18" & 21" on a 955i? not a steamer.

[colorado955i]

I noticed that some have put 18" rear and a 21" front wheels on there steamers. Just want to see if anyone has done the same to a 955i. If so is the conversion pretty straight forward?

[Chris Canning]

Having done my fair share of converting there's no reason what so ever why you can't do it,the problem comes trying to do stuff like that on the cheap then you have a problem,plus as I found going the other way it takes time to set the bike up and make it work,it's not just a case of throwing a set of wheels on and happy days.

[colorado955i]

I'm just in the planning phase right now. I don't own a tiger yet but going to purchase one when I sell my current bike. I would like to make it off-road biased as much as possible. I want to do the suspension upgrades the same time I do the conversion over to the 18,21 wheels. Just looking for tips to keep in mind when I start this project. thanks for any info you can throw my way.

[Chris Canning]

I had a custom set of wheels laced when I originally Supermoto'd my Tiger and they cost £600 and that was 10 years ago and a shock is going to come in at anything between £600/800,if I was going offroading on a big trallie I'd buy an Africa twin all work has been done.

[Dutch]

Am indeed wondering if the weight of the Tiger isn't a bigger handicap then the 17/19" wheels. Africa Twin can be further off-roaded too though, once supplied a special shock with more travel than standard and fork extensions for balance and ground clearance.

[colorado955i]

I just want to make it easier to ride the mountain passes here in Colorado. They are doable with the heavy gs's. I want another triumph. I own a 06 speed triple and love it. Already test rode 04 tiger and like it a lot. I'm 6'3" and it fits me well. I like the long distance capability of the tiger, just want it to be a little better off road. African twins are not as common here, plus I'm not fond of Japanese bikes.

[Chris Canning]

Location says Black Forest that's in Germany hence the Africa twin suggestion you now say your in Colorado  so an Africa twin is no use because Honda America never imported them  :icon_wink:

[colorado955i]

Sorry should change location name even though I live in black forest, CO. I'll change to just colorado so there will be no more confusion.

[Dutch]

The 1100 and 1150 GS are quite lardy indeed. The 1200 however is lighter than it looks.

According to wikipedia (so it must be correct  ) the dry weights are
1100 GS  242 kg
1150 GS  228 kg
1200 GS  203 kg (GSA 223 kg)
Tiger 955i   218 kg
Afaik all GS'es have the same tire dimensions as the Tiger, so choosing the right mix between road/off road is important. Heidenau K60 Scout seems to be a good one for dual purpose use.

[Advwannabe]

The difference is where the lard is. The Beemers are less top heavy.

I don't know about an 1100GS but an 1150 is better in the slow tight stuff than a 955 Tigger.

But any 1000cc adventure bike is a hippo in sand or mud. I like Tiggers, that's what it comes down to

[Dutch]

I agree. So it comes down to

...if the weight of the Tiger isn't a bigger handicap then the 17/19" wheels.

Yes, a 21 will make a difference compaired to the 19", but is it worth the hassle? A knobbie tire and a foot pump will make more difference. The pump so you can really reduce tire pressure on the off road parts and inflate again for the black stuff. Just my 2 cents 

[Bixxer Bob]

Slight hijack,  the news this morning is about massive floods after 6 month rain fall in one day in Colerado.  Many roads flooded or washed away and entire communities cut off.  Hope things are ok in BLack Forest mate,  regards,  BB

[colorado955i]

Thanks for the concern. No flooding where I'm at, plenty of rain though.

[Sin_Tiger]

This is a bit left field.

If you are considering going that way, have you looked at what it's going to cost yet?

For what it's going to cost for a good bike plus wheels and shock, with any other farckles, a used XC might be a betteroption for you.

The 800 will do anything and go anywhere a GS/A can and be breathing down it's tail pipe. It's better value than a BMW 650 / 800 and to quote a GS owning friend after riding mine "it's smoother, comfier and has a better gearbox, that's really fun" another friend who's a long term Africa Twin owner (I think he had three) when he turned up on an 800, " this is far better all round, Tiger 800 is the new Africa Twin baby".

The only things you might need is a decent bash plate, lower legs and bar risers for your height.

OK I am biased and the more angular looks are not everybody's cup of tea but just saying.