#Touring

If you’re making a tire in the sport-touring category, you probably have one of the most difficult jobs in the entire tire business. Where racers want the grippiest tire they can find, longevity be damned, and the touring set seek high-mileage with modest grip, the sport-touring crowd wants the best of both worlds. Oh, and it better have good wet weather performance, too. No easy feat.

Motorcycle touring, traditionally, means we’re sticking pretty much to pavement. Though you can wear any of these for Adventure riding, we have a whole other list of  suits more suited to life off the beaten path, designed for the most part with even more freedom of motion and impact absorption. Every suit here, from the one-piece Aerostich to the jacket/pants combinations of the others, are a bit closer-fitting for reduced drag at highway speeds, with plenty of ventilation but not too much, and with enhanced abrasion resistance as well as armor. When you’re caught out in the rain after dark, you’ll be glad to find yourself inside any one of them.

What would you do if you came face to face with your own mortality? For many of us, especially in this sport, it’s a scenario we think about in the abstract; we’re either going to go out in a blaze of glory doing something we love, or Father Time will continue undefeated. We don’t think, much less expect, something like cancer to get in the way of our plans. Peter Starr was one of those people, living comfortably – some would even say successfully – thanks to motorcycles.

When we think of baggers, we think V-Twin engines. Yes, there are some exceptions, the BMW K1600B and the Moto Guzzi MGX-21 (with its unusual transverse V-Twin) come to mind, but aside from those outliers, baggers from all manufacturers are solidly in V-Twin land. However, with the chassis, a couple of choices exist. Do you want a fork-mounted or frame-mounted fairing? In the frame-mounted category, there is one, big-daddy model that dominates the class, the Harley-Davidson Road Glide. For 2020, the grizzled veteran has been called out by a young gun that wants to prove its mettle. The Indian Challenger clearly has its sights on the Road Glide. In a classic battle reminiscent of the Old West, these two gunslingers have stepped onto the street, and the outcome will be determined on Route 66.

EICMA has come and gone, but at least one manufacturer still has a major model announcement to come.

Announced at EICMA 2020, Moto Guzzi has unveiled the V85 TT, a touring-oriented version of the popular V85 adventure bike made up of items plucked from the Moto Guzzi parts catalog – not that that’s a bad thing. Up front, a higher touring windscreen offers greater protection from the wind, thanks to a surface area 60% larger than the standard V85 screen. Out back you’ve got two panniers, capable of holding a ton of stuff – 37 liters for the right case (big enough for a full-face helmet) and 27.5 liters for the left – both lockable with the same key. The panniers were designed along with the overall bike, so there are no unsightly brackets exposed when the bags are off the motorcycle, allowing the V85’s lines to remain true and consistent with or without luggage. Clever.

What exactly the hell is the meaning of this, letting a 30-year old kid be the Powertrain Project Engineer for an all-new bagger? What could a callow youth who roadraces a 15-year old GSX-R600 and rides a Tuono on the street, possibly know about the bagger mentality? When they’re not tearing around on sportbikes (and Indians!) because the snow’s too deep up in Minnesota, that 30-year old engineer (who only spoke to us on condition of anonymity) and Product Director Josh Katt are plotting mostly legal routes to get to work on Polaris snowmobiles. If that’s not heretical enough, Indian put a Swedish guy who designed BMW motorcycles for 15 years in charge of design – Ola Stenegard.

Honda unveiled the new 2020 Africa Twin, revealing a larger engine, lighter weight and a number of electronic rider aides including the much requested cruise control. The 2020 CRF1100L Africa Twin will be offered in regular and Adventure Sports ES models, both available with a choice of manual or DCT versions.

You really do need a program to keep track of all the players at Harley-Davidson. I’m still in a constant state of bewilderment even after all these years trying to keep track of the Glides and Ultras and FXRs and things as they come and go. After passing summary judgment on the new Low Rider S last week, it’s time to move on to the new Touring models, all of which at least still carry the prefix “FL.” (As do some Softails, possibly a Dyna or two – now retired – and possibly a trike. Let’s move on.)

Indian rolled into the octagon with a newly pumped-up Thunder Stroke 116 powerplant that threw down 126 lb-ft of torque, riding off with the 2020 Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (MMA) American V-Twin Muscle Grudge Match.

Well, the new-for ’19 RT has put on 20 pounds compared to the R1200 RT that preceded it, but one good thing about that weight gain is it makes it that much easier for us to justify calling it Best Touring Bike – an award that’s traditionally gone to your Gold Wings and your Harley-Davidson FLs.

A week after announcing its 2020 Scout lineup, Indian announces its updated air-cooled cruiser and touring model lineup, including an upgrade to a larger Thunder Stroke 116 engine for select models, a new Ride Command infotainment system, a redesigned Springfield Dark Horse. a new Roadmaster Dark Horse and the return of the Chieftain Elite.

Well that didn’t take long. Yesterday, we reported on 2020 Harley-Davidson models receiving certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and today, Harley-Davidson has officially announced its 2020 lineup. As the certification documents suggested, Harley-Davidson announced a new Road Glide Limited, Low Rider S and a CVO Tri Glide for 2020. Also announced was a “re-styled” Heritage Classic.

Sharing your motorcycling experience with a friend is a great way to spend some time together…for a while at least. Then you’re both going to be either enjoying the comfort of a motorcycle designed to carry a passenger, or your pillion-mounted pal may start to silently resent you as their tushie goes numb and their knees throb with pain. Riding a motorcycle that’s only fun for the rider results in you mostly riding alone (which, in all candor, may not be a bad thing).

A video teasing a new 2020 Indian Challenger and its liquid-cooled engine has leaked out of this past weekend’s Indian dealer meeting. The 42-second video was uploaded to Facebook by a dealer (which will likely receive a panicked call from Polaris any minute now) and offers look at the engine and how it sounds.