touring bike

I don't ride but I am a fan of elegant design. "Form Follows Function" is a pretty good maxim in my book.

Motorcycles tend to exemplify this creed, with all their major parts clearly visible and all cleanly fitted into a functional whole. This bike, though, floored me at first ~ the cylinders and exhaust pipes do fit into that philosophy pretty well, but all that swoopy body work took a while to come to terms with. And it's so long! Certainly not meant for a Motocross machine!

For a long range touring bike, though, that longer wheelbase must make for a smooth and stable ride. The fairings, too, should help a lot with gas mileage and cross winds.

Differing philosophies, differently elegant....

Eric Gill said the first thing to look for in a work of art is significant form. I've cropped out as much of the parking lot clutter as I could to highlight the form of this one.