In an age of comfort and technology, bikes with the ability to easily carry luggage and a passenger are among the most sought-after rides. These large, heavyweight two-wheeled tourers-the road sofa, geezer-glide, bagger, or dresser-are full of amenities and options to keep you fresh during long days in the saddle. Other than large torquey motors, saddlebags and a windshield are usually the minimum requirement for touring status.
A windshield doesn't just protect a rider from bad weather, such as rain and hail-it also reduces fatigue brought on by a day of freeway wind. Windshields and fairings come in two main flavors: easily removable (aka, detachable) and, well, those that aren't. Even the fairings themselves come in at least two varieties, with a fixed-fairing unit as seen on Harley Road Glides and a fork-mounted fairing such as the Electra Glides wear. The difference is that the fixed fairing is mounted to the frame of the motorcycle and its attached headlight(s) don't move with the bars, whereas the traditional batwing fairing (on Electra Glides) moves with the bars and forks. Added benefits to fairings over windshields is the option to add stereos, gauges, and extra storage, not to mention clean access to the wiring harness for such things as GPS units or cell phone chargers.
Saddlebags, either in the hard (plastic, fiberglass) or soft (leather, nylon) varieties, provide not only storage for the long haul but can also be handy for a trip to the store. Tour-Paks or box-top storage units that reside somewhere over the rear fender behind the pillion can be added for additional storage; some can accommodate a full-face helmet. Hard bags tend to provide better weather protection and a little security due to their locking nature.
There's a booming industry that's focusing on manufacturing parts and accessories for bagger riders and a handful of American manufacturers that are building bikes specifically for the touring market. Harley-Davidson is still the major player in the market, essentially defining the genre in the first place while refining its products to meet the goals of its riders. Victory Motorcycles has launched the Vision, perhaps the most daring American bike ever offered to the touring market. FBI Motor Company has jumped into the fray with its own line of touring bikes based on parts from Fat Baggers Inc. American Motorcycle 1902's Apache model diverges from the status quo in bagger aesthetics. Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles continues to expand its lineup with the addition of the Frontier touring motorcycle. These production bikes are not kits or special construction vehicles, but fully licensed, tested, and insurable motorcycles. In addition, optional motors and parts are available to suit your style and wallet.