#Touring

Touring motorcycles with their plethora of luxury features tend to be the flagship models for manufacturers because touring riders demand comfort, handling, big power, weather protection, and storage space – and they’re willing to pay for it. Thanks to the Project Rushmore upgrades first seen in the 2014 model year, the ‘Glides have delivered first-class accommodations and the technological features touring riders expect. Just take a look at the Boom! infotainment system and the LED Daymaker headlight. Be it with a frame-mounted fairing as with the Road Glide or a fairing-mounted one on the Electra Glides (among others), the Harley-Davidson touring line commanded a large portion of the luxury touring market. Still, the Twin Cam engine had begun to show its age.

There comes a time in our lives when we find ourselves looking to purchase a new motorcycle, whether new to us or brand-spanking new from the showroom. But, wait, is that model due for an update? Should you wait for the new one or buy an older model to save some cash?

I have to admit I’ve been around long enough to have ridden the original Yamaha Venture Royale, and quite a lovable beast it was. Then there was a Royal Star Venture in the intervening years, but it wasn’t so luxurious. Now there’s this all-new Star Venture, with which Yamaha says it’s officially re-entering the luxury-touring category.

Yamaha has the FJR1300 and FJ-09 to cover the sport-touring segment, and its Super Ténéré can add some adventure to a rider’s tour. Then there’s the V Star 1300s for cruisers with some touring amenities. But what’s missing is a luxurious tourer that can muscle in on Harley’s extensive touring lineup or even on Honda’s venerable Gold Wing.

Typically, when we perform a comparison test, we select bikes in the same category to see which one works best. This time, however, we’re approaching this comparison with a few long-lingering questions in mind: How does having a fork-mounted fairing or a frame-mounted fairing affect the dynamics of a motorcycle? Does having the weight of the fairing on the fork make it floppy at low speeds? Do fork-mounted fairings interact with prevailing wind or turbulence coming off of vehicles? How noticeable is the improved wind protection on the frame-mounted fairing – particularly during cold-weather riding?

Yamaha announced it will introduce a new touring motorcycle during the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Americade Rally, June 5 in Lake George, NY. The presentation will also be streamed online at YamahaMotorsports.com.

The desire to venture out and explore the open road is strong amongst motorcyclists. Exploration equals freedom, and freedom is synonymous with motorcycles. But where to go? Anywhere you want, really. But if you’d like just a little more direction, here we’ve gathered 10 great riding roads in North America you’ve got to try sometime. Be it alone or with some of your riding buddies, these roads are sure to leave lasting memories you (and your friends) will look back on years later and enjoy. Some of these roads you’ve probably heard about before, while others will hopefully be new ones. Others still are out there, waiting to be discovered. Here now, in no particular order, are 10 great roads in North America you’ve gotta ride.

Our most recent Sport-Touring test between the BMW S1000XR, KTM Super Duke GT, and MV Agusta Turismo Veloce was a fun one, as Sport-Touring rides usually are. Whenever you combine great roads with great friends and great motorcycles, the story usually writes itself. Sport-Touring is nothing new, of course, and our most recent test got us wondering what the old MO staff thought were great tourers back in the day. A look back through the archives dug up this, the Lightweight Tourers Comparison of 1996 between the Kawasaki Concours, BMW R1100RT, and Honda ST1100. Enjoy this look back at three great motorcycles, made to burn up miles. 

Spidi 4Season H2Out Suit Review

It’s not often a reduction in engine displacement results in a superior motorcycle (bigger is better, right?), but that’s the case with KTM’s new 1090 Adventure R. Gone are the 1190 Adventure and Adventure R models and in their stead a new 1050cc R model that’s smaller in both bore and stroke (103mm/63mm vs. 105mm/69mm) equaling a 145cc reduction in displacement. Whatever the 1090 gives up in power production to the 1190 Adventure R it makes up for in lighter weight and better handling.

Recently, our own John Burns traveled to Daytona to hitch a ride aboard the alphabet soup that is the 2017 Harley-Davidson Road King Special FLHRXS. In his story, JB noted the Road King made it’s debut in 1994 – the same year the very site you’re reading right now was born. With that in mind, this week’s Church feature goes back in the vault to 1996 and the earliest story we could find about the Harley Road King in the MO archives. In reading Tom Fortune’s review of the Road King, the bike sounds antiquated even when it was brand new. Though some might scoff that today’s Harley’s haven’t changed, if Tom Fortune could ride the 2017 Road King, he’d be blown away by its fit and finish. It’s definitely interesting to see where we’ve come in the last two decades. Read on to take yourself back in time. 

Harley’s new Street Rod was our excuse to go to Daytona last week, but while we were there we got to ride The MoCo’s new Road King Special too. Okay, so, yeah, the Street Rod was a bit underwhelming, but it would be fun to sit all the commenters heaping abuse upon H-D for that bike on one of its FLs for about a 10-minute ride. I think it would shut most of them right up. Well, actually it probably wouldn’t. I think we’ve all learned how hard it is to unseat deep-rooted preconceptions lately.

What’s wrong with admitting that a cruiser model is a styling exercise? Cruisers are all about style – perhaps even more so than any other motorcycle category. So, if a cruiser that works as well as the Indian Roadmaster gets some new clothes in an effort to appeal to more buyers, that can be a good thing. In this instance, the result is the Indian Roadmaster Classic, a Roadmaster with a heaping helping of classic design cues.

First introduced by Indian in 2015, the Roadmaster built on the Chieftain platform, adding additional touring and luxury features. Now, the company is releasing a Roadmaster variant, the 2017 Indian Roadmaster Classic. If the Roadmaster was a Chieftain with a trunk, the Classic is a Roadmaster for fans of leather.

What has dropped 10 pounds, gained larger wheels, honed down its seat height, and wields a kick ass new engine? If you said the Harley-Davidson Road King Special, you’d be right. So, what makes this Road King special?