American Motorcycle News

What are touring motorcycles and what makes them different?

As someone who is just getting into biking culture, you might be surprised to learn about the different types of motorcycles that riders can buy.

One of the most special ones for most people are adventure touring motorcycles, that can allow riders to take on long distance rides with ease.

Easily cover long distances

In fact, when compared to other types of bikes like sports bikes or cruise bikes, these are better equipped for long distance riding and offer an incredible riding experience.

And the best part about them is that they are great for all sorts of riders, especially beginner riders who would otherwise be intimidated by it.

So if you’re looking to learn more about touring motorcycles and what they offer, here is a quick guide that can tell you everything that you need to know about them.

What is a Touring motorcycle?

Touring bikes are a special type of bike that is capable of covering long distances. Unlike sport bikes that focus on reaching a specific speed, most touring bikes specifically focus on helping travelers easily reach their destination, which might be very far away.

A large fuel tank

Adventure bikes can have large fuel tanks, which allows them to travel a long distance without having to stop to refuel.

Furthermore, touring motorcycles offer a variety of other features such as heated seats, heated grips, and improved off road capabilities to make those long distance trips much easier and relaxing.

Cruise control and a range of other features

Depending on the model of the touring bikes you get, it could even come with cruise control, skid plates, and storage space to easily accommodate all of a rider’s needs.

Its many features ultimately contribute to possibly the best riding experience that long distance travelers could ask for.

Touring motorcycles are especially good for cross country trips, and the first ones to really come to your mind is a Harley Davidson.

What to consider before buying your Touring bike

A touring motorcycle can come with a wealth of features that can make traveling longer distances much easier compared to a sport bike.

While they are obviously built for long distance rides, they can also come with a multitude of features that may seem completely unnecessary for some people.

A bike to meet the riding needs of every rider

Adventure tourers are big and they can have a multitude of features that can make them easier to ride than a sports bike.

However, depending on the type of trip you’re going on and the distance you’re covering, you might want a bike that is a little different from the average full dress tourers.

Consider what you really want

Therefore, you should think of what you really want with your bike. Do you want to cover a long distance quickly? Or do you want to cover a long distance in a very comfortable ride.

Considering your riding style

When you’re out on your touring motorcycle, the last thing that you want to have to worry about are things like fuel economy or air bags.

And if you happen to be carrying a lot of cargo or you have another person riding with you, you will want a bike that can easily handle that extra weight.

However, you don’t want the bike to be too slow either, since that could defeat the entire purpose of travelling on motorcycles.

Where will you be taking your bike?

You should also consider where you are most likely to go with your bike. If you’re going to be doing a lot of off-roading, then you want a bike like a sport tourer that can handle the unconventional path.

These adventure bikes will often be better equipped to handle different types of terrain. And when you start using these sport tourers, like the Honda Goldwing or the Harley Davidson Electra Glide, you can ride without having to worry about handling the terrain.

Looking up reviews

Another important step that you have to take before you can finally make your purchase is to look up reviews and opinions of people online.

While you might think that a touring bike like the Honda Gold Wing or the Honda Africa Twin could be a good fit for you, but the truth of the matter is that it could have a few features missing.

looking at all the features

Most motorcycle manufacturers will give their sports tourers a range of features like large fairings, stereo systems, or easy handling, that can make travelling on the open road much easier.

Getting an expert’s opinion

So by looking up what people have to say about these bikes and more features that they offer, you can make a more educated decision.

Taking care of your Touring bikes

One of the most important things to remember about a touring motorcycle is that it requires a lot more care and attention than other motorcycles.

A bigger bike needs more care

Due to their engine size and their greater capacity to hold luggage, they can be the right bike to take our on the wide open road.

However, that bigger size also means that it requires more maintenance than usual.

If you want to make sure that your touring bike will stay in perfect shape for many of years, you want to take good care of it.

Oil your bike regularly

The first major way that you can care for your sports tourers is by changing their oil regularly.

Changing your oil is especially important if you often travel for long distances and want to keep the engine running smoothly, they you have to change the oil regularly.

Keep an eye out for your tires

Another very important thing that you should be looking out for are your tires. You want to make sure that your tires in good condition and are never under or overinflated.

One of the most telling signs of underinflated tires is of uneven wear on the tire tread. If you see this on your tire, chances are that it needs a refill.