Ok guys and gals here is my dilema, i want a Tiger or a R1150GS
and have been lenin towards the tiger alot more due to price since thats always an issue.
Now i have a new Ducati Multistrada and that works great for almost everything i want to do, though me and the wife have really wanted to be able to go more off road and explore that kind of stuff as well as do big dual sport rides and rallies.
So the Tiger or GS would be setup with a distinct dirt bias if i purchased it, though i am not sure whether to look for a 955i or older one cause the reading i have done is that the tiger has gotten proggressively more road biased as it has evolved.
Do i buy a earlier steamer? or a 955i?
Also why do they call the steamers steamers?
Thank you in advance.
James
Well, you could just ask the GSB Steamer guy. (Tigerrider on that board ;) )
The Steamer is called that due to its lower tech, more brutal image.
You work at the Triumph dealer though man....so you can get the low down from the mechs there as far as reliable action.
The Beemer has the insane aftermarket though in it's favor.
The older bikes like mine have a certain appeal...things that don't jive can be modified. Mags on the 05 and 06s...
Thank you for the info, sure i work at a Triumph dealer but we all know or should know that getting the info from people that love their bike is always the best method as opposed to guys that simply fix our broken bikes.
I hear ya..we are just gonna be a bit more biased here. ;)
They can be built up in to anything you want...best person I would suggest talking to would be Mudhen, though he's a Steamer guy like myself (his is very trick) , he's just gotten a GS...and is getting rid of it.
Quote from: "burntclutch"I hear ya..we are just gonna be a bit more biased here. ;)
They can be built up in to anything you want...best person I would suggest talking to would be Mudhen, though he's a Steamer guy like myself (his is very trick) , he's just gotten a GS...and is getting rid of it.
yeah i saw that on advrider and then here.
If you like your steamer why and do you do any 2 up riding as i will be doing alot of that on the new DS bike that i end up with.
Quote from: "burntclutch"I hear ya..we are just gonna be a bit more biased here. ;)
They can be built up in to anything you want...best person I would suggest talking to would be Mudhen, though he's a Steamer guy like myself (his is very trick) , he's just gotten a GS...and is getting rid of it.
Getting rid of the GS or his Steamer?
If the choice is between a Tiger and a GS, then there's really no choice. Only a fool would waste money on a BMW, and trust a passenger's life on the back of one. When the rear-end locks up on that thing, and spills you both all over the place, you can get a nice trip to the intensive care unit, where you can proudly display to the staff your BMW keychain, cigarette lighter, boots, riding suit, condoms, ect..
You can trust Triumph not to kill you, unless you're trying to do that. BMW will kill you, just because they're poorly engineered.
If you're just wanting to run up a few dirt roads, the Tiger is fine. If you're seriously wanting to get off-road, I'd recommend you get 2 dirt bikes.
Quote from: "JRO"If the choice is between a Tiger and a GS, then there's really no choice. Only a fool would waste money on a BMW, and trust a passenger's life on the back of one. When the rear-end locks up on that thing, and spills you both all over the place, you can get a nice trip to the intensive care unit, where you can proudly display to the staff your BMW keychain, cigarette lighter, boots, riding suit, condoms, ect..
You can trust Triumph not to kill you, unless you're trying to do that. BMW will kill you, just because they're poorly engineered.
If you're just wanting to run up a few dirt roads, the Tiger is fine. If you're seriously wanting to get off-road, I'd recommend you get 2 dirt bikes.
I am looking fir the one bike i can use to take me and the wife anywhere we want to go, and as all of you know i am sure the GS is and always has been advertised as the world travelers bike though i suspect that the Tiger woiuld fit the bill as well if not better what do you all think?
Hey, dude.
BMW was on my short list about a year ago until I really started looking into the GS's reliability issues. You can look on ADVrider's GSpot or Google all of these for some pretty interesting reading...
Final drive failures (saw one in Fairbanks a couple weeks ago, in fact).
Right cylinder failures.
CanBus issues and total electrical failures.
Rear main seal failures, which kill the clutch disc as well (talked to a guy in Anchorage who had this on his new GSA halfway in from New York).
Clutch spline failure, caused by lack of lubrication (every couple years, you actually have to take the entire rear half of the bike off and grease the clutch splines).
This is the kind of stuff you don't even find on cheaper bikes. I was quite alarmed to discover all these issues in a bike that runs 16 grand and up.
I kept looking.
Ya know strech your right it does look like a bunch of failures goin on.
we talked a while ago and you i have been leanin towards the tiger,
I wonder though for what i want to do with it if i should buy an older one or if i should get the 955?
Wanna go for a ride and trade bikes for a while?
The older ones are great and I think more dirt worthy BUT parts will become more hard to come by at some point..plus the FI would be a nice thing to have. :)
Go with the newer ones...your biggest question "To mag, or not to mag"
My buddy who has an 1150GS rode my bike a few weeks ago. He now can't believe how slow the beemer is, and how well the Tiger handles. He's looking at Tigers now.
:D
Mudhen is probably the best person to give you the Steamer/GS lowdown.
