BUYER'S GUIDE: USED GRAND TOURERS

Big is beautiful when it comes to Grand Touring. And these three bikes are some of the biggest and most beautiful around…

- Chris Moss

There’s nothing quite like going places on a motorcycle. Seeing new places and cultures is always rewarding, but experiencing them on a bike can elevate the whole affair to a higher level. The further you go, the more rewarding it can all be.

There are some very niche sorts of bikes that are able to add a high degree of luxury to more distant travelling. They allow you to cross countries in such style and speed, you’d swear you’d covered far less miles than you actually have. They are the Grand Tourers, the massive, fantastically equipped beasts that carry you along in virtually unmatched extravagance. More recently produced bikes in this bracket can perform well too, so the mile-eating can be done at a surprisingly high pace.

We’ve chosen three used examples of bikes best suited to playing such roles, highlighting the enjoyment and reality of riding and owning them. All are very special machines which give you the chance to get to your destinations in a very grand, very elegant, and very indulgent fashion.

2009 HONDA GL1800 GOLD WING

With vast amounts of bodywork covering its enormity, and almost as many buttons as you’d find on an airliner’s flight deck, the Gold Wing is a bike like no other. But the luxurious 1800 has a lot more going for it than getting you to your destination in complete civility and comfort.

It’s a bike that’s clearly been designed very carefully with a balance that makes it feel accomplished at any speed. There are times and places where you wouldn’t recommend using it, but it’s surprisingly capable where you’d least expect it to be, too.

2009 TRIUMPH ROCKET III TOURER