Is driving a touring motorcycle the same as driving a sport bike?

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TrevorMiller

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Im getting my motorcycle endorsement.in april and I will probably be practicing on driving a touring bike when I get my permit.After I get my endorsement, I am getting a Kawasaki Ninja.Would the driving be different?
 
Your going to be way more uncomfortable due to the riding position and handle bar height. They also have different power bands, turning radius and handling. It really depends on the bike though. There are sport tourers and then there are gold wings.
 
It's hard to say from your information. You could be going from a Harley Davidson electraglide ultraclassic to a 250 Ninja judging from your description. That would be a world of difference since the ninja would weigh a quarter of what the harley would. Whatever bikes you are talking about on the sport bike you hands will probably be much lower and your foot pegs will be back considerably further. Try a few out and make sure you are cool with the position before you get the Ninja. Personally I like touring bikes or power cruisers.
 
My Triumph Tiger 955i is classed as a touring bike but it is a sports-tourer and way different to ride than say a Harley Fat-boy. When in the mood and not loaded with the touring gear I like to have fun with the bike riding with the sports-bike crowd. A few of those guys were amazed that my bike could stay up with them in the twisties but I never let on that I raced bikes for 45+ years ;D
 
The seating position is going to feel extremely different. As long as the touring bike isn't too heavy, it will be easier to handle. Sport bikes are capable of much tighter cornering, but do not feel very natural at first because your feet are way up and back and you are almost lying down on the tank. It's also hard on your wrists and knees on long drives. The tour bike feels like you're sitting in an office chair. Also, you will have to use counterweight steering in parking lots. On the touring bike, the handle bars will move enought that for most practical purposes, you'll never need it. The sport bike handlebars almost don't turn at all (comparatively speaking).

Just don't lean the tour bike too far on your turns (you'll drag pegs), and put both feet down at stops and you'll be fine.
 
Unless it's a Ninja ZX, it's not a real sportbike, it's a 'sporty' bike. The Ninjas are general-purpose bikes, not single-purpose sportbikes. You can go touring on a Ninja because they're relatively comfortable, which sportbikes are not.

In the olden days (1970s) a 'touring bike' was any bike you could bungee a sleeping bag onto. 8^) There were bikes made just for touring but you could do it on any general-purpose bike.

I'm not sure what touring bike you will be practicing on, but in generally tourers tend to be bigger and more comfortable, more stable at high speed, not as easy to handle in a parking lot or a twisty mountain road. The Ninja is more of a compromise between sport-bike handling and nimbleness and touring bike stability and stamina. It's a good all-around motorcycle. If you're used to something bigger/heavier, then it will feel smaller/lighter to you. 8^)
 
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