7 Best Adventure Motorcyces for Touring

If covering big miles in big comfort is your bag, these adventure motorcycles should be at the top of your wish list.

It doesn't seem like so long ago when touring and/or sport-touring motorcycles made up a massive chunk of the motorcycle marketplace.

From sharp-handling street machines like the Triumph Tiger 1050 to quintessential grand touring rigs like the Goldwing, the road-bound touring segment was big business. 

Some things never change. The Goldwing certainly isn't going anywhere, but when it comes to the lighter side of touring, most long-range performance machines are now listed under the "adventure motorcycle" category. 

While big adventure bikes often aren't a great match for shorter riders, we're of the opinion they make some of the best long distance touring motorcycles ever made.

To that end we've listed our seven favorite bikes currently in the segment as well as what you should look out for when choosing an adventure motorcycle for touring. 

What Makes an Adventure Bike Good for Touring Duty?

We're all familiar with what makes an adventure bike good in the dirt: more suspension, less weight, and a 21" front wheel are all prime examples.

If you're primarily sticking to the pavement, however, here's what you'll want to pay attention to. 

Comfort

If touring is our main focus, comfort is arguably the most important aspect of the motorcycle. Great power and handling are nice to have, but if you don't enjoy sitting on your motorcycle in the first place, who cares?

We look for comfort in three distinct places: the seat, the rider triangle, and wind protection. 

Starting with the seat, some factory seats are comfortable enough to keep, while others require aftermarket intervention.

Some folks like 'em wide and soft, others like 'em firm and narrow. At the end of the day, it just needs to be comfortable enough for a full day of riding, whatever that means to you. 

As for the rider triangle, because we're talking about touring manners, the main thing we look for is a neutral, upright seating position with enough room to spread out comfortably.

"We'll never say no to a nice Corbin seat"

Lower bars that sit a bit further away are typically better suited to aggressive offroading, but for touring duty, taller bars that sit closer to the rider are usually preferable. 

Last but not least is wind protection, which can make or break your comfort in a few short hours.

The right fairing and windshield combination keeps most (if not all) of the wind buffeting off your body and helmet at highway speeds. 

"Anything over 50+ mph you're going to want some form of wind deflection"

To that end, an adjustable windshield is a big bonus, although to be fair even those can fall short for taller riders.

This is another area that's often addressed in the aftermarket, although if a bike can get the job done with factory equipment, that's a big bonus for us. 

Displacement

Engines are getting more powerful every year, and even middleweight powerplants have proven more than capable of squeezing out 100+ horsepower performance.

That's great on paper, but as they say, there's no replacement for displacement when it comes to touring. 

"Harley's powerhouse 1250 V-Twin on their Pan America"

The idea here isn't that we "need" massive horsepower numbers to cruise comfortably, but rather that larger engines make bigger torque across the rev range, peak power be damned.

There's a reason Yamaha still builds their FJR1300 even though it only makes 140 ponies out of 1300cc's, and that reason is 80+ pound-feet or torque available clear across the rev range.

Carrying Capacity

Touring duty often requires carrying a fair amount of stuff, and oftentimes a passenger (and their stuff) as well.

Throw in the luggage required to carry it all and the added weight of your riding gear, and you're gonna need a bike that can haul somewhere between 250-500 pounds. 

"Also helps to have luggage that doubles up as a seat lol"

While the spec varies between models, a good touring bike should come from the factory with a maximum weight capacity that can safely handle your heaviest possible loadout.

This figure isn't always mentioned in standard spec sheets, but it's one you need to know just the same. 

Range

Plain and simple: if you want to ride for long distances, stopping for fuel every 100 miles or so is a major annoyance.

In the touring world, we generally consider 200 miles to a tank to be the "benchmark minimum" for range, but more is always better. 

"Remote places are going to require a bigger fuel tank"

That means that both fuel economy and capacity are important considerations.

