Top 5 Long-Distance Touring Motorcycles Under Rs 5 lakh

Travelling the world on your own motorcycle is still a dream for many. And if you are about to fulfil this dream, it is pretty normal to feel confused about which bike to choose. To clear this, we have listed down 5 touring motorcycles under Rs 5 lakh. Whether you plan to ride through the mountains or cruise along the beaches, these bikes are going to get you going on every kind of terrain, offer a comfortable riding posture, and are loaded with essential rider aids: 

Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

Price: 3,05,736 - 3,37,036 (ex-showroom)

The name itself suggests that this bike is ready for mountains and some of the harshest riding conditions. For the Royal Enfield Himalayan, long-distance touring is a piece of cake. It has a 17-litre tank that can easily last about 350km, a comfortable seat – both for the rider and the pillion, an upright riding posture, the ability to take on rough, broken roads, and enough space to load up a LOT of luggage.

It gets tubeless spoke wheels - 21-inch front, 17-inch rear.  It can easily cruise at 120kmph, which will help you gobble up distances on smooth paved roads. For convenience, it has a 4-inch TFT console with Google Maps, phone alerts, and call/music control, and 2 ride modes (Eco and Performance, with the ability to switch off ABS in both modes).

The Himalayan can be a good choice for those who want a bike that can easily ride on almost all kinds of roads, and no roads, without a lot of compromises. On that note, you will have to learn how to handle a 198kg bike in tight spaces, and will have to do without cruise control. If you have decided to get the Himalayan 450, here are the on-road prices in top 5 cities across India. 

TVS Apache RTX 300

Price: 1,99,000 - 2,34,000 (ex-showroom)

TVS Apache RTX 300 is the brand’s first adventure bike. And kudos to TVS for what they have made as it is one of the friendliest 300cc ADVs in India. To allow you to ride long distances easily, it gets a firm and spacious seat for the rider and the pillion. Its suspension effortlessly absorbs all undulations, making the ride that much more comfortable. Features like bidirectional quickshifter, cruise control, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, multi-device Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, and 4 riding modes (rain, urban, tour, rally) add to the ease of touring. In fact, the RTX is one of the most feature-loaded bikes in this segment.

If you are planning to upgrade from your 150-200cc bike to an ADV, the TVS Apache RTX 300 is definitely worth checking out. 

If you are keen on bringing the RTX home, our Ultimate Buying Guide will help you make the right decision. 

KTM 390 Adventure

Price: 

390 Adventure (standard): 3,96,744

390 Adventure X: 3,28,018

390 Adventure R: 3,77,914
(all prices are ex-showroom)

If you want a performance-oriented ADV, the KTM 390 Adventure could be your next bike. It has a powerful engine, all the hardware you need to take on the smooth roads, rough roads, and no roads. And depending on your tastes, you can choose from its three flavours - X, Standard, and R. The X is more road-oriented, while the R is better if you frequently go off-roading. The standard strikes a balance between road and off-road riding. But if you are still confused between the R and the Standard variant, here are all the differences explained between the two variants. 

You can get a choice of tubeless alloys, tubeless spokes, and tubed spokes depending on the model you choose. All of them have enough ground clearance to easily ride over the tallest of speedbreakers, a comfortable seat to ride for hours at stretch without feeling butt-ache, and a tall windscreen to reduce wind blast. They also have a whole bunch of features like cruise control, 3 ride modes, turn-by-turn navigation, call and music control. Then there’s safety tech like lean-sensitive ABS and traction control. But if you are confused between the KTM 390 Adventure and the Himalayan 450, our image comparison will help you in making a decision. 

Triumph Scrambler 400 X 

Price: 2,69,799 (ex-showroom)

Sure, the Triumph Scrambler 400X is a scrambler-style motorcycle from Triumph, but it can hold its own when it comes to long-distance touring, thanks to the potent engine. It’s got a lot of low-end performance, and the bike has enough grunt to cruise at triple-digit speeds on the highway as well. However, it doesn’t have bulky bodywork or a large windshield, so even though it’s capable of going fast, and has a comfortable riding posture, you might get tired of the wind blasts. 

Riding with a pillion is best reserved for short distances as it does not get a cushioned backrest, nor is the seat all that roomy. Also note that unlike the rest of the bikes in this list, this one does not get Bluetooth connectivity. But that’s not really a dealbreaker as you can simply invest in a good quality phone mount and use it for navigation and other things. 

All in all, the Scrambler 400X can be used as a touring bike, if you’re looking for something that’s powerful, can handle bad roads, and is also more compact than full-blown adventure bikes.

Royal Enfield Classic 350

Price: 1,82,658 - 2,17,585 (ex-showroom)

No long distance bike listicle is complete without the Royal Enfield Classic 350 - a bike that practically made touring mainstream in many ways! The tasteful heritage design, (now) refined 349cc counterbalanced engine, extremely comfortable, upright riding posture come together beautifully well to ensure an excellent riding experience. What’s more, the availability of official touring-friendly accessories such as windshields, touring seats, more comfortable footpegs, luggage options among others make it an easy bike to go touring with. 

Sure, it may not be as feature-packed as the KTMs, but it still has the basics in place, including ABS, USB-C charging port, and turn-by-turn navigation. We’d recommend buying the one with dual-channel ABS, alloy wheels and tubeless tyres as they are all extremely handy for touring. 

Sure, the bike did receive a minor price hike recently, and it is now also available online, but if you are looking for a vintage style motorcycle with relaxed performance and utmost comfort, then you cannot go wrong with the Royal Enfield Classic 350.