What bike is the best for touring?

I am going to travel the U.S. in a bike, but it has been brought to my attention that Harley Davidsons don't fit the job properly, so what kind of bike is good for long traveling?

I'm 18, 5'5' and i'm not taking any passengers, i have little experience with bikes.

Street Glide , Bagger with a stereo

How do you have the wherewithal to "travel the U.S." on a bike (never say IN a bike) but you have to ask which bike is best? And yeah, I agree that a Harley would be a mistake unless you were a mechanic towing a trailer full of spare parts.

The thing about your question is that you don't include ONE detail about yourself:

How old are you?
How long have you been riding?
How tall are you?
Will you take a passenger?
How good are you at repairing a motorcycle?
How long can you ride without stopping?
How much crap do you want to take on the bike with you?

Assuming you were just like me, I'd pick a BMW K1200LT or a Honda GoldWing. BMW would be my first pick. I've had 61 streetbikes, and I've been a motorcycle mechanic for 20 years, so I've been there. The K12LT has- well do your own research on that- there's too much to type. The BMW has the most brilliant technological innovations in the motorcycle world and great amenities to boot. The brakes alone are unbelievable- we've had riders stop so fast that they didn't put their feet down quickly enough and the bike fell over on them. That's not saying that the LT stops too quickly, it means those riders are idiots, but BOY are the brakes amazing.

And I mean this with sportbikes squarely in mind. I would bet money that I could get the average sportbike rider to ride alongside me on a 2008 (or 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, etc) K1200LT and get up to 70, 80 mph. Then on a signal, both of us hit the brakes. I'd bet a thousand bucks I'd get that LT stopped before the sportbike guy. And I had a T509 Speed Triple, so I know good brakes. The thing is, BMW put big rotors, a killer suspension, ABS, and a power assist on their brakes and that means you can grab the biggest handful of brakes that anyone has ever grabbed and stomp the living crap out of the rear brake pedal and all you're going to do is come to a controlled but very rapid stop. Obviously, don't do this while leaned over in a turn. Hell, it ain't magic.

Heated seat. Heated grips. Adjustable levers. Electrically-adjustable windshield. Power centerstand. Integral, lit trunk. CD player. Et cetera. The thing is amazing, and you can pop the rear wheel assembly off in less than 3 minutes if your tools are laying at hand. It's crap like that that makes me love the machine.

Harley makes an excellent touring bike, as does BMW and Honda Goldwing. You will always hear negative Harley remarks from some folks. It's always been that way and always will be. Of course it is always from someone that has never owned a Harley. The Road Glide and Electra Glide are both awesome touring bikes. The frame mounted fairing on the Road Glide is a big plus on very long rides.

been brought to your attention? please share the details, i'll bet anything it was from someone with a harley hate on

let me guess, the guy telling you not to go harley also drives a japp car, no wait... a volvo station wagon or a bmw? he's a yuppie that internet reads the shat outta everything and follows what the lemon book thing says on cars. he's anal about many things right?

you don't need advice from people like that, you need experience
experience beats advice hands down

There are many bike's made that will do the job just fine.
But if you want to ride in style, in the AMERICAN TRADITION
There is no finer machine than a nice big H.D
People will come out of the wood work to talk motorcycle's why, because you are on an AMERICAN ICON
apple pie,chevrolet,harley davidson !!!

Honda Gold Wing, ST1300, Valkyrie I/S
Kawi Nomad, Concourse
Yamaha Royal Star, FJR, Venture

Tell us a little bit more about yourself, your objectives(beside just ma king it across the country) Your budget and your skill level. The more info you give the more qualified the answer.

The Harley Electra Glide is made for touring. Anyone who tries to tell you different is lying.

victory or gold-wing

Honda Gold Wing.
BMW 'RT` & 'KT' Models.

A bike like Bullet (Royal Enfield)

ninja 250