The Jury's returned.

[Brock]

:lol:



I used to be the same way.  Always had to justify having a Tiger by putting down the GS.



time for a nap... :roll:

Dave...I still don't quite understand ...

Could you explain?

Ta

[BigDave]

You replied to that comment earlier in the thread.  What do you not understand?  :-k

[Renman]

Howdy, a new guy here who just started looking for a new bike and considering the Tiger among others.



For what it's worth, a friend and I tested out the Tiger and the BMW R 1200 GS while I was out in the Golden, Colorado area last week (he lives there).  I went into the rides much more interested in the Tiger, so perhaps that is why I am still leaning in that direction.  My buddy was also interested in the 1200 GS, so we took a ride on that one too.  The Tiger fit me great and I thought the engine was incredibly smooth at all times, while the 1200 GS seems very buzzy.  My buddy had the opposite impression on the fit and the engines.  Go figure.



In summary, both bikes were a blast to ride.  We are upgrading from KLR's so just about anything will be a real nice change.  For me it mainly comes down to looks (subjective, I know) and price when comparing the two.  I do not think BMW's are ugly, but something about that Boxer engine with cylinders sticking out both sides just doesn't look right to me.  The Tiger, on the other hand, just seems to have a classic motorcycle look to it.  As my buddy said the other day, he is looking for that bike that gets the juices flowing and the Tiger does it for me.



Regarding quality, I have no doubt that the BMW wins out.  But in this day and age of reliable machines I am not too worried about a bike crapping out on me while on the road, even my KLR.  So looks aside, I would have a hard time parting with an extra $6,000 for the BMW (I am including the bags that would be thrown in with the "05 Tiger).  I just don't think it is that much better.  Hopefully if I do end up with a Tiger I am not proven wrong some day.



Now I need to take a closer look at the Tiger and the V STROM to see which one I like best.  In the end I suspect it will still be the Tiger.   :D







Mark

[Brock]

You replied to that comment earlier in the thread.  What do you not understand?  :-k

Well...Are you suggesting I'm justifying having a Tiger by putting down the GS? if so then that's wrong. On the two occasions I've given the GS a chance I came away disappointed. The last time I even said if I thought it was a better bike I'd buy one. I thought this site was all about honesty. That's what you're getting. I think to suggest any of us need to JUSTIFY what we buy by putting down the competition is wrong. Surely we're not going to have rules where we can't compare the Tiger against another bike just in case there's an owner of that bike on the site? If that's the case I'm out of here. Like I say...I thought it was a Tiger site.

[BigDave]

You replied to that comment earlier in the thread.  What do you not understand?  :-k

Well...Are you suggesting I'm justifying having a Tiger by putting down the GS? if so then that's wrong. On the two occasions I've given the GS a chance I came away disappointed. The last time I even said if I thought it was a better bike I'd buy one. I thought this site was all about honesty. That's what you're getting. I think to suggest any of us need to JUSTIFY what we buy by putting down the competition is wrong. Surely we're not going to have rules where we can't compare the Tiger against another bike just in case there's an owner of that bike on the site? If that's the case I'm out of here. Like I say...I thought it was a Tiger site.

Brock,

You can have whatever opinion you want.  Yes this is a Tiger website and you can like the Tiger more than a GS.  Your post that I originally replied to reminded of ME before I got my GS.  I did 3 test rides on GS's AFTER I bought my Tiger.  I had posted similar opinions as well.  For me I was trying to validate my descision as I admittedly I was still eyeing the GS.  I am not saying that is what you are doing.  I suppose its easy for me to get defensive after reading negative posts about the GS as I probably wrongfully assumed they are somewhat directed at me.  I do not want to discourage Tiger owners from coming here thinging that its a "Tiger site" ran by a "ex-Tiger, now GS" guy.  I would rather have others know that its a Tiger website ran by a guy who loves motorcycles and Adventure Touring/Dual Sporting.  I most likely wouldn't be here if I were not the website owner.  So I'll try to stay out of these debates/discussions that turn into Tiger vs GS comparisons if that is what all you Tiggers want.  



As you were...

[Brock]

Like anyone with personal experience of other "Adventure" type bikes I'm sure your opinions will always be valuable. I think there's a danger that in comparing these bikes, we sometimes take things too seriously and a bit personally. I objected to being seen as someone (a "native") who's bought a Tiger as a second class/substitute GS. Clearly that's not the case if anyone can understand my constant ramblings. In summary I feel that we're lucky to have such a well put-together site to sound off on, so let's try and keep it light. None of these bikes are perfect.

Hey...I nearly bought a Caponord once!