It's one of those topics that creates alot of debate. .. And I love it! :wink:
Im not talking about the new tigers. They are entirely street bikes(sorry, you can take them off road, but really, they aren't dual sports). Im talking about the girlies.
What would cause someone to pick one over the other?
I wish the new 1050 tiger had the option of having a offroad version and a street version. You know like ktm does with their supermoto line up. They offer the dirt rims in 21 inch front and 18 rear, and the 17's for supermoto duty.
I really wish that triumph continued to build on the dual sport platform. Now there is nothing to compete with the really succesful GS.
And it's not like the GS is a great bike. The tiger 995i can easy beat the living crap out of it. But what the tiger needed was a nice shaft drive. Just some more bells and whitles for guys who want to ride around the world on them.
So far the only people who have ridden around the world on a tiger were Jan and Berte with their steamer, and that was a very problematic journey...
What are you thoughts on the gs vs tiger debate?
Are you dissapointed in the direction that triumph has gone with the tiger?
Why do you think they did it?
Quote from: "scorch"Why do you think they did it?
Sales.
That said, the new tiger has grown on me, but it needs a lot more work to be dirtworthy that the girlies. Also, but to the newness of the bike, there isn't the aftermarket.
Really, the most missed thing at the moment is better tires. A 19" front would be better, but some skilled riders out there have pushed the Uly pretty far.
Of course there are those that scoff at the 19/17 and say you cant do real offroading without 21/18s.
Girlies compared to the GS? I went with the Girly for two reasons:
Price: I got my 2003 Girly in great shape for $5k. What boxer GS would that have gotten?
Triumph: There is niether a Triumph or BMW dealer near me. The nearest of either is 225 miles away, but that Triumph dealer is PJs in Albuquerque--about the best dealer of any brand I've encountered. I already had a 1050 Speed Triple, so I have experience with the dealer, brand, and engine. I know what I'm getting into. I with triumph was more progressive with this bike in lowering weight and cener of gravity. That's where KTM and the ULY both shine. Of course the new tiger has lost 50 lbs, don't know about the CoG.
Geof
I am looking into getting a Girly tiger or a gs.
Guys on advrider with gs's from 1996 with 50k asking 6000-7000$ dollars. Tigers from that era are 2000-3000. It's a no brainer.
It seems there is a shortage of second hand tigers no the market. But they are great bikes for the money.
I guess im biased.
But the GS is great because of the aftermaket.
People praise the reliability, but yet I have found them to be really unreliable... and expensive to fix.
Quote from: "scorch"It seems there is a shortage of second hand tigers no the market. But they are great bikes for the money.
They come and go. About 2 months before I was ready to buy, there were many on ebay, and elsewhere, then when I was ready, they all dried up. I almost bought a Cagiva Gran Canyon that went on sale here, then there was a green one (not BRG) in Albuquerque and the BMW dealer, so I drove up to look at it, and that day, I discovered a 03 silver up there for less with less miles, so I snagged it. After that, 2 months later, there were a bunch on ebay again. So if you're patient, they show up. Steamers less so, but they're there.
Also, there are not many for sale on advrider. It's a cool site, but it started as a gs site (don't believe me? go to http://www.bmwgs.com/ (http://www.bmwgs.com/) ), so it has deeply rooted bias, and not many tiger get sold there.
Geof
Oh, yeah---craigs list is your friend.
As somone who owns both a Triumph and a BM,i'm a little in the middle,in stock trim i'll take a GS over a Tiger every time,the Girly Tiger never was a dual bike,don't beleave me!! ask Triumph they'll tell you themselves.
To get mine how i wanted it,it took two lots of suspension and three sets of wheels,my problem being the kit on my Tiger is no good on anything later than an 04,and while the 1050 ticked all the box's when my wife and i got to see a pre-production version she just couldn't get on the back and she's 5ft.10,so that was the end of that,my Tiger has plenty of life in it,but i'd be lieing if i did think a GS Supermoto,or a Megamoto with a big tank would make an interesting option.
