New member/questions about the Tiger

[ram600]

I am wondering why I see two different tank/fairing designs on the Tigers.  Is the newest Tiger the one with the oddball looking extended tank and the older ones has the fairing runnning into the tank?  I am thinking of going to an Adventure Cruiser next spring.  I currently ride a CBR600F4 sport bike and a KTM 640 dualsport.  The CBR may go south next year and be replaced by the newer Adventure bikes.  I like the Triumph and the KTM.  I'm wondering about the reliablitiy of the Triumph?  Does any one have a Tiger with after market pipe?  The stock one looks quite heavy.  I see these things weigh about 450.  Any one come from a dualsport 650 onto a Tiger?  Are there accessory manufacturers making skid plates?  One more question is about the tires.  What do you use for tires if you want a more dirt orriented ride?  I would think the average dualsport tire would not be suitable since the top speed would be well over an hundred.

[RobZ]

THe new one has the COOL  8)  stripes on the tank. The older ones are notable by the steam emiting from their exhaust  :D



Hope this helps  :?  :lol:  :shock:

[ram600]

Actually one reason I would go somewhere else is the childish stripes on the tank, but I think I could take them off.

[RobZ]

Why not consider a BMW GS. No stripes ther  :roll:



Then you would own a heaver, slower, more expensive bike that used oil, breaks spokes, costs and arm and leg to get worked on but no stripes  :shock:



Just a thought

[BigDave]

I have the Triumph "off-road" pipe and it weighs the same as the stock OEM.



As far as skid plates, Thunderbike makes a "sump guard."



http://www.thunderbike.co.nz/sales/Sump ... sumpgd.htm



The stock Metzler Tourances on the new bikes are great tarmac tires.  IMO they really do suck in the dirt.  I may go to Pirelli Scorpian's MT90 or even more aggressive on my 2nd set of rubber.



If you are seriously going to pursue dirt, you may want to look at the KTM as its certainly more of a dirt bike than the Tiger.



Reliability?  I think these bikes have a pretty good track record.  I have been reading the Yahoo list for months and the amount of problems you read about are way over-shadowed by the problems the guys have in the GSpot over on Advrider.  Besides, I know first hand how Triumph can step up to the plate when there are serious issues.  I've only read the opposite about BMW lately.



Oh, and I like all the stripes.

[ram600]

STRIPE-LIKER



If you are seriously going to pursue dirt, you may want to look at the KTM as its certainly more of a dirt bike than the Tiger



I have a KTM dualsport 640 for serious offroading, but I want a bike that I can be a thousand miles from home on and turn up the dirt raod with the sign that says "Rock Lake 18 miles".  I don't need to do single tracking with it though.  I have been researching the KTM as well but a few things are turning me away.  I am going to Boise (125 miles from here) this weekend to sit on some bikes.  The KTM is a very long wheel base, which turns me away from it.  I researched the GS for a while, but I decided against it because of the front end design.  There is no way this thing could handle in dirt situations if the forks don't dive on braking and hard turning.  A moto cross bike steers fast because the fork angle changes in relation to the rest of the bike when your hard into a corner and the forks are compressing.  What ever I end up with I will set the suspension up with after market springs and dampening to increase the handling.  Therefore I want something to start with that is equiped for this.  ThH KTM is of course already set up, but Ill have to set on it first.  I was also looking at the V Strom, but the Tiger is actually the right wheelbase and riding postion for this kind of setup.

[RobZ]

STRIPE-LIKER

 :lol:  :lol:

[ram600]

Well saturday I was in Boise and test rode an FZ1 Yamaha.  Nice bike but it didn't handle as wel as I thought it would.  Next I test rode a Suzuki GSXR 1000.  It handled like I expected and was very nice.  Next I stopped at Big Twin and sat on a BMW GS.  I always thought you GS riders were wimps always falling on jeep trails and such.  Now I wonder how you can keep the bike upright in the garage.  I was sorely dissapointed with the way it felt.  Not just top heavy, but having riden Japanese super bikes that have every nut in the exact right place, this felt like a carpenter designed it as a tow truck.  No way!  I thought well maybe the street version BMW will be better, but I guess I am not a BMW person.  It felt the same as the GS.  Next I found a used green Tiger.  The tank had a tumor growing out of each side toward the front.  I have actually read that some people think the V Strom is an ugly bike.  I decided to over look the tank and sit on the bike.  I never realized how much weight could effect a first impression.  This bike weighs a lot and like the GS it felt way top heavy.  I wanted to sit on a KTM 950 but the dealer said he is not allowed to sell them until he goes to school first.  I think he meant KTM school.  I have already sat on a V Strom and thought it felt better than it looked as it looks very big.  Well I'm am just not going to enjoy an adventure cruiser this year.  My choice would be the V Strom if I was going to get one, but since I have a KTM dualsport it will have to do for that part of my riding.  I am very seriously considering the GSXR though.  These super sport bikes seem to sense what the next command is going to be and respond with less effort that is actually needed.  Plus they are  fast.

[blacktiger]

" I have actually read that some people think the V Strom is an ugly bike. "



If you know how to manipulate a V-Strom correctly, it turns into a robot! :)

[RobZ]

If you know how to manipulate a V-Strom correctly, it turns into a robot! :)

I heard it turned into a  motorcycle  :D



But I could be wrong  :P

[blacktiger]

Right, a motorcycle that lools like a robot. That was the point see... #-o

[RobZ]

Right, a motorcycle that lools like a robot. That was the point see... #-o

I thought a robot that only look like a motorcycle  :shock:

[Lucifertiger]

I thought the KTM Adventure looks more like a robot than the V-Strom like the darlek from DR WHO :twisted:

[Guest]

IMHO the V-Strom IS ugly. It looks like none of the bits were designed to go with the one next to it.

It weighs about the same as the Tiger. Has about the same power. Is less economical.

I have used my Tiger on "green roads" in France. It handles them very well. The smooth low down torque is good for trickling along tricky bits. The suspension soaks up the bumps well at higher speeds.

I wonder if the Suzuki has such a big following and owners clubs and web sites as the Tiger.

Go on. Buy a Tiger. You know it makes sense.

[BigDave]

IMHO the V-Strom IS ugly. It looks like none of the bits were designed to go with the one next to it.

It weighs about the same as the Tiger. Has about the same power.

I am not sure what bhp rating the Strom has, but in the real world the engine doesn't come close to the 955.  In fact in comparison I felt it was underpowered and sluggish.  I only spent 20 minutes on a Strom last Summer at about 9000' and I thought it was a nice bike, but it doesn't have an engine like the Tiger.