07 Tiger - now official.....

[Bushwhacker]

Well I think it is set to go head to head with the Multistrada and I like it.



I Bought a Multi in July and put my 2005 tiger up for sale.



Last month about 30 miles north of the Grand Canyon a camper cut me off and I locked up the multi and swerved.  Went down breaking a couple of ribs and a colar bone.  



Totaled the Multi.



Went down last week and traded the 2005 tiger on a new Caspian Blue ABS 2007 to be delivered in March.



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[flyingpackman]

Here is my two cents, for what it's worth.



A year and a half ago I sold my old Honda road bike and decided to join the ranks of the dual sporters.  This decision was mostly influenced by a friend who had a GS.  After one ride I was hooked on the upright riding position and the feeling that I could take it anywhere.  I looked at the GS, Tiger, Vstrom, and the KLR.  Long story short, I made my decision almost exclusively on economics.  Yes, I bought the KLR.  Less $ to buy, less $ to insure, and less $ to maintain.  Here are my main reasons for not buying the others:

 GS - Waaaaay too much money

 Tiger - Couldn't find a good used one and I didn't want to borrow the money to buy new.

 VStrom - A face that only a mother could love.  I never rode one, I just didn't like the looks of them.

 KLR - Walked in, paid cash, drove out.



I have about 7500 miles on the KLR.  Mostly commuting with a few trips off the pavement (nothing more than good fire roads).    



Now, I have a confession to make, for the last year and a half I have been lurking around this site secretly wishing that I bought a Tiger.  Don't get me wrong, I love the KLR for all the reasons that I bought it, but there are two huge problems with it.  



 1. I don't like how it feels on the freeway at 75 mph.  I know people ride these for thousands of miles, but I'm not sure I could put up with the vibration and buffeting.

 2. I can't ride 2-up on it with my wife.  She doesn't ride very much with me because it isn't comfortable.  



So, now that I have made my true confession, I'll tell you the rest of the story.  I have been thinking about selling the KLR and this old 85 Goldwing that I have and picking up a Tiger.  I had been waiting to see what the 07 would bring.  mmmmm..... Here are my thoughts.



When this issue of Cycle World landed in my mailbox I grabbed it and went straight to the article about the Tiger.  I was tingling in anticipation, because I hadn't seen the pictures yet.  It was very well written with great pictures, but the more I read the more disappointed I became.  This is not what I wanted!  They seem to be moving out of the DS category.  







It looks just like this!





Was it supposed to be competition for this?





Come to think of it, I think someone told Kawasaki that the KLR needed to look like this too:





What are they doing?  Is the goal to make every motorcycle in the DS category look the same?  I guess the market for big dual sport motorcycles isn't very big and so it's not very profitable and they were trying to break into another market segment.



Bottom line, I don't think I'll be rushing to the Triumph dealer to buy an 07.  Actually, the 2001-2004 models are more appealing to me right now.  I've been casually looking for a used one in this area for 6 months, but haven't found one that is close enough to go look at.  (I bought one bike, sight unseen, off e-bay, and I won't do that again).  I'm not even sure there are any Tigers in the state of Colorado.  



Saturday I went to a 5000 bike benefit ride for the girl that was killed in Bailey CO.  I looked and looked for Tigers, but I never found one.  There were a few GS's and one Honda 650, but the vast majority of the bikes were HD look-alikes and Goldwings.  



Just sign me . . Frustrated in Colorado.

[Bushwhacker]

Here is a Tiger for you in Iowa - 1998 - $2850, cheap enough to buy sight unseen.



http://www.triumphrat.net/modules.php?o ... 4&forum=35



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[flyingpackman]

Thanks,  No offense to those who own older Tigers, but I like the looks of the 2001 and newer models.  Also, I would like the 955 engine.   The search continutes.

[wasions]

FYI, I've been on vacation the last couple of weeks and have hit two Triumph dealers.  Las Vegas, NV, and Tucson, AZ, both have new blue '06's.

[norwegian-tiger]

And here•s a pic of 5 of the new ones.