Best Motorcycles to Ride for Passengers

For many, motorcycling is an individualistic pursuit. Lone wolves don’t need a pack. But it’s hard to turn down a mate. When you find that person and decide to hit the open road together, what’s the best possible new motorcycle you could choose?

Editor’s note: looking for more two-up motorcycle options? Read the Best Motorcycles For Two-Up Riding, Best Motorcycles for Long-Distance Two-Up Riding 2022 and Best Motorcycles for Two-Up Riding 2021 written articles.

It could fairly be said that Honda and BMW Motorrad invented the two-up touring category in the late ‘70s, sidecars notwithstanding. But passengers (“pillion rider,” if you’re English) have been part of motorcycling since 1937, when Velocette made a seat designed for two. It was nicknamed “The Loch Ness Monster” due to its unsightliness. It was likely a lot better than sitting sidesaddle on the luggage rack, which was common at the time.

King-and-queen seats were a popular upgrade in the ‘70s, and while they’re the butt of jokes today (pun intended), they made countless miles possible on bikes never meant for serious two-up touring. Today there are thousands of seating upgrades available, but we’re blessed with a wide array of touring motorcycles that are near perfect, right out of the crate.

We just weighed in on the best bikes for touring like Barbie and Ken, but this list is geared toward anatomically correct couples. The metrics for success in this category are comfort, miles, and fun. More of all three equals a great choice for two-up riding. Rocket science, this ain’t. Hop on, let’s go.

Companies are, legally speaking, individuals. As such, they have distinct personalities. Honda’s personality is a work ethos. You may like things about past Gold Wing models, but every 10 years or so, Big Red largely starts over and recreates the wheel. And it usually does an amazing job. Honda didn’t invent long distance two-up touring. But it has been perfecting it since 1975.

Heated seats for rider and passenger are available, though not “cooled” seats. Seat cooling is just passive air ventilation or heat-wicking foam material. Not like there’s actual A/C, so whatever. Apparently in 2021 (find out more in the 2021 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT MC Commute Review article and video), the engineers changed the angle of the passenger backrest on Tour models from 17 degrees to 24.5 degrees and increased the height and cushion. There’s even an optional auto-on interior light for the trunk. Highly fancy.

The seven-speed automatic DCT might be of interest to passengers. Push-button shifting is virtually seamless and reduces the risk of passengers spilling their latte. DCT transmissions feature “Walking mode,” letting you creep forward or backward at a walking pace without a need to dismount. It all adds up to a classic counterpoint to the American touring game. Fun fact: Gold Wings were actually made in Marysville, Ohio, from 1980 to 2010, but now they’re made in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan.

Also, they call passengers “co-pilots,” which seems nice. All about that power behind the throne.

On paper and in pixels, the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited has roughly the same brochure-worthy features of its competitors. Part of the lineup since 1998, it’s H-D’s premier long hauler. With a frame-mounted “sharknose” fairing helping stability (versus handlebar-mounted batwing fairings), it’s designed to see multiple states in a day.

There’s the optional $1,741.70 Rockford Fosgate Stage II stereo with fairing-mounted and Tour-Pak speakers. There are separately heated and cooled seats, part of the Long Haul Package, as well as an optional passenger backrest. As with most “cooling” seats, it’s simply a matter of venting air through seat material to dissipate heat. Appreciated all the same, though. A sleek yet spacious Tour-Pak luggage carrier that can easily house both rider and passenger helmets along with extra travel essentials. Disappointingly, the windshield is still not adjustable.

But when the rubber hits the road, more butts log miles in Harley-Davidson touring seats than any other touring motorcycle. Manufacturer’s annual and quarterly sales figures are almost never broken down by model. But it’s safe to assume The Motor Company is at least among the leaders. Whether it’s blind brand loyalty or meticulous passenger evaluations, the Road Glide is one of the most popular ways to see the USA.

Being of a more traditional mold, passengers are just called “passengers.”

Indian Motorcycle’s 10-year run with Polaris has been paying dividends for the touring community, and its riders. The Pursuit, revealed in 2022, is essentially a revised Challenger, with a top box luggage case and enhanced regal perch for the passenger. While styling and design cues are unmistakably Indian, the Pursuit is designed with touring as its north star.

