Motorcycle News
08-15-2008, 06:55 AM
2008 BMW K1200GT, Kawasaki Concours 14 And Yamaha FJR1300A - Long—Range Missiles
http://images.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_11_pl+sport_touring_shootout+group_side_v iew.jpg
Sport Rider's Sport-Touring Shootout. (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a)Comparison Test
They say the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and while that may be true, what they fail to mention is that a straight line has to be the most boring path between two points. Clearly the mathematicians who came up with this theory never rode a motorcycle. But motorcyclists are a different breed. We choose to take the longest path to our destinations-usually with plenty of twists and turns along the way. And while we here at Sport Rider love to go fast around a racetrack on the latest and greatest sportbikes (as witnessed by the cover story this month), there is a soft spot in our hearts for a bit of sport-touring. Every so often we get the urge to pack our things, hit the streets and take off for a weekend-adding a bit of adventure to our speed fix. And with the sport-touring segment getting a bit of revitalization as of late, we thought we'd give the latest offerings a try. This time around our journey would take us from our Los Angeles headquarters to the quaint little town of Cambria, located on California's beautiful central coast. Our steeds for this trip? The '08 BMW K1200GT, Kawasaki Concours 14 and Yamaha FJR1300A. On the surface there isn't much separating these machines-all three have more than 1,000cc of four-cylinder thrust to pull them along, shaft drive, ABS, upright seating positions, bags and adjustable windscreens, but there's more to each of these bikes than meets the eye.
Photo Gallery: Long—Range Missiles - Sport Rider Magazine (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a)
Read More (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a) | Digg It (http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a&title=2008 BMW K1200GT, Kawasaki Concours 14 And Yamaha FJR1300A - Long—Range Missiles) | Add to del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/post?url=2&url=http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a&title=2008 BMW K1200GT, Kawasaki Concours 14 And Yamaha FJR1300A - Long—Range Missiles)
More... (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a)
http://images.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_11_pl+sport_touring_shootout+group_side_v iew.jpg
Sport Rider's Sport-Touring Shootout. (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a)Comparison Test
They say the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and while that may be true, what they fail to mention is that a straight line has to be the most boring path between two points. Clearly the mathematicians who came up with this theory never rode a motorcycle. But motorcyclists are a different breed. We choose to take the longest path to our destinations-usually with plenty of twists and turns along the way. And while we here at Sport Rider love to go fast around a racetrack on the latest and greatest sportbikes (as witnessed by the cover story this month), there is a soft spot in our hearts for a bit of sport-touring. Every so often we get the urge to pack our things, hit the streets and take off for a weekend-adding a bit of adventure to our speed fix. And with the sport-touring segment getting a bit of revitalization as of late, we thought we'd give the latest offerings a try. This time around our journey would take us from our Los Angeles headquarters to the quaint little town of Cambria, located on California's beautiful central coast. Our steeds for this trip? The '08 BMW K1200GT, Kawasaki Concours 14 and Yamaha FJR1300A. On the surface there isn't much separating these machines-all three have more than 1,000cc of four-cylinder thrust to pull them along, shaft drive, ABS, upright seating positions, bags and adjustable windscreens, but there's more to each of these bikes than meets the eye.
Photo Gallery: Long—Range Missiles - Sport Rider Magazine (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a)
Read More (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a) | Digg It (http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a&title=2008 BMW K1200GT, Kawasaki Concours 14 And Yamaha FJR1300A - Long—Range Missiles) | Add to del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/post?url=2&url=http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a&title=2008 BMW K1200GT, Kawasaki Concours 14 And Yamaha FJR1300A - Long—Range Missiles)
More... (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0806_2008_bmw_k1200gt_kawasaki_concours_14_yam aha_fjr1300a)