5 Motorcycles Bikers Love To Take On Road Trips

If you ask a dozen riders what bikes are great for a road trip, you are likely to get two dozen answers. If you ask a million riders the same question, a few models will begin to emerge at the peak of the bell curve.

As an avid lifelong rider and former dealer, I have enjoyed plotting out rides I'll probably never take on machines I will never personally own, being only one man with only so much time. So what follows is a brief list of five bikes that I have found riders love to take on road trips. A few of these machines have taken me personally into adventures I will never forget, while the others are on my list, waiting, taunting me with what could be if the stars align.

From heavyweight transcontinental living rooms to surprisingly small-displacement rigs that riders love like faithful little burros, this list has a range longer than a KLR with aftermarket fuel tanks. Road trips come in many flavors, and the machines that turn these trips into unforgettable experiences are themselves a varied bunch, sometimes with little in common on the surface. But pull back the curtain and you will find that what these five machines share is that each has been shaped by their manufacturers, their riders, and the adventures they enable to become excellent bikes for road tripping.

A classic for North American road trips, these big touring bikes have, in fact, been found eating up miles all over the world for decades. Their dialed-in combination of big-displacement Milwaukee V-Twins and frame-affixed "shark-nosed" fairing makes a formidable combo when it comes to smoothly cruising highways and byways.

Crosswind and buffeting are not transferred as easily to the handlebars on the Road Glide as on units with handlebar-mounted fairings, reducing rider fatigue. Add to that as much storage space as a small apartment, and you have a unit that is ideal for spending all day in the saddle with everything you need stowed neatly aboard, or jammed into every available nook and cranny, depending on your road-tripping school of thought. Either way, the copious volume of the big Harley's locking hard cases will have you covered.

Currently, the Road Glide is powered by a 117 CI (1,923cc) Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin that puts down over 100 easily accessible horses. Going back in years as you shop will get you fewer horses along with a lower price of entry. Big six-gallon tanks give the Glide serious range for crossing the loneliest places on the map. If those lonely stretches are windswept, it will be no problem: the Road Glide has been wind tunnel tested to ensure that buffeting and crosswinds are issues for lesser examples of the touring breed.

This list would seem underpopulated if it did not include the mighty Goldwing. The big Honda's early iterations essentially pioneered the concept of luxury two-up cruising upon its debut in the mid-1970s.

Over many subsequent years of refinement, the Goldwing only got better, and its current iterations as the GL1800 can certainly be said to be standing at the current pinnacle of the two-up touring hobby. What road trip is not made better by the inclusion of a riding partner to share the pleasure of covering distance on a smoothly carving, high-powered work of motorcycle engineering art? Goldwings through the years have earned an enviable reputation as being as comfortable as they are powerful, easily accommodating two riders and a full complement of gear, courtesy of its extremely smooth flat-six engine. This low-slung 1833cc motor imparts a low center of gravity that belies the bike's hefty weight and imparts confidence.

Also confidence-inducing is the Goldwing's list of available equipment. Its list of options seems pulled right out of a sport sedan's playbook: heated seats, integral navigation, and, since 2006, actual airbags. Current generations feature an optional seven-speed dual-clutch trans that features a walking mode. The Wing is even one of the few motorcycles to come from the factory with a reverse gear, allowing riders to deftly maneuver the big Honda around sloped parking lots and out of tight spaces, even when fully loaded with a passenger and full bags.

Not all riders are interested in the riding experience that can be had from the "big displacement armchairs on two wheels" approach of the luxury cruiser crowd, and instead look toward a less-is-more approach to getting out there. On these road trips, part of the fun is that the routes can include the roads less traveled, or less paved for that matter.

The Yamaha Tenéré forgoes bulk, overly complicated electronics, and heavy bodywork to provide its owners with a nimble unit with a 689cc DOHC parallel twin that cranks out 72 hp. It features one of the largest fuel tanks in the Yamaha lineup. It is a design that emphasizes lightweight durability, lower maintenance demands, and intuitive mechanical feedback that allows riders to truly connect with the machine until it feels like an extension of their body.

An active community has led to the development of a massive aftermarket for the T7, which allows riders to customize their bike for long-range adventures, with auxiliary fuel tanks, upgraded fairings and windshields, and luggage systems and racks. But be advised, part of the charm here is its lightness. This mid-weight adventure bike weighs in at a mere 452 lbs on day one, but mods and fluids will add to that weight quickly, undermining its good qualities. The Tenéré is a budget-friendly motorcycle that proves you don't have to break the bank to have a bike that you will love to road trip on.

If the Yamaha looks like a nice start but its sub-700cc displacement has you wondering "where's the beef," Honda might like a word with you. Its excellent and aggressively capable Honda Africa Twin starts with a similar philosophy to the Tenéré and then goes big. Over the years of its development, Honda has dialed in the Africa Twin.

Its extremely reliable 1,083cc liquid-cooled twin-cylinder motor provides over 100 horsepower and generous amounts of torque that make the bike feel smaller when you add the power, but bigger when you are cruising the interstate amongst the buffeting winds of big rigs and the crosswinds of open country. The Africa Twin is almost unique in its ability to cover distance on the highway with ease without sacrificing its off-road chops, making it extremely capable once the pavement ends. This can open your road trip to the universe of overlanding. 

The Africa Twin's well-engineered sub-chassis can handle the weight of a touring load-out without sacrificing comfort or performance. It features a neutral upright riding triangle that greatly helps its riders in the fight against fatigue, and the aches and pains a long ride can confer. Standard African Twins come with just under 5 gallons of fuel capacity, but owners who opt for the Adventure Sports model get 6.5 gallons for range that exceeds 300 miles, and quite possibly their bladder.

And now, as Monty Python used to declare, it is time for something completely different. Royal Enfield's inclusion on this list might cause some raised eyebrows, but seasoned riders who have chanced upon this tough little bike will nod knowingly. The Royal Enfield Himalayan, whether in its air-cooled 411cc LS411 guise or its liquid-cooled 452cc motor in its Sherpa 450 alter ego, features surprising quickness and a tractor-like level of reliability.

It can choke down almost any octane of fuel that can be found in remote corners of the world and deliver about 70 mpg in return. Himalayan riders have a different mentality when it comes to road tripping, forgoing high-speed interstate lightning strikes for the unexplored back roads, rural stretches of twisty highways and the occasional gravelly mountain pass.

These bikes' pedigree includes being built to take on the Himalayas, and their throwback simplicity means that a little mechanical aptitude and a set of basic hand tools can be all you need to effect basic repairs in the field. An enthusiast-driven aftermarket means these small adventure bikes can be set up to suit a variety of riding missions. Confidence-inspiring reliability and 250+ miles of range make these small-displacement bikes big contenders for building a road trip around.