Which Girly?

[BartekG]

Hello.
I'm trying to decide which model to buy - with spoked or cast wheels.
I intend to do 50% twisties, 20% poor quality paved roads, 15% unpaved roads, 15% motorways.
Does the softer suspension or spoked wheels in earlier models give any advantages (off pavement handling, durability etc.)?
Do all girlies have 17cm front suspension travel?
Do they all have 12V socket?

[akey]

Sorry only question I can answer is that the 2002 spoke wheel Girly definatley has a 12v socket (I am pretty sure they all do).

Sorry cant help with the others.

[Bixxer Bob]

Others will be along with details, but I know that cast wheels don't do off road, the rigidity that makes them handle well on the road makes them too easy to break on rocks.

[Chris Canning]

Cast wheel wheel version has a steeper head angle to make it steer quicker,and a fair number have the knocking front forks,at no extra cost!!.

[John Stenhouse]

I did off road on an 05 in Canada, not really silly but it will cope with most stuff.
Thay all have a power socket, later ones are better on road early ones better off. Take your pick, best thing you can do is get some aftermarket suspension, then just enjoy the beast.

[SethTiger]

Hi there
I have a 99 tiger. Spoked wheels.
I installed progressive forks. It did help with terrible nose dive. It also allowed for better cornering, But I do miss that bump soaking soft suspension that I had with original forks.

[Advwannabe]

Post 04 have the cast wheels, steeper steering head angle and slightly less suspension travel. 06? and later models get the 1050 engine cases which transmit less mechanical noise than the earlier models. Listen to the two versions side by side. There does seem to be a discernable difference to the noise levels

Road tests seem to indicate the later ones dive less in the front end under brakes and steer a little better on paved roads. To be honest I couldn't detect much difference in steering but there did seem to be less dive on the later one. It's an easy fix if it bothers you

Unless you are really planning to hammer on gravel roads or do some serious rock work (which neither bike is really suited for) the later ones are fine. I wouldn't mind the convenience of cast wheels as I have to take a tube repair kit with me everywhere I go.

*edited to add* When I first got my 02 I was treating it like a dirt bike, which it put up with but was not ideal for. Now its an allroads tourer, where a lot of the roads it rides on are unpaved. It is a great weapon for this kind of work

If you get a deal on either you will be happy, you'll probably make modifications to the suspension over time either way

[AK Tiger]

+1 to what Advwannabe said.  I had a 2002 and now have a 2005.  The 2002 went places it probably shouldn't have and got me back.  It went to the Arctic Circle and a bunch of twin track roads around Alaska and the Yukon with no issues.  My 2005 seems to be just as good off the pavement as the 2002. I have had to pull the rear tire off of the 2002 along side the road and it was no picnic.  The ability to temporally reapir a leak with a plug is reason enough to go with the cast wheel IMHO.  

I haven't heard of anyone that has busted a wheel in normal dirt road travel.  I didn't or haven't pushed either bike that hard in the dirt, frankly, as this is not what they're made for and breaking your bike a couple thousand miles from home can really ruin a good trip.  I hope I'm right as I'm heading to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, then to Key West, Florida and finally back to California  this summer.  If I'm wrong?  Well, then it'll suck to be me!

[swamper650]

My 2 cents worth. I have taken my 02 Tiger from the sugar sand of Florida to the mountain roads of Arizona. It has always gotten me back...but I do ride alone and so only go so far. It cruises the superslab with ease and will handle the switchbacks better  than a 2 story building should. The spoke wheels do absorb the shock better but are tough to roadside repair. Having also ridden 04-06 models, find my 02 better in the rough stuff. As I need to know what is up that hard packed road gotta stick with my much used 02