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Have you moved on from sport bikes as you get older?

Oh boy what a great look into everyone's thinking. For me, no issue with sport bikes even though (cough) I have now reached 60 (good grief Scotty, when did THAT happen!!!???) Anyway, always enjoyed the FJ series as a little more upright and comfy for long hauls with me and the Mrs. and the R6 track was bike was a HOOT! But recently wanted to get more into the dirty rides and camping and with 8 bikes (mostly dirt oriented for kids and myself) the Mrs. "encouraged" me if I wanted an ADV bike, the track bike and others should disappear...took me a while to separate myself form the track days and canyon carving but recently did and got an ADV bike and I gotta say, wish I had done it a few years back cause it has been an absolute blast. Plus get my giddyup on the twisties with the big pig FJR :)
 
I never got into sport bikes, I scared myself too many times overcooking a turn, or tar snakes.
Dirt I could deal with, pavement didn't want to trust it, at speed. I got caught by the little stuff, leaves, sand, water, early on, didn't want to biff that fast, anymore.
My only concession to the road racers, I did buy a set of BMW "S" bars @ $60, about '75 for my '74 R90/6
I found them really comfortable over the stock ones, pounding miles.
I did come close rolling across tar snakes, my Ah ha moment.
Trying to go fast, above Markley, Napa County out did themselves with the squiggly, thick and soft in summer heat.
That is when I told myself, absolutely no more stupid. Too much roadside danger to survive, stupid.
Flying low, planes hit stuff, I was lower. Stupid.
I did race bikes with NO brakes, Not Stupid ?
 
It's unlikely I'll ever stray too far from sportbikes.
I'd have to change my screen name.
It's a whole thing.....
 
Just the opposite. I started with UJM then moved to sport-touring bikes and then had a brief dalliance with a Multi-strata (ended in tragedy, of course) looking for that Swiss-Army knife when all along what I really wanted was full on sports-bike stuff. (This does not take into account my side dirt-bike habit) I realized that half-measures are no measures. I got a couple Daytona 675s, a new R6 (2018), a Daytona 765, an KTM 390RC CUP track bike and most recently an S1000RR. At 56 I just finished my first races with the AFM. What’s next? I dunno. What’s sportier than a track-converted Daytona 765? Hold my beer….
 
Had a 02 zx6r that I rode Monday - Friday until it got stolen :(

Currently ride a FZ-07, if I went back to sport mode maybe an r9? I just don't see myself enjoy being leaned over for hours at a time anymore.
 
Arminius said:
When I was in my 20s and 30s, and even early 40s, I didn't ever think I would not want to have a sport bike. Well, now that I'm in my 50s, crotch rockets are in my past. My last sport bike was a 2021 BMW S100RR M Package. Loved that bike but after having it for 2 years I realized it's not the kind of riding I want to do anymore. My biggest reason is it was hard for me to turn my head to look over my shoulder due to past injuries from car accidents. I've developed arthritis in my neck and no longer have full range of motion.

Since 2019 I've been into baggers and had a 2013 CVO Breakout that I really regret selling. I find the baggers have come a long way and don't feel like I'm giving up much performance anymore like I would have 20+ years ago. I enjoy longer scenic rides now but still want to carve through the canyons and mountains here in Colorado, when I'm in the mood to do so. I am now down to only two motorcycles, a blue chromed out 2006 Street Glide with a 96 cubic inch upgrade and a blacked out 2024 Road Glide that i've been stupidly spending a lot of money on to upgrade it to a performance bagger. I hope to make my first trip to Sturgis this year, work schedule permitting.

Just curious if anyone else has switched to a non-sport bike as they got older?
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Physical limitations, unfortunately, can necessitate a move from crotch rocket to something with different ergonomics. The fact is that physical limits, such as fused vertibrae in the neck, are not conducive to comfortable R1, or R6 in my case, riding. But we can still ride and love it!
 
Although the riding position is more comfortable with a cruiser, the downside of an 800+ lbs bike is that they are a lot harder to move around your garage than a sport bike half the weight. I've shaved about 55 lbs off of my RG so far but you don't really notice any weight savings when you have to move it around in the garage or a parking lot. I can maybe shave off another 15 lbs but that's about it without spending thousands more.

I have no regrets of switching to a bagger. I haven't done a track day in almost 20 years and have no desires to ever again. I try to go the speed limits on the public roads these days which really takes all the fun out of owning a sport bike...at least for me. Why have a bike that can go almost 200 mph if you have no plans to? LOL! Never thought I'd say that two decades ago!
 
