10 American Touring Motorcycles That Are Built To Last

American two-wheeler culture has touring ingrained in it. The dream of a long, straight road with nobody but you and the wind in your hair is one shared by more than a few people – as evidenced by the strong sales of large touring motorcycles with American badges on them. It’s also evident that the American brands get it right more than other brands (with a few notable exceptions).

This has happened because of the decades of experience building, experimenting, and sometimes failing, with different touring motorcycle models. Just like there is no replacement for displacement, there is no substitute for experience and passion. And that is why American touring motorcycles stand the test of time. Here are ten of these American touring motorcycles that are built to last.

Indian Springfield

Price: $22,999

The Springfield is the retro-styled bagger in Indian’s lineup. It is the design that we all think of when we think of an Indian, with the valanced fenders, acres of chrome, air-cooled V-twin engine, and riveted leather seat upholstery. It is powered by the Thunderstroke 111 engine, which has been around now for 12 years, so reliability will not be an issue. It might have ride modes and cruise control, but the fact that it is air-cooled means that it is extremely simple by today’s standards. The Thunderstroke 116 is also an option now.

Harley-Davidson Road King Special

Price: $24,999

The Road King Special is the Harley equivalent of the Springfield. It is surprisingly similar to it in a number of aspects: the retro looks, the ability to convert to a light tourer with a windshield and luggage, the blacked-out options, and the similar price. The Road King Special is powered by the Milwaukee Eight 114, one of the few left in the lineup powered by this engine. It is wholly air-cooled but is modern in other ways: it has ride modes, and cruise control.

Harley-Davidson Street Glide

Price: $27,749

The Street Glide’s upgrade from the Milwaukee Eight 114 to the Milwaukee Eight 117 has paid dividends. It now makes more power (105 horsepower) and torque (130 pound-feet) while retaining the six-speed Cruise Drive transmission. Reliability has also gone up because of the liquid-cooled heads on this version of the M8 117 engine. It manages to retain the classic look but with modern reliability. You get a by-wire throttle to smooth out the power delivery, and a six-axis IMU has your back should things get hairy.

Harley-Davidson Road Glide

Price: $27,999

The Road Glide is exactly the same as the Street Glide; the only difference between the two is that the Street Glide has its ‘Batwing’ fairing mounted on the front forks, which means it turns with the handlebar, while the Road Glide’s front fairing is frame-mounted. That means crosswinds will not affect the steering, making this a better highway bike. Harley has compensated for the rigid headlamp by including an adaptive headlamp for the curves. Which Glide you choose depends on your usage and preference; they’re priced essentially the same.

Harley-Davidson Street Glide Ultra

Price: $30,749

The Street Glide Ultra is the full-dress tourer that also pays attention to the pillion. It is a recent launch, which means it gets all the latest tech from Harley. That includes the biggest screen among tourers, a huge 12.3-inch touchscreen TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. It also gets a redesigned fairing that helps air flow more efficiently around the rider and pillion. A nice touch is the standard armrests for the pillion: a feature that isn’t always standard on all big tourers.

Indian Pursuit Limited

Price: $32,749

The Pursuit is Indian’s response to the H-D Road Glide. They have the fixed front fairing, although Indian chooses to keep a round headlamp at the center rather than go full sharknose like the competition. The Pursuit is available with both the PowerPlus 108 and PowerPlus 112 engines, but the 108 has been around for a while, so you know it will be reliable. It is no slouch, either, offering 122 horsepower and 128 pound-feet through a six-speed transmission. Of course, all the creature comforts you’d expect are present, including electronically adjustable rear preload.

Indian Roadmaster Elite

Price: $41,999

The Roadmaster is one of the old guard; it has just enough tech to make the owner’s life better, but it sticks to traditional American cruiser values for the rest of it. It starts with the Thunderstroke 116, which remains Indian’s largest displacement engine five years after it was launched. This air-cooled engine makes its maximum torque at under 3,000 RPM, and it is a massive 126 pound-feet at that. It is mated to a six-speed transmission, and you get the safety you’d associate with a full-dress tourer like ABS, traction control, and ride modes. The usual luxury features are all present, like an adaptive headlamp, electrically adjustable windscreen, heated and cooled seats, and a seven-inch TFT color display.

Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra

Price: $37,999

You can’t talk about American touring bikes and not throw in a trike every now and again, right? The Tri Glide Ultra offers everything that the Street Glide does, but with an extra wheel. That adds a lot of storage space, and weight as well – 1,237 pounds, to be exact. To help you manage the weight, there are dual front brake discs, a reverse gear, and the Tri Glide Ultra is equipped with the version of the M8 114 that utilizes water cooling for the heads for more reliability – and this has been on sale for at least five years now. You can pick one up used if the new price is a little too rich for you.

Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide

Price: $45,999

The CVO Street Glide is one half of the CVO twins, the other being the CVO Road Glide, and they have the same differences as the regular Street Glide and Road Glide. The CVOs have a larger-displacement Milwaukee Eight VVT 121, and as the name suggests, the engine has variable valve timing. This is one of only two engines to have VVT on exhaust valves as well today, the other being the Revolution Max 1250, also from the H-D stable. Despite the advanced tech like the VVT, water-cooled heads, and all the accouterments of a premium tourer from a premium manufacturer, the CVO Street Glide is very reliable.

Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide ST

Price: $44,999

The CVO Road Glide ST ditches the variable valve timing of the other two CVO tourers for a straight-up power-hungry engine. It thus gets a significant bump in performance over them, and bits that make it stand out as well. There is a forged carbon fiber front fender, Screamin’ Eagle graphics that go from the fairing to the tank, dual petal brake discs at the front with Brembo radial calipers mounted on Showa inverted front forks… the list goes on.