Finding a touring motorcycle that impresses you is quite easy today. The lineup is more vast than ever, with anything and everything from an automatic crossover with a frunk to a behemoth $50,000 CVO full-dresser. Things get more difficult when you bring your own pre-requisites to the mix, though. And if these comprise Japanese reliability and American road presence, your life will get even more difficult. Lucky for you, we’re here to help, and upon research, we’ve found a bagger that spoils you with Honda-like reliability and Harley-like presence. There is a catch, however. No One Does Reliability Like Honda HondaReliability and road presence are integral elements of a touring bike. You need reliability because these bikes need to cover hundreds of miles in a day and thousands over months without breaking down or burning a hole in your pocket with a regular need for spare parts. Honda is the gold standard in this regard, and you’ll find nearly all of its bikes doing 100,000 miles without any surprises. Heck, an Africa Twin even managed over 500,000 miles! And No One Does Road Presence Like Harley Harley-DavidsonAs for road presence, this is mainly for bragging rights and enhanced comfort. Yes, large bikes usually mean more head turns. But that also means more space and room for you aboard it. Bonus points for fairings and saddlebags–both lifesavers on long tours. This is something Harley-Davidson has always excelled at, particularly with its iconic baggers like the Street Glide and Road Glide. Accordingly, our pick here takes direct inspiration from these OG H-D baggers. The Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Vaquero Has Honda Reliability And Harley Presence KawasakiIt’s a hard line to walk, but if you want Honda reliability with Harley presence, the Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Vaquero is the best thing. There are a few reasons for that. Firstly, the Vulcan 1700 platform is really old and simple. Those might seem like negatives, but they make this superbly reliable. Anything and everything has been ironed out over the years, and a quick look at the forums reveals no issues to be worried about other than regular maintenance. Secondly, Kawasaki built this to take on Harley-Davidson baggers. So it inevitably took design inspiration from the Milwaukee-based giant, which is why the road presence is very American here. Large fairing with round lights up top, neatly integrated saddlebags, shiny chrome headers, and a behemoth V-twin on full display all deserve credit for that. Old-School Charm Is The Vulcan 1700’s Ultimate Selling Point KawasakiAside from reliability and presence, the Vulcan 1700 Vaquero will impress you further if you cherish old-school charm. Everything here is ultra retro from afar, sprinkled with interesting technologies that are somewhat rare in American tourers even today. Let’s dive into these details, but don’t be too critical, and keep in mind that this is essentially the same bike from 2009. Powered By A Huge Liquid-Cooled V-twin Engine KawasakiThis is one place where the Vulcan 1700 feels more modern than American tourers, particularly from Harley-Davidson. It boasts a 52-degree V-twin mill with a fully liquid-cooled setup, unlike any of the Milwaukee-Eight bikes. A near-square 102 mm X 104 mm construction (Bore X Stroke) enables a capacity of 1,700cc, which makes this the largest Kawasaki engine right now. 42 mm throttle bodies and fuel injection join the package, resulting in a peak output of 82 horsepower and 107.6 pound-feet. The latter kicks in at 2,750 RPM—lower than the Harley-Davidson Street Glide. These numbers are nothing fancy by today’s standards. But these help the engine remain in an understressed state. So this will effortlessly sit at highway speeds all day long and be reliable forever. All this while, a carbon-reinforced belt and six-speed transmission drive the rear wheel. Simplicity Is The Theme For The Underpinnings KawasakiRemember, we said the Vulcan took inspiration from American tourers? Thus, Kawasaki has built this around a double-cradle steel chassis—a staple for American heavyweights. This is paired with a double-sided swingarm and Showa suspension. 45 mm telescopic forks and air-assisted dual shock absorbers make up the latter. Topping things are 16-inch alloy wheels, shod with a 130-section front tire and a 170-section rear tire. These hoops also house dual 300 mm front discs and a single 300 mm rear disc. These are on par with what we usually see on tourers, but we believe they’ll have their hands full due to the overall heft here. The Vaquero Weighs Over 840 LBs KawasakiSpeaking of which, the Vaquero tips the scales at 844.5 pounds. That’s 34 pounds higher than the latest Harley-Davidson Street Glide. Likewise, other dimensions are also sizable. They include: Tank capacity: 5.3 gallons Wheelbase: 65.6 inches Length: 98.8 inches Width: 38.2 inches Comfort Is Top Notch But The Features Are Antique All those massive dimensions do help with one thing: comfort. You get massive saddles here for both occupants, with the perch being low and accessible at 28.7 inches. Your hands, meanwhile, go on curvy handlebars, and your feet on big floorboards. On the go, you’ll appreciate the windscreen, too. If you want more, the Voyager variant brings a full-dresser experience. The seats are bigger, and the pillion has a proper backrest via the top box. KawasakiThe cockpit, however, is simply antique. In a sea of TFTs, this one has a semi-digital instrument cluster with analog dials. We love analog dials, yes, but the package is too vanilla here. You can forget about other luxuries, too, such as smartphone connectivity or Bluetooth audio. It’s the same story with rider aids. There’s no traction control, ride modes, six-axis IMU, or hill hold. ABS is the only inclusion. Source: Kawasaki USA