No ape hangars on my RG! I went with a Kraus low-bend titanium bar and 8" kickback riser and it was money well spent.
 
Arminius said:
Although the riding position is more comfortable with a cruiser, the downside of an 800+ lbs bike is that they are a lot harder to move around your garage than a sport bike half the weight.
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You aren't kidding. My HD is the heaviest (570lbs) and least powerful (90hp) that I've ever owned. It's a pain in the garage and....well...everywhere.

My torso to leg ratio is askew. I'm built for sprotbiles. Plus I go to great lengths to alter the riding position to distribute my weight through all contact points: slightly higher clip-ons for hands/arms, alterations to the seat for my butt and thighs, adjustable footpegs for my legs and feet.
 
My riding limit was always around 2 hours. The seats seem to be the limiting factor for any bike I’ve owned.
I like sportbikes and have owned several but when I sit on one at a dealer now I say no way, done with that. No injuries but the hunched over ergos have no appeal.
It’s handlebars for me from here on out, plus I like the look of nakeds.
 
Oddly, I find sportbikes more comfortable. I do have a couple "upright" bikes but to be honest, I can spend more time in the "sportbike " position. I have degenerative and compressed discs. Placing weight on my forearms allows me to arch my back which I find quite comfortable. When I'm on one of my "handlebar" bikes, I find myself leaning forward after about an hour, searching for that elusive back comfort.
 
Rode many a dirt bike until I bought my CB750F in 1979. Had ten more sport bikes (Suzuki, Triumph and Yamahas) until I bought my FJR1300 in 2006 when I hit 45. The FJR is currently my one and only. After a short ownership of a 2024 Ducati Streetfighter that I bought on a whim, I realized that it was too much bike for me and sold it after 3 months.
 
Enchanter said:
You aren't kidding. My HD is the heaviest (570lbs) and least powerful (90hp) that I've ever owned. It's a pain in the garage and....well...everywhere.

My torso to leg ratio is askew. I'm built for sprotbiles. Plus I go to great lengths to alter the riding position to distribute my weight through all contact points: slightly higher clip-ons for hands/arms, alterations to the seat for my butt and thighs, adjustable footpegs for my legs and feet.
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I think my RG now has about 120 rwhp and 130 ft/lbs of torque after a cam, intake, and exhaust, but yeah, you can only do so much with an air cooled V-twin. I don't care about high horse power numbers anymore, but if one did, I've seen HDs with over 200 hp and still be very streetable and reliable, believe it or not. Just check out Kruesi Originals or Blockhead Moto builds.

The Indian Challenger has a lot more horsepower than the standard Road Glides, and they are water cooled. The Challenger is a great bike and dominates the Bagger Series, but I like the looks of the RG more.

There is a big performance bagger movement right now, especially in SoCal, and it's not guys in their 50s and 60s either. Check out Thrashin Supply if you're curious.
 
gixxerjeff said:
Oddly, I find sportbikes more comfortable. I do have a couple "upright" bikes but to be honest, I can spend more time in the "sportbike " position. I have degenerative and compressed discs. Placing weight on my forearms allows me to arch my back which I find quite comfortable. When I'm on one of my "handlebar" bikes, I find myself leaning forward after about an hour, searching for that elusive back comfort.
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On the highway at speed I could see the sport bike being more tolerable with the forward lean angle breaking the wind but if only the seats weren’t so damn thin.
 
I'm 68 in a couple weeks and had to give up sportbikes a few years ago due to arthritis (can't bend my knees that much). I ride upright bikes now...dirt bikes and for street/track and hypermotard which is a big fat dirt bike!107460837_10207420786113588_3809810779542035720_n.jpg
 
Blankpage said:
On the highway at speed I could see the sport bike being more tolerable with the forward lean angle breaking the wind but if only the seats weren’t so damn thin.
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Well, there is that...and I don't disagree...
But at the same time, the seats on my gsxr's really aren't bad.
I had a Triumph Daytona as a track bike for a while. The over-sprung rear shock combined with about an inch of foam vibrated my core into a fine powder.
I've never had a bike that handled better but don't miss it one bit.
 
I sold my last two Ducatis before I turned 60 and have been riding adventure and dual sport motorcycles ever since. I can still have fun on a twisty road on knobby tires and a 21" front wheel, so who needs a true sport bike? Besides, there aren't nearly as many "sport bike roads" around here as there are in the Bay Area.
 
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