Quote:

Frustrated with the displacement wars. I'm don't understand why when I was a kid, 1000CCs was a huge bike and now it is an entry level machine. I toured the US on a Kawasaki KLR 650 this year and it had plenty of power for me and roughly 50 lbs of gear (300lbs total). I am looking at going to a street bike that I can tour 2 up on without goint to 1600CCs. I like the Thunderbird, but just don't see why it is needed. I have been facinated with the America and see lots of people that have bags and screens on them.

My question being, is there enough power for 2 up touring? Keep in mind, I dont want to do 100 MPH through twisties, but 80 MPH to keep up on a super slab every now and then would be needed. Do I really need to go to the big displacement for comfort?



I've toured 2 up on my Honda Steed, which is 400 cc I weigh about 300lbs, plus gear, plus my gf, etc. My Honda Steed is 30hp and I can do 70mph on it if needed, although it doesn't like it when loaded like that. A 600cc bike would do just fine and an 865 cc is overkill. So, to answer your question: you have more than enough to do what you need to do on an America or Speedmaster. A bigger displacement engine is just a penis extension