Touring bikes are made for touring. No surprise there! They mostly are big and heavy, and come equipped with options for carrying luggage. The riding position on these bikes is often quite relaxed or upright. You may immediately think of heavy Harley’s, but other brands also offer plenty of touring bikes. Think of the Honda Goldwing, a touring bike through and through. Do you want to cover long distances on a bike in a comfortable way? Then touring bikes might be your thing!

In addition to real touring bikes, we’ve also included sport touring bikes in this overview. These motorcycles are most often derived from a sports bike, but are modified to provide a more relaxed riding experience. You’ll still have a relatively sporty riding position, but you won’t have to lean as forwards as you’d have to on a sports bike. This type of motorcycle can be a great choice for anyone who wants to ride sporty, but who prefers to avoid the seating position of leaning forward as you do on sports bikes. 

Let’s get down to business. Calling a motorcycle ‘a high bike’ is, of course, a subjective topic. But to make it all a bit easier we drew a line at 31.5 inches. All bikes below 31.5 inches are classified as ‘motorcycles with a low seat height’. Above 31.5 inches we classify the bikes as ‘motorcycles with a high seat height’. We’ve done this with a perspective from riders who are around 5′ 6″ tall.