I've never owned a GS but have a few miles on them. In comparison to the Girly tiggers (955i) I think the GS is a little better in slow gnarly muddy (walking pace) going, but that tigger is better for fast dirt, sand and road riding.
You are on a serious mission if you are attempting to ride two up down rough trail on a tigger, the previous posters advice about two dirt bikes has merit if this is the case!
But for all roads riding two up, and getting a bit further off the beaten track on your own, provided you have the strengh, experience and confidence the tigger is a clear winner IMHO
Good luck!
Quote from: "burntclutch"The older ones are great and I think more dirt worthy BUT parts will become more hard to come by at some point..plus the FI would be a nice thing to have. :)
Go with the newer ones...your biggest question "To mag, or not to mag"
+1. I agree wholeheartedly...except for the FI thing. :wink:
If you really want a GS, get one. Tigers aren't for everyone - they're AMO (Advanced Motorcycle Ownership). Only the smartest, most mature, most talented, most developed, and best looking people own them. If this isn't you, get the GS. Because if you're not fully developed (in the motorcycle sense of the word, of course), you're not going to be happy with your purchase and you're going to feel you 'settled' for the Tiger.
Then you're going to go out and get a GS, only to find it's a complete TURD of a bike. It's just about as fun as riding a cardboard box.
And if I don't shut my mouth, I'll never unload mine!
Quote from: "Mudhen"Quote from: "burntclutch"The older ones are great and I think more dirt worthy BUT parts will become more hard to come by at some point..plus the FI would be a nice thing to have. :)
Go with the newer ones...your biggest question "To mag, or not to mag"
+1. I agree wholeheartedly...except for the FI thing. :wink:
If you really want a GS, get one. Tigers aren't for everyone - they're AMO (Advanced Motorcycle Ownership). Only the smartest, most mature, most talented, most developed, and best looking people own them. If this isn't you, get the GS. Because if you're not fully developed (in the motorcycle sense of the word, of course), you're not going to be happy with your purchase and you're going to feel you 'settled' for the Tiger.
Then you're going to go out and get a GS, only to find it's a complete TURD of a bike. It's just about as fun as riding a cardboard box.
And if I don't shut my mouth, I'll never unload mine!
So for what i want to do with the bike would a FI bike or a steamer be better?
Quote from: "chromekid01"So for what i want to do with the bike would a FI bike or a steamer be better?
I guess that depends on what you want. The older, carberator bikes are more off-road oriented. They're also older, hence cheaper to purchase. If you're really planning on running off-road, and you don't mind maybe having to spend a little money to get the bike in tip-top shape, buy the older style Tiger.
If you're going to be on the highways more than on dirt roads, or off-road a little, then go for the newer models with FI. FI bikes are really nice. They have more power, and start everytime in a split second. You can still find new '06 models, with warranty, ect.. '05 models have spoked wheels, a bit more rake to the front wheel, and a little longer wheelbase (I think) - something to think about, if you're going to try off-roading a Tiger.
I'll point out that these bikes do weigh 500lbs. Let's say you weigh 180lbs, and your wife weighs 135lbs. Throw in 20lbs of gear, and 30lbs of sleeping bags and clothes. That's 865lbs to have to handle, down a rough track. There are those who do off-road a Tiger, but most of us don't do any serious off-roading. With crash bars and knobbies, it can be done, but you can never compete with a guy riding a serious, lightwieght dirt-bike. You're not going to be jumping any canyons on a heavy, dual-sport bike, so if that's what you have in mind, you'd better back up and rethink. For riding around on poorly-blacktopped, potholed, Oklahoma country roads, dirt roads, or trails across the pasture, I can verify that an '06 Tiger is fine, in factory trim, and carrying a passenger. It's a handful in sand or loose gravel, though.
If you are wanting more serious off-road capability, then you'll have to consider either some upgrades, or a more dedicated off-road bike.
I am not really looking for a dirt bike more a bike that can handle light off road duty 2 up alot better than my Ducati, poor dirt roads, gravel roads, fire trails and such. older and cheaper is prolly better because i am sure to drop it though FI and easy starting is a plus.
How are the 2 up road manners of the steamer? and spoked wheels are a bonus fpor off road riding i am told by our techs.
You could always just buy my 05 tiger that still has roughly 21 months or so left on the warranty. :D
I think you get the idea fromm the other posts what we think about Tigers. I rode my '02 from Alaska to So. Cal., to Chicago and all points in between. It was reliable as a pet rock excepting a computer failure right at 2 years and a couple of weeks. Triumph covered the computer but not the labor. The failure did not strand me but caused the bike to ping terribly no matter what I fed it. Thanks to Orange County Motorsports in So. Cal. for finally finding it. I ended up putting 28K miles the bike.
I rode a friend's GS1100 and thought I'd crawled on to a piece of agricultural equipment. Not impressed.
Unfortunately I also hit a caribou in northern British Columbia that killed the caribou and the Tiger. After moving to California I purchased a K1200LT BMW for the two-up riding I do (much more comfortable than the Tiger for my sweetheart) but am looking for another Tiger for a trip back up to Prudhoe bay in '08. Great bike.
Darrell