On the highway the seating position is plush and reach to the bars is not taxing. » More Photos

So how does it perform now it has more weight and less power, I can hear you ask. Well, this was one of the first questions on my mind, and the easiest way to describe the new Touring is it feels exactly the same as the previous Rocket from take off until you hit the peak horsepower output. The additional torque offsets the added weight and it feels completely similar. At this point you are happily cruising along your road of choice at 70mph and life behind the handlebars seems exactly the same. The big difference is, if you twist the throttle at this point, the Touring feels sort of flat. Where the original Rocket would be taking off like a scolded cat, the Touring is wandering off with quite disdain. This really isn’t a problem on a cruiser though, as the last thing you want at is your passenger exiting the rear when you crank the throttle at speed if you don’t have the luggage rack in place.

Later in the day, I had an opportunity to try an accessorized version of the new bike and found a completely different animal. This is the one geared to the single guys out there who are going to ditch the touring windshield, slap on a single seat and install the pipes. These come with a factory re map to increase the horsepower to 125 and the added sound and grunt totally change the nature of the Touring. Louder, without being obnoxious in anyway, the power output is more aggressive, and with the shorty windshield allowing more wind in your face, the whole experience feels more edgy and exiting. With the modifications easy to perform, of course it gives you the options of having two motorcycles with two completely different personalities from the one platform.

On the highway the seating position is plush and reach to the bars is not taxing. The broad, wide seat sits closer to the floor this year, making parking lot maneuvering a tad easier than the slightly taller Rocket. It has never been a big problem though, as the longitudinal engine sits low in the frame and the bike has great low speed balance. A light clutch and foot controls that don’t put your legs in an advance Yoga stretch to reach compliment this ease of operation.



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