailed ratings on the engine, brakes, handling, comfort and build to bring you the consumer's top 10. The higher the score, the more highly rated the bike.
Remember, this list is created using your reviews and ratings.
10. BMW K1200GT: 4.43 out of 5
The 2006-2009 model of the GT tourer replaced its flat-four engined predecessor, with the 152 bhp, inline-four powerplant from the K1200S. Its slab-sided looks are less elegant than that of the S, but that's not most people's first criterion when considering a BMW; all-round capability, comfort, performance and build quality are, and here the GT puts its hand up, offering more power and features for the money than the FJR1300 or the Pan European.
=4. BMW K1200LT: 4.5 out of 5
Receiving a much needed power-hike over the old model, the K1200LT now puts out 116hp and 88lb.ft of torque to shift its mammoth 353kg dry weight. The bike lets you eat the miles in comfort with luxury items like an LCD display panel that shows mileage, fuel level, trip meters, radio information and an electro-hydraulically operated centre-stand, meaning the bike will lift itself onto the stand at the push of a button. BMW’s ‘Telelever’ suspension works well and provides good feedback for such a touring-focused bike. Owners are often disappointed with luggage capacity though.
=4. Honda ST1300 Pan European: 4.5 out of 5
In production for over a decade, the Pan European in its current form has become virtually the definitive tourer. You really can’t ask for much more in terms of capability, and that includes high-speed performance. That big, softly-tuned V4 is barely breaking a sweat at its peak 125bhp, and despite the Pan’s heft will push it past 140mph.
=4. Triumph Sprint 1050 GT: 4.5 out of 5
When Triumph ditched the Sprint ST’s underseat exhausts and bolted a set of luggage on as standard to create the GT, it created something that was more than the sum of its parts. Where the ST was always a decent sports-touring alternative to a VFR, the GT is an off-the-shelf tourer that goes faster than most and provides a massive level of touring bang for your bucks, with a sub-£9k price tag. You get 128bhp from the age-old triple, which puts it above most tourers in terms of performance, with a top speed of around 150mph.
=4. Honda GL1800 Goldwing: 4.5 out of 5
Want a motorcycle with every single bell and whistle conceivable? How about huge luggage space, a seat reminiscent of a sofa and speakers to play your favourite music? Then look no further than a Goldwing. At £24,999 the price is just a little bit salty for the average Joe but the six-cylinder GL1800 will take you across solar systems in utter comfort with maximum practicality. It handles surprisingly well too.
=4. Triumph Rocket III Touring: 4.5 out of 5
The Rocket III is a fairly scary bike, face it. Trying to unleash 143bhp while sitting in a position similair to the one that labouring women use isn’t exactly the most relaxing way to begin a mid-life crisis. Ground clearance is an issue that has been addressed with the use of replaceable sliders on the edge of the footboards and the riding dynamic of the Touring is completely different to the Rocket. It’s relaxed from the off. While the rear sub frame is narrower the seat width is slightly up, it’s a really comfortable riding position, especially with the optional highway pegs and tall screen. The engine has been reworked to provide more torque but with less horsepower, 108bhp at the crank on the standard pipes or 125 with the straight through option that’s available. The Touring will still happily light up the rear in the dry in first or second if you try hard enough
=4. BMW K1600GT: 4.5 out of 5
Despite the fact that the K1600GT is still in production, and its smooth six makes much more torque than the old four, the 1600 still loses out on this poll to its older smaller sibling. Having said that, the chasm doesn’t feel as big as the bare figures suggest. Perhaps the old American saying 'ain't no replacement for displacement' no longer rings true.
3. BMW R1200RT: 4.53 out of 5
Bolting its new water-cooled (OK, partially-water-cooled) boxer twin into the RT tourer was always going to be a natural progression for BMW, but arguably it’s made a more significant improvement than the same motor achieved in the R1200GS. After all, the GS doesn’t depend on power for its appeal or ability, where the old-model, 110bhp RT always had just enough performance, but certainly no surplus. The new version, with 125bhp on tap, still isn’t a thinly-disguised racer but you won’t be constantly wishing for more. It should be enough to rack up something in the region of 140mph in relaxed comfort, which is going to keep up with most autobahn traffic, provided you keep an eye on your mirrors to spot the really fast guys approaching…
2. BMW K1300GT: 4.9 out of 5
The K1300GT might have disappeared from BMW’s production lines last year but it still offers a serious combination of performance and touring ability – in fact, its six-cylinder successor, the K1600GT, isn’t miles ahead on any front. Some reckon the older four-cylinder is the sportier-feeling engine, even if it’s not as smooth as the six, and in terms of performance you’ll struggle to force a Rizla between the two. Both manage 160bhp and a top speed of about 155mph.
1. Honda ST1100 Pan European: 5 out of 5
The ST1100 was one of those bikes that quietly got on with doing the job it was designed to do. And that was to provide something just short of a full-dress touring bike in a slightly more manageable (and cheaper) form, at the behest of the European market. And that's exactly what it did, throughout its entire 12-year lifespan, which stretched from 1990 to 2002. Along the way it won an army of dedicated and loyal fans, like some bikes do. When it was replaced by the faster, gruntier, lighter, shorter and much funkier looking ST1300, there was a faint muttering among some of the Pan People that Honda had missed the mark with the new bike, and the point of just what had made their original Pan so special.
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