As you’d expect, optional $1,299.99 heated and cooled seats are available. Indian’s ClimaCommand seats claim significantly better cooling, using Graphene, a material that dissipates heat without passive venting. It’s claimed to be cool to the touch, so there’s that. The $2,279.95 Powerband Audio Plus package features 12 speakers with Ride Command. Are 12 speakers better than less speakers? Well, obviously.

As with the comparable Road Glide, a frame-mounted front fairing gets the nod here, as it steers lighter than batwing-style fairings attached to handlebars. And, yes, the windshield is adjustable via push-button, very helpful depending on your cooling or heating needs. Two-up reviews of the Pursuit Limited from our Cycle World peers were positive. High marks were given for passenger comfort and all-day riding. Embroidered seats have been available in the past but seem to be out of stock. So for those who enjoy sitting on logos, you’re out of luck.

Like Harley, Indian doesn’t call passengers anything fancy like “fellow travelers” or “co-pilots.” They’re just passengers.

Arguably, no other motorcycle brand embodies touring quite like BMW. Even before bikes started sprouting Vetter fairings in the ‘70s, BMW /5s and /6s had generous pillion seating and prominent grab rails. The integrated fairing on the 1976 BMW R100RS predates the first factory-faired Gold Wing by four years.

In 2023, the spiritual heir to the RS100RS is the 1,649cc six-cylinder BMW K 1600 B Grand America. As you’d expect, separate heated seats are standard for rider and passenger. Optional speakers match wind noise until about 60 mph or so. The optional armrest that comes with the comfort package is front and center, and though it looks like it could be adjustable, it is not. But they can be folded up when disembarking.

The Option 719 package includes embroidered seats. But instead of doing something fun like stitching your names or favorite saying, it just says “BMW 1600 Grand America.” With the 2024 Grand America package adding $5,185 to the price of a K 1600 B, seems like it wouldn’t be hard to offer a few embroidery options. Maybe “Sentenced to Life Behind Bars”?

Of note is the 160 hp and 132.7 lb.-ft. of torque. Passengers feel performance differently, since they play no active part in controlling it. Maybe they enjoy it more? Regardless, some passengers will appreciate the feeling of land-based warp speed, despite the 809-pound curb weight. Make it so, captain.

The word “passenger” doesn’t appear until the bottom of the Grand America’s site page, but it does use the phrase, “traveling in pairs,” which is nicely egalitarian.

The Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager doesn’t have anything that stacks up to its competitors. It does have the classic top box and twin saddlebags that hold two helmets. But it doesn’t have heated or cooled seats. Seats aren’t embroidered. The windshield is not adjustable. No giant stereo or speaker system will rock you like a hurricane.

What does it have? A $19,299 MSRP, that’s what. That’s about $10,000 less than anything else on this list, minus the Navi (keep reading). That $10,000 buys you a lot of massages and premium hotel accommodations. Sure, your passenger’s posterior might not be sitting on the most current polymers. But once you pull over for the night, the second act of your touring schedule can begin.

Every “best” article needs a punchline. Hey, they can’t all be parade floats. Sometimes the fun of being a passenger isn’t about comfort, it’s about minimalist joy. And hanging on tight to your  “Ride or Die” companion.

At $1,807 MSRP, the Honda Navi is a masterpiece of minimalism (read or watch our review during the 2022 Honda Navi Scooter MC Commute Review. And unlike the hip Monkey and classic Cub, it comes with passenger pegs. The single rear shock seems made for riding two-up. In fact, it rides better and softer with a passenger. Sure, it’s slow, but it’s only slightly slower with a passenger.

The genius cubbyhole beneath the “tank” means you can stow groceries (or up to 24 adult beverages) without worrying about a backpack or any sort of luggage. In short, it’s the perfect grocery getter for a romantic dinner. Go ahead, keep that Road King for multistate road trips. But when you and that special someone want to relive your college years, pull the choke, hit the starter, and climb on board.