Touring Motorcycles versus Cruisers
Two popular types of motorcycles are cruisers and touring bikes. Not sure which better suits your lifestyle? The following comparison guide can help!
About Cruisers
Style
When they’re not roaring down the street, cruisers are serving as the eye candy on many a teenager’s wall and in the dreams of every warm-blooded American with their senses about them. From chromed-encased comets streaking down the road to blacked-out street demons, cruisers offer up a distinct style that’s less about flash and more about hitting some hidden region of the brain where the 60s garage-built motorcycle nostalgia sleeps. These bikes are meant to be ridden and seen.
Power
Looks mean little if they aren’t backed up by some serious power. Cruisers have all the engine you’ll need, with big displacements and low-end torque for easy riding. Go for a classic air-cooled engine for a chimeric roar, or a modern incarnation for barely-controlled growls, knowing that either way you’ll have the kind of power that can never truly be controlled.
Customization
Easily tuning your motorcycle to your needs is perhaps the most attractive aspect of a cruiser. These bikes can be projections of your own identity, that idealism of individuality running hot like a blaze of fire across the nation’s roads. Hit your cruiser with some custom big ape handlebars, or chop it out with a naked look and extended front fork. Whatever you have in mind, it will look great on a cruiser!
About Touring Motorcycles
These motorcycles have a strong purpose that fits beautifully in the expansive countryside crisscrossed with freeways we call The Great Plains: long trips. Anyone seeking two-wheeled adventure would be pressed to find a more fitting mode of transportation. Reliable, powerful, and comfortable, these bikes do a lot of the work for you so you can concentrate on the scenic roadways!
Comfort
Up front, we have touring bikes with one of their greatest attributes: comfort. It can be difficult to keep a powerful bike under control and remain comfortable while doing so. Between wind fatigue, sitting position, and turning, there’s a lot to do as a rider. Touring bikes make sure you’re going to be comfortable keeping in control. Ergonomic designs make for comfier seats, windshields to prevent wind fatigue, and a high riding position to keep you in the saddle for hours on end.
Storage
If average motorcycles have a deficiency, it’s in their lack of storage space. That’s not so much a problem if you’re a weekend warrior looking to cruise the city streets on your time off, but it can be a big pain if you’re looking to do some serious traveling.
Touring bikes, being built for travel, come with plenty of extra space for your essentials, whether that comes in the form of spacious saddlebags, big top boxes, under-seat storage, or luggage racks. You’ll be able to pack up quite a bit if you need to, or just make room for extra equipment, tools, or whatever else you have in mind.
Company
One major benefit of touring bikes is that they often have enough space to allow for an extra rider. An extra rider can act as a navigator and copilot, and they can make every destination more fun when you get there. Because touring bikes often feature large, powerful engines, you don’t have to worry about poor performance just because you want to bring a spouse or friend.
Want help picking between a cruiser and a touring motorcycle? The experts at Windy City Motorcycle Company are here to help. Reach out and get your shopping process started today! We serve those in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chicago, Illinois, and Detroit, Michigan.