Considering most modern adventure bikes get somewhere between 40-60 mpg, most riders will want at least 4-gallons of fuel capacity for a touring rig. 

Our Favorite Adventure Motorcycles for Touring

Keeping the above factors in mind, there are a few particular adventure motorcycles that stick out as ideal candidates for touring duty. Here are our favorite picks in no particular order. 

1. Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES

MSRP: $17,599 - $18,399

We spent several months riding Honda's latest version of the Africa Twin Adventure Sports, and it's an absolute homerun as a touring bike.

It's comfortable, makes loads of torque where you want it, handles great, and has more fuel capacity than a Goldwing. 

Truth be told all Africa Twins make for solid touring bikes, but the Adventure Sports' combination of a more nimble 19" front wheel, street tires, and absolutely dialed electronic suspension (which can be adjusted on the fly for passengers, luggage, or both) make it an absolute cruise ship of a bike on the pavement. 

"Our team testing out the Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES"

Wind protection is outstanding, Apple Carplay comes standard for messaging, navigation, and music, and as an added bonus, DCT shifting is available for the ultimate in luxury and convenience.

The windshield adjustment could use some work, and the heat from the engine can get a little extreme in hotter weather, but all things considered this might be the best all-rounder money can buy if an adventure bike for touring is what you're after. 

• Windshield needs some work
• Runs hot in warmer weather

2. Harley Davidson Pan America

MSRP: $19,999 - $28,399

If you want something truly unique to tour on, you shouldn't sleep on America's very own Harley Davidson.

The Pan America 1250 is HD's cream of the crop for their latest Revolution Max liquid-cooled engine, and we're pleased to report it eats up the miles with the best of them. 

The 150-horse V-twin delivers excellent torque across the rev range with plenty of passing power on tap down low.

"The Pan America works well enough in the dirt, but it shines brightest out on the open road."

Suspension-wise, Harley equips the Pan America with their innovative electronic suspension, which constantly adjusts preload in real time for optimal sag and automatically lowers the bike when stopped for easier flat-footing and low-speed control. 

We spent a long time living with the Pan America, and as an adventure bike for touring duty, its combination of comfort and capability are top notch.

Its weight and fairly street-biased build wouldn't be our first choice for anything but gravel or well-maintained dirt roads, but that's a tradeoff most touring riders are happy to make. 

PROS

• No clear advantages over competitors
• We don't love it in the dirt

3. Triumph Tiger 1200 (GT Pro/GT Explorer)

Photo Cred: Triumph 

MSRP: $21,895 - $23,795

Twin-cylinder bikes may be the gold standard in the adventure world, but Triumph's three-cylinder approach delivers a best of both worlds with big mid-range torque and an addictive top-end rush.

With 147 horses and 96 pound-feet on tap, the Tiger 1200 will never leave your right hand wanting. 

The Triumph name has come into its own as a "premium" brand, and as such, their flagship adventure touring bike packs all the bells and whistles you'd expect.

200mm of semi-active suspension, cruise control, a quickshifter, heated grips, riding modes, a 7" TFT display... Pretty much everything you could want comes standard, especially if you opt for the up-market GT Explorer version. 

As far as drawbacks go, our biggest one is probably in the looks department, as the Tiger looks more like an angry turkey than an apex predator to us. 

We'll also note that if "premium brands" are your bag, you can now get a 170 horsepower Ducati Multistrada V4 for less money than a Tiger 1200, which is a statement we never expected to make. 

• We're not obsessed with the looks
• Expensive for what it is

4. Kawasaki Versys 1100 SE LT 

Photo Cred: Kawasaki

MSRP: $19,499

While it might surprise some to see the Versys 1100 listed as an adventure motorcycle, we'd argue it fits the bill exceptionally well if you have little to no interest in anything wilder than a maintained gravel road.

What most folks are looking for in this segment is a tall touring bike and at the end of the day, the Versys' 17" wheels are what you want on a twisty road anyways. 

