THE DARK SIDE

[Kozzman]

Ok I need Help.  I went to the dealer today and rode the Tiger and the BMW.  God help me but  I am leaning to the DARK SIDE.  Please help me.  If anyone out there changed from the dark side let me know why I should be on a Tiger. Other than Price.  



  HELP  :smt096

[Jim S]

My opinion for what it's worth, the Tiger is leaner, better looking, faster and better value for money, also, Beemer's like an ass hole, everyone's got one!  



Sorry, my opinion is biased! :twisted:



Everyone has a dark side though, mine's the new tri-colour Varadero  

[Kozzman]

No problem with the Opinion.  Looking to get  feedback for sure.  I am still leaning towards the Tiger any way but the only concern is I ride in 100 degree temp here in San Antonio Texas and overheating seems to be a problem.  Any opinions on that subject.

[JRO]

I ride in 100 degree weather, in Oklahoma.  Haven't noticed any overheating problems.



Buy what you like.  You might want to consider that BMW's are for geeks, however.  I laugh everytime I see one.  Then there's the maintenence and reliability issue.  Oh, and the GS is the other BMW that suffers catastrophic rear-drive failure.  Not like the LT (all of those fail), but it can be just as bad.



So, if you don't want a Triumph, that's okay - there are a lot of geeks out there, after all.  But speaking from experience, I'd look at something else.  A Honda, for instance.  Or a Yamaha.  Or a Harley.  Or a Vespa.

[Jim S]

I've just returned from Italy after taking part in the Stella Alpina rally, 2500 miles round trip with temperatures in the mid 30's every day, the offroad part was 1st and 2nd gear for 35 miles, a climb of 1000m and never saw the guage go above half way?



I saw half a dozen Tigers on top of the mountain and after them all being ridden like moto cross bikes none of them had any issues.



There was a heating issue which resulted in a recall for the earlier ones which I think has gave the bike a bad rep. My 04 955i hasn't given me much grief,  fuel sender unit can act up now and again and give a false reading but that's hardly a serious issue!



My honest opinion is the Honda Varadero is the better tourer, but lardy and has a thirst for fuel, the Tiger the better offroad bike but not an Africa Twin. A happy medium? Perhaps, no replacement for the Africa twin was my reason for trying the Tiger, it's filling the gap nicely!

[Advwannabe]

Hi Kozzman,



No overheating issues for 955 Triumph triples in the Northern Territory that I've heard off, KTMs on the other hand.......



Rode the Beemer and Tigger before deciding. I'm going to go against the grain and say I think the BMW is slightly better in slow gnarley going with it's lower C of G. I like the way the front doesn't dive under brakes and I love ABS on wet greasy roads. But the Tiger is better everywhere else.



The clincher for me is the way the vibes kick in on the 1150 at 140k and above. The 1200 is heaps better but to me The triple has the better feel. Subjective, but you did want opinions :-)

[Kozzman]

Thanks for the responses.  I have come to my senses and am getting the Tiger.  5000 bucks will buy a lot of chains and accessories.  So its off to the Dealer for me Monday.  



  Thanks again all

  Kozzman :smt074

[Brother Number One]

If you need any help spending the balance... :D

[Kozzman]

OH your a big help.  Now my wife is looking at one.   After seeing your post she is talking about getting one herself.  There goes my extra money.  She has a Vulcan 800 and after riding the Tiger she wants to go back to upright riding.  Go figure.  We have been riding dirt bikes for 15 years.  Thanks for the post. 8)

[german]

Hi,

Yesterday I crossed between 2 wall and the GS no.

The BMW is excellent, it has ABS, more safety

[Guest]

Hi,



The BMW is excellent, it has ABS, more safety

Really? A test I saw recently had a 955 Daytona stopping shorter than a BMW with servo & ABS brakes.

[JRO]

OH your a big help.  Now my wife is looking at one.   After seeing your post she is talking about getting one herself.  There goes my extra money.  She has a Vulcan 800 and after riding the Tiger she wants to go back to upright riding.  Go figure.  We have been riding dirt bikes for 15 years.  Thanks for the post. 8)

Your wife is big enough to ride a Tiger?



Women like that always scared me.  I figured if they were big enough to beat me up, then they would.  I'd buy her the Tiger, and be nice about it.  Or give her yours.  Nothing wrong with riding a Vulcan, after all.

[ix]

You should get whichever you like better. I ended up with a Tiger because none of the BMWs I tried could make me smile. They all felt like nice bikes with lots of cool features, and BMW has a good reputation for reliability and service culture (here in the USA), but none of the BMWs could make me love them. The Tiger, OTOH, made me grin wide enough to split the top of my head off  - fortunately I was wearing a helmet. :)



The Tiger also had the advantage of being drastically cheaper. I paid $6200ish US for a used 2004 Tiger with 10,500 miles, full 3-piece luggage, tall windscreen, Triumph "race" pipe and new tires. I added crash bars, highway pegs, and heated grips for about $750 more. For US $7k, I got a bike that's good for touring, commuting, straightening mountain roads and exploring unpaved back roads. I probably could have found an equivalent R1100GS for that price, but then I would have had less horsepower and a LOT more miles, and a bike I only felt lukewarm about.



A bike is a very emotional choice, and logic is only a small part of the decision. Set a budget you can live with, and get the bike you will love the most for that price.





On the subject of overheating - I just rode my Tiger 6000 miles around the US lower 48 states during a record-setting nationwide heat wave (I just got back Saturday night, July 29), and had no overheating problems. On the hot days (upper 90's, low 100's F) the temp needle moved a smidge above the "C" zone. If the air was under 90 F, the needle never got out of the "C" zone. All this while droning along 12-14 hours a day at somewhere between 5k and 7k rpm (60-90 mph), mostly during daylight hours.

[Brother Number One]

Nothing wrong with riding a Vulcan, after all.

Lucky old Mr. Spock :D

[Hayduke]

I own both and my Tiger is for sale.



Enough said. :P



(though I'm sure JRO will have nasty things to say about me) :jerkit