VOL. 52 ISSUE 27 JULY 7, 2015 P55
S
port touring used to be all about
the touring. There was very little
sport in it. Bikes like BMW's R
1200 RT could once fall under the
guise of sport touring, but if you'd do
that today, you'd be laughed out of
the boardroom.
Much like professional sport, the
sport touring market is more focused
than ever, with the touring aspect tak-
ing a distinct second place behind
having the fastest, lightest bike under
your tackle. But it's also got to be
comfortable (touring's got to come
in somewhere), able to devour miles
like Adam Richman on a chili bender,
and having the civility at low speed
deserving of the touring tag.
Getting the balance right has been
the holy grail of manufacturers for
years. Essentially, a sport touring
machine should be the ideal bike for
all riders, and so it was that Ducati
shifted the game five years ago when
they released the Multistrada, one of
the best do-it-all bikes ever seen.
BMW TAKES SQUARE AIM AT THE DUCATI
MULTISTRADA WITH THE ALL-NEW S 1000 XR.
SPORT TOURING NEVER SEEMED SO SPORTY…
All optioned up
and ready to
shred – the BMW
S 1000 XR could
be a superbike in
another life.
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING, BMW MOTORRAD
I T A L I A N S
