Got a test ride... on a GS.

[DirtBiker]

Went out with a buddy the other weekend he brought out his GS.  

So half way through the ride we switched. I got about 40 miles on it.

 

Boy am I glad I bought a Tiger!



Altough the BMW felt like it could plow over just about anything in its path.

It just doesn't stand up to the performance as the Triumph. When I got the Tiger I was also looking at GS's and after I bought the Tiger I was kind of thinking maybe I should have held out and picked up a BMW.

Well not anymore!!



I felt sort of bad. We got off our bikes he praised the Triumph and all I could say was that his GS felt like a battle tank!



I'm not knocking the bike they are just alot more different than I thought they were going to be. Well I did expect more I guess because of the price



That said I just don't know why there arn't more Tigers out there They seem to be such a well rounded bike.



Toby

[greg]

It's ok to knock BMW's, they aren't reliable or tough.



Is it something I said?

[The Midnight Rambler]

I couldn't decide which to go for so I rode them back to back on the same day, solo and with a pillion. I would echo everything you say, the Tiger feels about half the weight!  Even better now with pure road tyres on.

One of my better decisions, but not a difficult one.

[Guest]

Currious as to which GS it was.

I've tested a 1200GS and thought that while it went well enough there were just too many annoying things like the grabby servo brakes and such............and the price! Never ridden a 1100 or 1150.

That said, I'm renting a GS12 in the USofA out of LA for 10 days starting May 25th. I'll be able to see if I could live with one full time. Before my Tiger, I owned an R100GS for 7 years and got to some interesting places on it.

[bloaker]

Hmmmm  I completely disagree about the GS.   I have lots of time on a buddies and I like it.  More comfy solo than the Tiger.  The brakes are funky on the first use once you start out, however beyond that - the are excellent.  



As for off road, I have never ridden my buddies, however he has had no problems keeping up or even leading.



I am glad I bought my Tiger, however I cannot bash the BMW at all.  

And as for the comment regarding their reliability...  Well, the police here have moved from Honda to BMW because the reliability offsets the maintainence costs.

[Stretch]

I've ridden an 1150 and a 1200.  I have no actual complaints with either (I did like the 12 better), but I was concerned when I started reading about warranty issues on ADVrider and Motorrad.  Right cylinder oil starvation, electrical failures, final drive failures (even a fire)...



Granted, BMW riders (as a general stereotype) seem to find complaint with lots of things, imagined or not.



And then reading here, I came across very few issues inherent to the Tiger.  So here I am.

[Mudhen]

That said I just don't know why there arn't more Tigers out there They seem to be such a well rounded bike.



Toby

Marketing.  That's the only thing I can think of.  Triumph never had any pictures of a Tiger splashing through rivers and didn't do one up with knobbies, etc.  Sure most people don't use them that way, but in the US they like the image and it sells product.



I put 30k miles on my '04 1150GS Adventure, and one ride on my Steamer and I was hooked.  Couldn't believe how much better the motor was.  However, the  GS felt more substantial and after a couple years on the Tiger I wouldn't mind going back...but just for commuting.  It had a better riding position and a lot more comfortable for a boring 130 miles/day on the slab.



I would definitely never want to off road a big GS again - the Steamer kicks its ass all over the place...lighter, thinner, more powerful...(oh, but a lot harder to pick up, unfortunately :-))



Pat

[Advwannabe]

I was hoping you'd buy into this thread Mudhen, I remembered you had a GS and was interested in your thoughts.



And yet......we seem to differ. I quite like the 1150 in slow rocky going, the lower COG and that tractor twin likes slugging it through the mud and slow sand. Maybe the steamer is a better weapon here, but I reckon the GS just shades the girlies in these conditions.



But fast sand, made roads and bitumen and its no contest: My 955 is just way better, commuting touring or scratching.



The price, the motor, the "its not a GS" factor made it an easy choice. In fact I came closer to buying a wee-strom than the BM.



Cheers

[DirtBiker]

hmmm..

I'll find out what year and model he has. I think 1150 is about right.

I'm not bashing them I just think the Tiger is quicker on the road. The GS seems to me to be more of a crusier than the Tiger.

Off road I think I would rather take the GS power delivery is more predictable (to me).

I have had my Tiger off road a few times and it hasn't been a great time.

I can't keep the back tire from spinning, and the front is allways washing out.

I was more comfortable in the dirt on my Harley FXR than the Tiger.



Maybe somebody here could help me with my offroad set up but that would have to be a different thread. :lol:





Toby

[Mudhen]

I was hoping you'd buy into this thread Mudhen, I remembered you had a GS and was interested in your thoughts.



And yet......we seem to differ. I quite like the 1150 in slow rocky going, the lower COG and that tractor twin likes slugging it through the mud and slow sand. Maybe the steamer is a better weapon here, but I reckon the GS just shades the girlies in these conditions.



But fast sand, made roads and bitumen and its no contest: My 955 is just way better, commuting touring or scratching.



The price, the motor, the "its not a GS" factor made it an easy choice. In fact I came closer to buying a wee-strom than the BM.



Cheers

One of the big differences steamer vs fuelie/GS is rear rim width.  I run a 130 width TKC (on my street wheels now) and the tread blocks are much smaller than the 150s on the fuelies/GS.  The traction was the first thing I noticed.



I did like the GSs torque (or low first gear).  I've got the Steamer geared down now to 17/53, but it's still too high (probably because of the 18" rear wheel).  I love that I can play around with gearing for cheap on the Steamer, too...(although I still need to re-work the front sprocket cover).

[Advwannabe]

One of the big differences steamer vs fuelie/GS is rear rim width. I run a 130 width TKC (on my street wheels now) and the tread blocks are much smaller than the 150s on the fuelies/GS. The traction was the first thing I noticed.



I did like the GSs torque (or low first gear). I've got the Steamer geared down now to 17/53, but it's still too high (probably because of the 18" rear wheel). I love that I can play around with gearing for cheap on the Steamer, too...(although I still need to re-work the front sprocket cover).

Thanks Mudhen, that makes sense. I'd like to ride a steamer sometime, but I've seen a grand total of one in Oz since I got interested in Tigers.



Toby, one thing that de-scitishes a Girly is letting a bit of air out of the tyres. Nothing crazy, I run 20-25psi in sand and mud. I've had them down to less than 15 to tractor out of a slimey boghole but this is a risky strategy. Proper dirt bikes have rimlocks so you can run low pressures and not spin the tyre on the rim. Think about all those horses a Tiger has and you understand the need for caution. I've never had a problem but then I'm pretty careful with the throttle in slime anyway  :P

[DirtBiker]

Toby, one thing that de-scitishes a Girly is letting a bit of air out of the tyres. Nothing crazy, I run 20-25psi in sand and mud. I've had them down to less than 15 to tractor out of a slimey boghole but this is a risky strategy. Proper dirt bikes have rimlocks so you can run low pressures and not spin the tyre on the rim. Think about all those horses a Tiger has and you understand the need for caution. I've never had a problem but then I'm pretty careful with the throttle in slime anyway  :P[/quote]



You know that could be alot of my problem I think running about 34-36psi

Next time I'll drop em down to 22. How about tires I'm running Tourance's

Thanks

Toby

Oh yeah I just ordered me up a 17T counter sprocket should be fun!