Converting a sports bike to tourer

Tired of the racing crouch on your sports bike? MCN’s problem solving community has the answer on our forums…

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JBCompetes: I have a 2001 Fireblade that I threw down the track at Silverstone in November.

So it had costly cosmetic damage and I¹ve not had the time to mend it. I was wondering if actually, this is a good opportunity to convert/change the bike into a more comfortable tourer (sacrilege to many, I am sure).

I wondered if there is a well-trodden route to doing these things.

My reasoning is: The bike mostly used for commuting nowadays and that is dual carriageway/motorway (boring). Money to change bike is not quite there. Bad back.

Whilst the riding position is not too bad, a more sit up position will help me – especially since I have slowed down on the road over the last few years It’s a Honda and, as such, I trust it to last me much longer.

The bike handles great and has more poke than most sports tourers if I want to gas it. Any helpful suggestions will be very welcome.

Eatcs01: Lower pegs and higher bars would be a start. Genmar do bar risers that are very good.

You don’t need longer cables or pipes, unlike if you do a flat bar conversion. A mate had some footpeg raising brackets. He put them on upside-down/left-right and lowered the pegs.

Other stuff to consider: A taller or double bubble screen. Heated handle bar grips are a wondrous invention. Fit them and you’ll wonder how you lived without them. Givi topbox.

Lock your lid in it when you leave the bike. Carry lots of stuff, things and whotsits. Pillions love ’em. A topbox also suggests to the authorities that you may be a more sensible rider…

PhilKam: Just a comment, me and three mates biked to Greece the other year ­ a Bandit, two sports 600s and a Blackbird.

Our conclusion seemed to be that no bike was comfier, and the problem for all of us was that we were in the same position for hours on end.

The solution would have been to swap bikes for a bit, but we probably wouldn¹t be insured.

JBCompetes: Thanks for the top tips. I will work on them.