Should I or Shouldn't I

[matttys]

The 650 is still almost 500lbs wet and packed so it isn't really light either.  quote]

I disagree.  The F is heavy, but no where as heavy as a Tiger.  Sure the F is 400 lbs fully loaded, but the Tiger is 500+ fully loaded.  That's 20-30% more weight.  It does make a big difference.  I have an 03 Dakar and an 02 Girly and still love the Dakar.  Girly is used for two up and long hauls and the the Dakar is great for dual sport and bombing the highway.  

Can you keep them both  :D

[JetdocX]

Can you keep them both  :D

...says the guy with six bikes!  And a fiance', right?   :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

I would love to have kept my F650, but I wasn't riding it hardly at all once I got the Steamer.  This was before I knew about the impending valve seat problems, and I still wish I had the F to ride around between, but the two bikes are two similar, IMO.  A nice Dr. Z 400 would fit the hole really nicely. :D

[ccherry]

just wish i could have 2 (or 3 or 5......).  would definitely get something dirty and a tiger in that case.  even thought about keeping the F and getting an R12R or perhaps a Sprint but the boss hates me having one so 2 ain't gonna happen............

related question - 01 vs 05 pros/cons??  found another local with an 01 for sale, good price, good miles, no farkles though......
thanks!

[Cleaverid]

Had a 640 KTM, loved it off road but long trips on road were a little rough.   Other than that it was a nice bike but I wanted something better for road trips of longer distances that I could detour off the beaten path.  Fell in love with the Tigger on first ride.  The torque is great and the motor is a jewel. My riding has changed to more street and a little dirt now. It depends on what kind of riding you plan to do.  If I could have kept the KTM, I would have for the dirt.  Keep the Beemer if you can and have the best of both worlds. the Tiger works well on dirt roads, get the wire wheel version. (04 or earlier)

[ccherry]

thanks for all the comments and info guys!!  still haven't made a decision yet.  

a new question - aux light mounts (and various other farkles) anyone have a light bar setup that they are just thrilled with?  if i go with the Tiger, will most likely add lights before anything else, probably followed by crash bars (unless i do together).  i'm a cheap bast... so will probably go with WalMart lights regardless of mounting.  hard to beat $20 for 2 55W lights, they break you toss and buy another set.  have worked well on my beemer

a general comment - there appears to be a very limited selection of aftermarket farkles for Tigers - is that something that folks are concerned with??
thanks
carter

[Bixxer Bob]

This doesn't suit your self-confessed cheap b.....d approach, but I found once you fit crash bars (one look at the cost of a replacement tank is enough to convince you it's a good idea) and you have somewhere to hang all your farles..... lights..... Stebel Nautilus etc etc....

[ccherry]

i'm actually not too cheap for crash bars (would actually be first farkle i would add), just the lights themselves.  from what i can discern PIAAs run $200 or more for a set and the wal mart specials run $19 - both can bolt up to crash bar mount or a light bar.  even if you replace the standard h3 bulbs with the better ones, you can do that multiple times before you even get close to the same cost. jmho.....

[wanderer505]

I had an F650GS, loved it, but two things got me looking elsewhere:  vibration after an hour of riding (all contact points) and not hefty enough for 2 up with gear.  So I bought an 06 Tiger.

Tiger has the grunt for long highway riding, very smooth, and perfect for 2 up.  But it is heavy.  Fuel economy is 50ish vs the 60-70 mpg I got on the 650.

I actually look back a bit wistfully at the 650, since it did surprisingly well on rough roads, actually had decent power for 2 up (but would have been challenged with gear) and the suspension could handle us both.  But we are tall and it was a bit cramped.

I rode a lot from Santa Fe to ABQ commuting.  The Tiger was more comfortable.  Maintenance on the 650 is obviously easier.  Last summer I did 2300 miles to Montana and back on the Tiger and it was great.  

I'm going to own my Tiger for a long time, but I'm looking for a lighter 650 twin for fun.  Have you looked at any of the 800s? Given what you've said about your riding, are you sure you need a dual sport?  There are some pretty zippy 600-750 cc bikes out there that might do what you want and not be quite the weight to pull.  A lot of us think we are going to do the Round-the-World thing and end up spending 99% of our time on pavement.

Have you thought of hanging on to the BMW and pick up a used SV650 or such?

Good luck.  There are no bad bikes....

[ccherry]

Actually rode the both of the new BMW twins as well as the 12GS.  Tough decision all the way around.  All the bikes, including my thumper, have their advantages and disadvantages.  I go back and forth on the weight issue and long distance comfort.  I try to do 2 multi day trips each year of 1000 miles or more and do a lot of 250-400 mile days, actually my "average" ride is probably 200+ so I'm not much on commuting with the idiots.  The around town stuff would definitely steer me to the twins or keeping the thumper, the full day stuff perhaps the tiger or the 12gs.  as to dual sport, nothing I ride couldn't be done on a ligher standard bike - a 1050 tiger or r12r.  have also looked at the vstroms - both the 650 and 1000 but haven't had a chance to ride either.  i'm partial to the european bikes but have owned a couple of hondas many years ago.

also considering a multistrada but i don't hear much about them for longer days in the saddle.......very engaging to ride though!

stay tuned.........and thanks for all the comments!