The Luxury Tourer That Gives BMW Riders A Reason To Switch
BMW riders know what a flagship tourer should deliver. Smooth power, sharp handling, and all-day comfort are the baseline, and the brand’s engines set the bar high. But the heavyweight touring segment is quite vast. Among the options, American tourers have often been assumed to be all about nostalgia and old-school character, but that’s not true for all of them. While some American tourers are built to keep the heritage alive, a few others offer a luxurious riding experience with a suite of tech. One such American luxury tourer could tempt BMW riders into switching.
Why BMW Riders Have Long Overlooked American Tourers
For most BMW riders, a traditional American tourer has never been a serious option, and it isn’t hard to see why. The recipe for a proper American tourer has always been a big, slow-revving, air-cooled V-twin. And the result is an easy-going motorcycle that loves long highway stretches.
BMW tourer owners expect dynamic versatility —the ability to drop gears and hustle through mountain passes before merging into a high-speed interstate cruise. Even though traditional air-cooled American cruisers receive model updates often, they simply lack the high-RPM legs and cornering clearance that BMW riders seek.
A Few Modern American Tourers Are Starting To Change That
Not every American manufacturer wants to make their motorcycle all about heritage. Indian, America’s oldest motorcycle manufacturer, has taken lessons from its “King of the Baggers” racing program and applied them to its big tourers. Importantly, it still hasn’t lost the low-end grunt of a big V-twin, despite the shorter stroke. And all of this, combined with premium build quality and the luxury of modern features and tech, allows this Indian motorcycle to stand out from the traditional American cruiser crowd.
The Indian Roadmaster PowerPlus 112 Can Win Over BMW Fans
MSRP: $35,499
A rider wanting to switch from a BMW might ask: how is the top-end? How agile is this? Can it carry two people and their luggage without much fuss? The Roadmaster PowerPlus 112 answers each of those with hardware that has more in common with Indian’s racing efforts than with a typical American tourer.
A High-Revving Liquid-Cooled V-Twin With Big Twin Torque
At the heart of the matter is a 126 horsepower, 1,834 cc, 60-degree V-twin that is liquid-cooled and uses a shorter stroke design with an 11.4:1 compression ratio. The V-twin sends its power through a six-speed gearbox with an assist-and-slipper clutch and belt drive. While it doesn’t rev as high as a sports bike engine would, this architecture lets the engine rev freely past 5,500 rpm when compared to a traditional air-cooled engine.
You get the immediate 133 pound-feet of torque in the low revs as expected from a heavy cruiser. But, you also get enough headroom in the mid-range so you aren’t constantly hitting the rev limiter when merging at highway speeds. As for low-speeds, the engine gets rear-cylinder deactivation to keep the heat in check.
A Cast Aluminum Chassis Makes It Feel Like A Different Motorcycle
The PowerPlus gets a cast-aluminum trellis-style modular frame adapted from Indian’s Challenger and Pursuit. Thanks to a better chassis and modern engine, the PowerPlus 112 may not be as agile as a lightweight sports tourer, but it does a decent job in the corners when the road requires it to.
To back up the performance, Indian offers modern equipment. Up front, you get 43mm inverted forks with 5.1 inches of travel with preload adjustment. And at the rear, you get an electronic Fox single shock with 4.5 inches of travel with preload adjustability, too.
Braking is handled by dual 320mm semi-floating discs up front with radial four-piston calipers, and a 298mm floating rear disc – both from Brembo. On a motorcycle of this size, the lever feel is firm with a progressive initial bite. And the six-axis Bosch IMU supports lean-sensitive ABS and traction control —modulating pressure during trail-braking into corners.
Big Dimensions Allow Highway Stability And Storage For Two
The Roadmaster PowerPlus 112 is a big motorcycle. It is 101.5 inches long and 41.9 inches wide with 5.4 inches of ground clearance. The 65.7-inch wheelbase allows for a planted highway riding experience, and a six-gallon tank reduces the number of fuel stops on a long haul. You get ample storage with this tourer—36 gallons of space spread out across the bike.
This is enough for a rider and a pillion going for a long road trip. However, practicality and highway stability come at a cost. The Roadmaster PowerPlus 112 tips the scales at 933 pounds. While the weight allows for impressive highway stability, moving the bike around and city riding is quite a task, especially considering it does not offer any reverse assistance.
A Luxury Feature Set, Radar Tops Things Off
The Roadmaster PowerPlus does not fail to impress in the luxury department. The tourer gets heated and cooled seats as standard for both the rider and the passenger. Moreover, you get heated grips, a power-adjustable windshield, a 200-watt audio system, and remote locking for the saddlebags and trunk. The cockpit encloses a seven-inch touchscreen with navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, and Apple CarPlay.
While all of these features and tech add to comfort and convenience, there is one feature that stands out – a radar. The Roadmaster PowerPlus gets a rear-facing radar, which enables blind-spot warning, tailgate warning, and rear collision warning, with lights that flash to alert other road users behind you. All of these features combined make this motorcycle quite comfortable to ride.
How The Roadmaster PowerPlus Compares With The BMW K 1600 GTL
The BMW K 1600 GTL is the benchmark in this segment. It gets a 160-horsepowerinline-six, which is quite rare in motorcycles. This makes it considerably more powerful than the Roadmaster PowerPlus 112. And still, the BMW has a starting price of $30,095 – which is cheaper than the Roadmaster.
However, the Indian motorcycle brings something different to the table—a big V-twin character, a bagger racing-inspired chassis, and an impressive features package. So, the choice between the two tourers comes down to priorities. If you want loads of power and value for money, the BMW could be the one for you. But if you want a luxury tourer with a solid character, the Indian is the better pick.
Source: Indian Motorcycles
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