Originally Posted by patentcad
we're talking mostly sport touring motorcycles like the Coucours, FJR and Pan European (Honda ST) - and that's a relatively arcane niche of the motorcycle market which is dominated in the US by sport bikes (crotch rockets) and cruisers (HD type bikes and Japanese imitations). But sport tourers are ideal for Tour de France support.
Er, not quite. In Europe anything with a full fairing and an upright riding position and panniers is just a tourer. BMW K series and R series and the Honda Pan European are the most popular models. Most Police forces use them. A sports tourer is more of a crotch rocket with a reasonable size fuel tank and a half-decent pillion seat, and some token luxuries like a clock and a fuel gauge. But it still has a semi-crouching riding position and good aerodynamics and could cut the mustard on mountain roads or a race track. The Honda VFR 800 is the classic sports tourer. The Triumph Sprint ST is another.
Kawasaki doesn't make a tourer any more. They used to have one called the GTR 1000, and for a few years you would see tons of them on the Tour, usually with a huge red K covering the screen. There are hardly any left now.
There are also at least two BMW GS examples on the Tour this year. One is a 1200 I think - or it might be an 1150 Adventure. The other is an 1100 with a 'duckbill conversion', i.e. it has only one front mudguard, not the standard pair. Some people call the GS a sports tourer, others call it an adventure tourer. It's probably the most versatile bike there is, and can do both jobs. I've done many of the climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees on a GS and on my bicycle, and you can get round hairpins quicker on a bicycle. On a less extreme corner the motorbike wins. I once raced all the camera bikes down Alpe d'Huez on my bicycle. They had a big head start but I overtook them all by outbraking them before the hairpins.
There are also a few 'feet forwards' super-scooters in the Tour. These are very popular with commuters in European cities. Kawasaki doesn't make one but I have no idea which one they're using on the Tour - they all look so similar. The Suzuki Burgman is a typical example.
If anybody is still reading, my apologies for boring the pants off you with motorcycle trivia!