It ain't a tourer. Fact. As for the 200 mile range, the guy on the tour I went on last year who was riding one was getting nowhere near that figure
Tell him to fill it up when it is low on fuel and to brim it, the amount of guys on the ZZR forum who spout they can't get 120 miles out of them, but still have the same low 40's average as those who can top 200 miles. Most owners panic at 2 bars of fuel left (a good 80 miles) and then stick the fuel nozzle 18 inches into the tank resulting in a half fill.
I am not proffessing to be an expert on RT's, and I have learned more about them in the last 24 hours than I probably care too, but having just come back from two hours of almost entirely unclassified roads, and a lot of them were single track (and even an "unpaved" section) I would not want any other type of bike right now.
I am surprised so many GS owners seem unhappy with weather protection, I find the GS half decent (although I have a better than stock screen) it was one thing I thought would be quite poor, but the general shape of the bike / sticky out engine / Givi screen seems to keep the worst at bay.
Oh yeah, lower weight Vs extra power - total bullshit, above @45 mph Aeordynamics have far more effect than weight, if that were not the case the GSA would be a lot slower than the GS - which we all know it is not, and my ZZR1400 would have been faster than a Bugatti Veyron - which again it is not.
This is why a 150BHP car will do 130mph, yet a 150BHP bike weighing 1/4 of the weight (fuelled with rider) does not do 520MPH.
And I think the Flat Twin BMW engines are really no match for a Triumph Triple or a Jap four, they have much less power, vibrate far more and pop / bang / lurch all over the place.
I must admit I am almost intrigued enough to go and ride one just to see what all the fuss is about, but the last time I did that I ended up buying a bloody GS