A touring motorcycle is a type of

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

designed for touring. Although almost any motorcycle can be used for this purpose, manufacturers have developed specific models designed to address the particular needs of these riders. Touring motorcycles commonly have large displacement fairings and windshields that offer a high degree of weather and wind protection, large-capacity

fuel tank A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for Flammability, flammable fluids, often gasoline or diesel fuel. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine sys ...

s for long ranges between fill-ups, engines with a great deal of low-end

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

, and a more relaxed, upright seating position than

sport bike A sports motorcycle, sports bike, or sport bike is a motorcycle designed and optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on asphalt concrete race tracks and roads. They are mainly designed for performance at the expense of comfort, ...

s. Particularly in the US, touring motorcycles may be given names such as ''bagger'', ''full bagger'', ''full dresser'', ''full dress tourer'', or ''dresser''. These monikers (often used disparagingly or jocularly) originally applied to

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

s with full sets of saddlebags or

pannier A pannier is a basket, bag, box, or similar container, carried in pairs either slung over the back of a beast of burden, or attached to the sides of a bicycle or motorcycle. The term derives from a Middle English borrowing of the Old French ' ...

s such as

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression along with i ...

s; but these terms may now refer to any touring motorcycle.

Full-dress tourers

Full-dress touring motorcycles are generally characterized by extremely large fairings and ample bodywork compared to other types of tourers. Hard luggage, e.g. panniers and a top box, are integrated into the design of the motorcycle which usually has a very large displacement, torquey engine with a very upright, comfortable riding position. Additionally, optional amenities for full-dress tourers might include equipment not normally offered on other motorcycles such as complete stereos (AM/FM radios with CD players or MP3 connections), satellite radio, heated seats and hand-grips, GPS navigation systems, custom windshields, integrated air compressors, and air bags. Beyond what manufacturers supply, 'full dressers' are often customized by owners with additional accessories. Full-dress tourers are designed specifically for riding on pavement. A few examples of full-dress tourers are the Yamaha Royal Star Venture, the Honda Gold Wing, and Harley-Davidson Electra Glide.

Adventure tourers

A recent type, the adventure touring motorcycle is a dual-sport motorcycle that allows long-range touring both on-road and off-road capabilities. Adventure tourers have high ground clearance (for off-road purposes), large fuel capacity, and under-stressed engines for high reliability. They may have rugged GPS navigation systems, wire-spoked wheels with road-legal knobby tyres (high end models may have tubeless tyres to increase high speed safety), skid plates (to protect the engine and transmission during off-road use), and tough metal panniers. Modified adventure tourers are sometimes used in gruelling rally events, such as the

Dakar Rally The Dakar Rally () or simply "The Dakar" (), formerly known as the Paris–Dakar Rally (), is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). It is an off-road endurance event traversing terrain much tougher than convent ...

. Adventure tourer models include the BMW R1200GS, the KTM 990 Adventure series, Suzuki V-Strom 1000, and many others. Although most modern adventure tourers are large capacity bikes, that has not always been so: the first rider to win the Dakar Rally did so on a Yamaha XT500.

Sport tourers

Sport tourers are a hybrid form of motorcycle of the

and tourer. Forming a niche market, sport tourers combine the performance of a sport bike with the long-distance capabilities and comfort of a touring motorcycle. They exhibit much greater emphasis on sporting performance (in both handling and speed) than conventional tourers. Although Honda has three sport touring models, and BMW has four, most motorcycle manufacturers tend to have a single sport tourer, such as the Triumph Sprint ST or Yamaha FJR1300. Sport tourers may have hard luggage as a standard fitment or as an optional extra.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Touring motorcycle Motorcycle classifications

Full-dress tourers

Adventure tourers

Sport tourers

See also

References