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What’s a good bike to get in retirement?

D

DynoSoarUs

Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2026
Moto(s)
Ducati Panigale
My wife and I are a few years from retirement. Any recommendations on a bike that can seat the both of us comfortably for long scenic rides?
 
A trike with wool seat covers and artificial woodgrain on the tailbox.
Don't leave out the little paper umbrellas for the drinks in the cup holders.
The "Good Sam" license plate frame's existence is already presumed.
 
bikeama said:
I bought a Multistrada when I retired. Followed by a S1000XR my current bike. But everyone's idea of retirement is different.

Edit: the older you get the lighter your bike should/will be.
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Agree - should be something light and maneuverable. That’s what a motorcycle is all about.

I might take some crap for suggesting this but maybe a convertible? Older friend of the family used to have a Harley. He sold it and picked up a really nice convertible Mercedes. Although it’s not a motorcycle, it’s comfortable for him and his wife.

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NATEWA said:
I might take some crap for suggesting this but maybe a convertible?
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Not at all, I have one of those as well.

Went to plug in the battery tender on the bike as I haven't ridden it in a year or so.

Dead battery.

I'm an idiot for not keeping it on the tender and battery prices are to the moon since I last bought.
 
NATEWA said:
I might take some crap for suggesting this but maybe a convertible?
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5 minutes in the penalty box for you!!

OP.
Just cool to have a Wife that likes to ride 2 up.
A Multi will provide comfort for 2 and giggle and smiles for one.

:ride
 
Well, depends how you like to ride. The Mrs and I ride an FJR and have been on it for two weeks at a time but also rented a BMW RT1300 and it was bliss and fun factor good luck with choices, cheers!
 
 
Have you considered a scooter? Many of them go over 80 mph. You don't really feel like you are giving up much and you would be surprised how well they handle and how easy they are to ride. They are easy to move around the garage, have lots of storage for your stuff, and you can easily fit two of them in the back of a pickup truck. They are also pretty cheap compared to a motorcycle.
 
Just to spit ball another option, get a used metric cruiser. They are pretty cheap, comfy and often have low miles. If the wifey loses interest you aren't deep in the financial hole.

And you don't say if your scenic two up rides are for a day, week or a multi-month western states tour.
 
First, I'll echo NATEWA's advice of a convertible. We drove some long miles far and wide in a Mitsubishi Eclipse Spdyer. Had a tiny back seat and trunk, both allowed some luggage/essentials. When the summer rains inevitably opened up, we hit the button, raised the top and kept riding in comfort.

As far as what motorcycle, what kind of rider are you and what's your destination? For example, we have can have a Tale of Two Bills in this thread.

1) bikeama/Bill can ride. He and spouse tour anywhere in the world two-up and to say he is an accomplished rider is an understatement. He'll want comfort but isn't looking to sacrifice too much performance.

2) BillSmith/Bill rides. He is solo 99 44/100ths of the time. I've ridden all my life however, my skill level is just above a monkey on a bicycle in the circus. I want convenience, reliability and now that I am a geezer, I'm looking to replace the Harley with something lighter, can handle the occasional surprise of gravel road or road work, yet still be capable of hauling my fat arse for multiple all-day riding journeys.

It's like computers. Identify the task, pick the software to match and the computer/CPU that will handle that specific software.

If you have a dichotomy of choices, don't compromise...two bikes! ;)

The Honda ST1100-1300 or BMW RT recommendations seem good to me.
 
Regarding the scooter suggestion (which is a good one from a functionality POV, I just kind of think they're ugly), you may want to put some real consideration in to exploring the modern "automatic" transmission options on the newer bikes. No clutch, no shift, just "go".

I know by now it's all automatic and hardwired, but I also know that, at elast for me, shifting it traffic is just kind of sucky. I remember getting my first automatic in a car, and, yea, I never missed the manual.

I have not tried any of the bikes (but I did own a scooter long ago -- point and shoot, very easy to ride), but if we can look past the old days and think about how we ride, I think, particularly as we get older, those modern options are well worth considering.
 
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