The Best Touring Motorcycles of 2020 (part 2 Harley Davidson Electra Glide)

Welcome back to our three part series on the best touring motorcycles of 2020 where we are comparing 3 of the most popular motorcycles in the top of the line touring class.  Last week we took a close look at the Honda Goldwing and this week we will turn our eyes to an offering from one of Americas favorite brands of all time Harley Davidson. 

• The 2020 Harley Davidson Electra Glide

This is yet another of the touring motorcycles that are taking the roads by storm and it is fast becoming one of the most popular due to the excellent price point at which it enters the market and for the excellent motorcycle touring experience it provides. Whether you decide to cruise light or go fully loaded, filling the twin saddle bags with all of your motorcycle camping gear, you can depend on this Harley for an unforgettable ride in comfort no matter how far you decide to go. 

 The 2020 Electra Glide is built for simplicity and is best suited for highway cruising and hence it is a good choice for motorcycle touring. To keep the price down Harley has dropped some of the fancy items its predecessors had offered in the past, and has offered the 2020 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Standard as a modestly priced alternative to other touring motorcycles in this category.  Don’t worry, if you still want all the fancy extras they are still offered on higher end Harley models, but the Electra Glide Standard is focused on the purist rider and those on a limited budget.

Power for the Electra Glide Standard comes from the fuel injected Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine with a displacement of 1753cc (107cubic inch) and a 10:1 compression ratio mated with a traditional 6 speed manual transmission.  The package offers a whopping 111 lb-ft of torque in a chassis weighing in at 820lb which makes pulling out into traffic easy and gives plenty of  power to pull you and even a trailer with all your camping gear up the steepest mountains.

If you are a lover of the Harley Davidson brand and want a basic touring motorcycle then this is the one you have to go with.  This Harley Motorcycle is devoid of all the screens and gadgets that distract you from the road giving you more time to focus on your surroundings and ultimately more enjoyment from your ride. The Electra Glide Standard comes as a Spartan touring bike with only a solo seat as standard equipment.  Void of all gizmos and unwanted technology, it can be offered at an attractive price, and even without all of the add-ons of  some of the more expensive touring bikes, it does have all the basics including saddle bags with 2.3 cu ft of luggage capacity to fit all of your gear with ease and provide a comfortably pure and exciting ride.

Even though the Electra Glide Standard is meant to be a base model it does come with some very nice standard options including ABS, cruise control, and a security system. The mid-height windshield is designed to protect you from the elements on those long stretches of road. The front fork with dual bending valve suspension handles all the rough patches on the road with grace offering the rider optimal comfort.  A 6 gallon fuel tank will give you a maximum range of just over 250 miles using the stated 43mpg fuel economy ratings stated by the factory.

To sum it up the 2020 Harley Davidson Electra Glide is built for simplicity and performance providing excellent motorcycle touring characteristics and carrying capacity to haul all your gear with ease.  No doubt, for the motorcycle touring purist, the 2020 Harley Davidson Electra Glide continues to be one of the top choices for touring motorcycles.

Next week we will follow up with the conclusion of our three part series on the best touring motorcycles of 2020 with our in depth review of the Yamaha Venture Transcontinental.