Touring bikes are specially designed for people with a tendency of wanderlust. To describe them in a concise statement – bold, brilliant and beautiful. They make heads turn whenever on the road because their very presence makes the air around us reverberate with the engine’s beat. Although touring bikes are not a native concept in India, some of the best touring bikes are accessible in the market. However, their maintenance and proper practice are a completely different story.
One might ask what makes touring bikes different from regular or commuter bikes; well, many aspects are there in the nick and crook of touring bikes that makes them stand out. As the name suggests, these kinds of bikes are mainly modelled by automobile manufacturers for riders who love to go a long distance adventure tour without making stops every other hour. To ensure a pleasant riding experience, touring bikes incorporate much larger displacement fairings, optional windshields to weather and tackle challenging climatic changes, greater fuel tank capacity than regular bikes and a more relaxed sitting position that doesn’t negatively impact one’s back. Some of the best touring bikes from various brands currently available in the Indian market are given below.
Best Touring Bikes In India: 2022
Best touring Bike in India Under 2 lakh
1. Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350
This list of best touring bikes of India would never be ethical without the inclusion of Royal Enfield. And a model from Royal Enfield that is much loved by all is Thunderbird 350, an exemplary cruiser. An amalgamation of features that heightens the other’s efficiency makes the Thunderbird tick.
The most noteworthy ones being the jumbo fuel tank, comfy sitting posture, and robust engine displacement. It inhibits a powerful 346 cc ABS engine, which can churn out a maximum power of 19.80 bhp @ 5,250 rpm and 28Nm torque. Readied with a 5-speed gearbox, Thunderbird can take one both uphill and downhill, all along providing a mileage of 35 km/litre. It is also a genuinely comfortable ride; vertical handlebars, frontal footpegs, and cushioned seats ensure a remarkable long-distance riding experience.
Considering the price, it’s also in the ballpark of common people; therefore, it is seen in abundance all over the streets.
The ex-showroom price of Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 is 1.64 lakhs in Indian currency.
2. Bajaj Avenger 220
This list of the best touring bike in India can entirely be composed of Royal Enfield bikes, but that wouldn’t have done justice to the diverse realm of touring bike brands. Therefore, moving on to the automobile manufacturer Bajaj and their most preferred variant Avenger 220.
The Renaissance version of Kawasaki Eliminator, Avenger, is one of the most affordable touring cruisers available at the moment. Sporting telescopic fork suspension in front and twin-shock suspension at the rear, Bajaj Avengers’s 220 cc engine can deliver a top speed of 130 kph. Delivering a mileage of 35-40km/litre, with a decent-sized fuel tank of 13 litres, it comes with both air and oil-cooled engine variant.
There’s a surplus of features all over the body. Windshields do the job right, keeping wind blasts at bay; handlebars are wide and gripped effortlessly; front foot-pegs inhibit numbing of limbs, and a low sitting position keeps the rider comfortable and conscious of their surrounding.
As the wheelbase is quite large, sometimes it might become difficult to navigate through rush hour traffic. However, the reliability of the DTS-i engine with single-channel ABS makes up for it with interest. Hence it certainly falls under the category of best touring bikes in India.
The ex-showroom price is 1.6 lakhs in Indian currency.
Touring Bike in India Under 3 lakh
3. Jawa Perak
Jawa adds diversity to this list of best touring bikes available in India. An excellent bike to accompany short and long-distance, Jawa Perak is distinguishable on the road.
A 334 cc displacement mated with a 6-speed manual transmission and a potent single-cylinder oil-cooled engine makes Jawa Perak desirable to petrolheads. However, its mileage in city and highway varies, somewhere between 32-35 km/litre. Features include twin exhaust, dual-channel ABS for additional safety, upright handlebars, mixed instrument cluster, LED tail and halogen headlights, dual disc brakes, analogue and digital console.
This cruiser bike assimilates both power and performance, owing to superior bike mechanics and Jawa’s progressive legacy. Jawa as a brand is steadily gaining popularity and people’s reliance on distinctly constructed bikes.
The ex-showroom price is approximate 2 lakhs in Indian currency.
4. Royal Enfield Himalayan
This is another best touring bike of India. Only one participant from Royal Enfield is never enough, and there’s always room for more of these in our motorheads and hearts. Enter Himalayan Royal Enfield – a trailblazer in its field. Everything in this variant, be it chassis or inner workings, are top-notch, the detailing superb, the performance overwhelming its near and distant cousins.
Equipped with frontal telescopic suspension and rear mono-shock suspension, a great heart of 411 ccs beating inside, which can churn out a top speed of 133 kph, Himalayan is the best buddy one can ask for who is willing to travel long distances at a single stretch. It has an air-cooled dual-valved 5-speed gearbox, able to produce power of 24.3 bhp @ 6500 rpm and 32 Nm torque.
The instrument cluster is yet another thing of beauty. While the speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge are analogue, it also includes odometer, digital clock and compass. Essentially, a ride that can brave through thick and thin. Hands down one of the best bikes for touring in India.
Although the height and kerb weight may appear to some a bit overkill, in terms of safety, the Himalayan never slacks. Protection against rough winds, hazard lights, and dual ABS all work together, asserting safety to the rider.
The ex-showroom price is 2.5 lakhs in Indian currency.
Harley Davidson Touring Bike
5. Harley Davidson SuperLow
Harley Davidson cannot be left out since they made OG touring bikes; the 90’s Hollywood is a witness to that. However, Harley Davidson holds a special place among bike enthusiasts owing to its global appeal, quality assurance, and overall refinement of almost all the models.
Harley Davidson SuperLow, which has been in production since 1957, is a tremendously powerful cruiser, having an engine capacity of 883 ccs. With time the bike saw some changes and due to that it now assuredly takes a spot in the list of best touring bikes in India. Sporting a 17-litre fuel tank, chromed dual exhausts and a 45 degree V-Twin engine, SuperLow runs on a 5-speed manual transmission and has a kerb weight of 260 kgs. Considering the statistics of power and torque, they are well off the charts – 50 bhp and 69 Nm, respectively. Despite its Hulk-like engine capacity, it never feels overwhelming to the rider, owing to the rubber mounting that lessens vibrations.
The ex-showroom price is 6.3 lakhs in Indian currency.
India is one of the largest two-wheeler selling and manufacturing country. We often take a regular bike to its extremes, which it might or might not survive. Then came touring bikes and Indian automobiles revolutionized. With the arrival of ABS in bikes over 125 ccs, numerous accidents were bypassed. Since ABS and additional safety features are pre-installed In touring bikes, riders are somehow insured. However, to secure both rider and pedestrians’ well-being, most touring should be done in the daylight.
