The Best Touring Motorcycle for you...

And... the next Best Advice I need to give is; Listen to everyone, weigh all of the information... and then... ignore most of what those 'experts' have to say! :-)

Well.... except for me of course! ;-)

Yup, that's right... Too many of the 'writers' for the fancy magazines push the agenda that a bike claiming to be the Best Touring Motorcycle, that won't outrun last years metal munchin', asphalt burnin', fire breathin' Beast... is a Dawg! or... it needs all sorts of foo-fur-raw, radios... and I'm waiting to see the first on-board coffee maker!

Ever'body is a dang expert... 'cept few of 'em live up to the brag.

Looky here. Buyin', ownin', ridin', and livin' with a Motorcycle is gonna be just about the most intimate relationship you'll ever have... that Ol' Gal that puts up with your Gas is the only one who can claim anything more! :-) ... and rightly so!

... and if she ain't gettin' what she's claimin'... than you need to sit in a quiet place and ask yourself... "What the Hell were ya thinkin'?" :-)

SO... When you're pickin' the Best Touring Motorcycle for yourself... most of what you have to do is gonna take place right there in that thing you use as a display rack for your ears.

You have to decide what suits you. What fits your Style... and what is gonna put that bug collecting grin on your face! Not one other soul on this Earth can do that for you... No matter how much they claim the ability.

Spend some time... alone... and Imagine!, Visualize!, and Ride!.

Imagine the places you'll ride to. How you want to travel on your Best Touring Motorcycle. Are you going to Camp? Motel? Bed & Breakfast? Will your Motorcycle Touring be done in Day Trips or on longer, overnight rides? Two day? Multi-day? Multi-Weeks?

How fast will you ride? How much luggage do you want/intend to load on that Best Touring Motorcycle you're thinkin' about?... Are you going to be riding solo? or will you carry a pillion passenger?

What's your style? Dual Sport? Touring? Cruiser? or one of those scary, crotch rocket, road burning, Sport Bikes?

Do you posses the self-control/discipline to keep the throttle of one of those screamers, un-twisted? Or are you... like me... likely to crank that sucker at inappropriate times? and get yourself into more trouble than your riding ability can wiggle you out of? :-)

Do you want windshields and fairings?... saddle bags and sissy bars? or are you gonna ride Naked?

Umm... :-)... no I really didn't expect you would be that bold! it just means no windshield or fairings. :-)

Maybe all you really want is a Scooter for zippin' around fairly close to your RV! Not what I'd call 'Touring'... but it's all a lot of people are truthfully lookin' to do.

Are you needful of combining some 'other' activities with your Motorcycle Touring?

Photography? Fishing? Camping? RVing? Socializing?

All these things can have a pretty fair impact on the selection of your Motorcycle, and No-Body can tell you what's best for you.... 'cept that feller who signs the checks you write!

Now is the time, to settle in your heart, what kind of Motorcycle Touring you intend to do... before you actually go out looking for that, perfect for you, Best Touring Motorcycle, you're gonna have that intimate affair with!

Spending the thinkin' time now... will pay you back down the road, saving you a whole lot of time, dinero, and heartburn.

Next thing to decide is; Are you going to buy New?... or ... Is your Touring Motorcycle going to be bought used?

Bikes are a lot like cars in this respect... Light the thing up... ride it off the dealers lot and.... whack! You just took a BIG depreciation hit...

So... if... even after spending a good long while contemplating what kind of riding you're gonna do, with that Best Touring Motorcycle... you remain a mite undecided... but you're sure you want a Touring Motorcycle of SOME SORT... I'd strongly suggest you take the used route...

If you end up swappin' around a little before you settle on the Best Motorcycle Touring, Ride of Your Life... you'll save a bundle... swappin' used bikes over new!

Just exercise common sense as you sort through the available machines. I found my last ride on Craigs List... a fine place to go Motorcycle Hunting. About the only advice I'm going to give in buying a used bike is to check it out careful for evidence of any 'Hard', frame bending, drops... and, I'd avoid a machine that has sat stored, unused for a long time.

While the low mileage may look attractive... motorcycles don't seem to 'store' well. Without regular riding and maintenance... seals dry out and leak, belts and tires age and fail... all sorts of issues relating to fuel... etc.

You can end up putting a lot of cash and hassle into returning a 'stored' bike to reliable condition.

I'll take the 8 year old bike with quite a few more miles, that has been well cared for and maintained, but has seen regular use... over the six year old bike that has 1500 miles on it and has simply stood in a corner of the garage since three months after it was bought... and the owner found out he wasn't a biker!

One other thing you might want to consider in your hunt for the Best Touring Motorcycle... though it can be kind of difficult to accomplish... is to find a few different bikes to ride. Hunt up places you can rent... maybe a few of your friends have bikes of different styles and types?.... of course... they have to trust you to ride THEIR Motorcycles! :-)

I can't count the number of people I've talked to who had a vision in their heads, for a long time, about that 'special' bike they wanted... finally ran out and bought it... and then traded shortly afterward... when they discovered that the 'vision' and the reality... weren't the same Motorcycle.

So give it plenty of thought... do your homework...

In the end... You'll find the Touring Motorcycle that fits you to a T, and for you the Best Touring Motorcycle money can buy... and then, to the consternation of your Ol' Gal.... or ... Ol' Man! :-)

.... You're gonna Fall in Love... all over again!

So... how do you deal with that?...

When they complain... Tell 'em; "Buy your own Ride! and you can have your OWN...

... BEST TOURING MOTORCYCLE affair!" :-)

Can You Tell Why Your Motorcycle is the Best Touring Motorcycle?

a Road Star Raider has become Top Dog for me

A V Star 650 Custom is my Motorcycle of choice

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