We'd say the same for the Versys' recently revised inline-4 engine, which has grown to 1,099cc and now puts down a healthy 83 pound-feet of torque for serious midrange punch.

It may not be the flashiest bike out there, but for under $20K, it brings electronic suspension, cruise control, traction control, a full-color dash, and (most importantly) factory hard bags to the table. 

Our main gripe with the Kawasaki is that it's the least off-road worthy of the bunch, and throwing anything other than a set of sticky sport-touring tires on the Versys seems like wasted potential.

With that being said, it's the only game in town if an inline-4 is your drug of choice.

• Still looks like a Versys
• Our least favorite for gravel detours

5. KTM 1290 Super Adventure S

Photo Cred: KTM

MSRP: $20,999

KTM motorcycles have a well-deserved reputation for outrageous performance, and the 1290 Super Adventure S earns that reputation better than most.

Say what you will about the big orange bikes and their polarizing appearance, the 1290 will never fail to deliver on thrills. 

When it comes to power and handling, the Super Adventure S is tough to fault. The massive V-twin is downright violent when full power mapping is selected, and the electronic WP suspension is incredibly plush yet happy to push to the limit on a twisty road. 

Photo Cred: KTM

Combine that performance with radar-assisted cruise control and one of the most sophisticated on and off-road traction control systems money can buy and you've got an utterly uncompromising performer that just so happens to be all-day comfortable.

As for KTM's reputation for frequent trips back to the service department, we'll admit we still have some reservations, but most owners insist that the sheer performance on offer here is worth the potential inconvenience. 

• Not an attractive looking machine
• Reputation for return trips to the dealer
• New 1290 Super Adventure coming in 2025

6. Ducati Multistrada V4/V4S Grand Tour

Photo Cred: Ducati

At a glance, Ducati's latest V4-equipped Multistrada sounds legitimately terrifying.

We'll be the first to admit that 170 horsepower and 91 lb-ft of torque are intimidating figures to say the least, but after touring Vermont aboard the V4 last year, we're delighted to say that the bike is actually incredibly comfortable, refined, and enjoyable. 

Don't get us wrong: if you throw this thing in sport mode and give it the beans, you're going to get what you asked for and then some.

Twisting the throttle on the big V4 is a downright riot, and it never failed to get us giggling over the course of a 12-hour day. 

In short, everything about this bike is impressive. Radar-assisted cruise control, self-lowering electronic suspension, advanced rider aids... the list goes on.

What's most impressive, however, is that somehow Ducati has managed to get the Multistrada's starting price down to below $20,000, and thanks to the Granturismo V4's spring-valve architecture, they've also pushed the maintenance intervals out to a whopping 37,000 miles. 

Owning a Ducati comes with a certain stigma, but outside of that, we have literally zero complaints about this bike as a touring-focused adventure machine.

• $20,000 is still a lot of money
• Tenere owners will snub you

7. BMW R 1300 GS

"BMW's latest R 1300 GS is lighter, more compact, and more powerful."

Photo Cred: BMW

MSRP: $18,895 - $26,275

BMW's GS series of adventure bikes has never been the most impressive on paper, but there's a reason they've remained the best-selling adventure bike of all time since the dawn of the adventure bike itself: the riding experience is greater than the sum of its parts. 

BMW's all-new R 1300 GS is a dramatic departure from the GS' of old: it's lighter, more compact, and more symmetrical... yet somehow the unmistakable feeling of riding a GS is still very much intact. 

Photo Cred: BMW

That means it's incredibly composed in the corners thanks to its telelever front end, and that it also happens to be the best two-up touring bike you could ask for, adventure status be damned.

What's different, however, is that it's smoother, more powerful, and more dynamic than any GS before it, which may just make it the best GS yet. 

• Existing GS fans may not love the new style
• Premium and Adventure packages get expensive fast

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