Questions
What is a tourer motorcycle?
A tourer motorcycle is a bike built for long-distance comfort, usually fitted with a full fairing, a tall screen and hard luggage for carrying gear over distance.
Everything about a tourer is chosen to make an entire day in the saddle bearable rather than exciting. The fairing and screen push the wind up and over the rider instead of straight into their chest, the seat is shaped for hours rather than an afternoon, and panniers or a top-box swallow the luggage a long trip needs. Suspension favours a smooth ride over sharp handling, and many tourers add features such as heated grips, cruise control or a passenger backrest that a sports bike or naked roadster would rarely carry. The trade-off is weight and size: tourers are usually the heaviest bikes on the road, built for motorway miles rather than a quick dart through town.
Our touring motorcycle art page pairs the bike itself with road posters from routes tourers actually ride. Riders who prefer a lower, more relaxed stance tend to like the cruiser too.
Written by Craig Fearn, Throttlefolio.
Transmissions
Questions, answered
What is the difference between a tourer and an adventure bike?+
A tourer is built for road miles with a fairing, screen and luggage; an adventure bike adds taller suspension and dual-purpose tyres for gravel and green lanes as well.
Are tourers good for two-up riding?+
Generally yes - the seat, suspension and luggage capacity are designed with a passenger and their gear in mind, more so than most other styles.
From the journal