If i was going off road i'd buy a Ktoom simple as that,thats what they design e'm for,when it comes to travelling distance(500 miles or more) on the road i'll put my Tiger against anything
I'll take a Steamer over a later model 1100-1200 GS for off roading with nary a thought.
The highway stuff though...the Steamer of mine just isn't that awesome on the slab. I get a buzz at highway cruising speed.
I just bought my 06 Tiger (1900 happy miles ago), and this is my first Triumph... therefore I'm new to the brand. I'm very open minded to brands (I've owned a dozen different brands through the years, from American to European, to Japanese). I love almost anything on two wheels, but I've got to be honest, when I test rode the GS, it didn't do a damn thing for me. After all the advrider hype, I was really disappointed. :cry:
When I rode the 07 Tiger, I got the impression that it was a great street bike. When I rode the 06 Tiger (the last 06 the dealer had), I realized that I was buying the greatest dual purpose motorcycle (with a leaning toward asphalt), ever to be produced again.... it's the last of it's kind. :shock:
What i find funny as i have a Tiger in SM trim the thought of Triumph doing something similar, with all the poo poo'ers on here and rat,i was one of the few in favour,i just think Triumph have made a mistake,no doubt fine if you only ride one up,or your partner is a midget,or you do not ride very far,and they'll carry on getting away with the model,but if BM do something with a decent seat, they'll be in trouble.
Forget shaft drive,my Beemer has 30 thou on it and plenty of wear,i just put a chain and sprockets on my Tiger and as good as new.
Quote from: "Chris Canning"What i find funny as i have a Tiger in SM trim the thought of Triumph doing something similar, with all the poo poo'ers on here and rat,i was one of the few in favour,i just think Triumph have made a mistake,no doubt fine if you only ride one up,or your partner is a midget,or you do not ride very far,and they'll carry on getting away with the model,but if BM do something with a decent seat, they'll be in trouble.
Forget shaft drive,my Beemer has 30 thou on it and plenty of wear,i just put a chain and sprockets on my Tiger and as good as new.
I agree with Chris - The mods on my Girly make it similar to the 1050 (without the horsepower). I do wish Triumph had the foresight for a larger tank; but they are in jolly old, where gas is available everywhere.
Bruincounselor
Quote from: "abruzzi"Quote from: "scorch"It seems there is a shortage of second hand tigers no the market. But they are great bikes for the money.
They come and go. About 2 months before I was ready to buy, there were many on ebay, and elsewhere, then when I was ready, they all dried up. I almost bought a Cagiva Gran Canyon that went on sale here, then there was a green one (not BRG) in Albuquerque and the BMW dealer, so I drove up to look at it, and that day, I discovered a 03 silver up there for less with less miles, so I snagged it. After that, 2 months later, there were a bunch on ebay again. So if you're patient, they show up. Steamers less so, but they're there.
Also, there are not many for sale on advrider. It's a cool site, but it started as a gs site (don't believe me? go to http://www.bmwgs.com/ (http://www.bmwgs.com/) ), so it has deeply rooted bias, and not many tiger get sold there.
Geof
Oh, yeah---craigs list is your friend.
Yeah, I know about the bmwgs.com thing and advrider.com .. But they are in love with their gs's.
Manufacturers like bmw don't sell the steak, they sell the sizzle.
They sell the image of adventure. You have to admire their marketing machine, triumph should take some notes and do something similar.
Shit, pay me, and ill take a tiger around the world :)
I'll follow (or lead) any GS with similar tires anywheres on my Girly. :wink:
Yes, I was initially mad at Triumph for "pussyfying?" the 1050. However, since I'm not ready to add another bike at the time, not a huge deal personally. I'm sure that from a total sales point of view, the 1050 will sell better as designed compared to an Adventure bike model. This is because I suspect 70% of GS's never see dirt. I just wish Triumph had used a different name for the 1050. Maybe Cheetah or Panther or Leopard or Cheshire or Calico? :lol:
My real concern now is if Triumph will actually produce a decent 675 Adventure bike as mentioned. Then I may be truly tempted and ready to add a stablemate. :P
When in my local Bm dealer recently buying oil filters,the guy in the service dept was telling me the first thing all their GS customers do, is buy road tyres for their bikes!!!.
I've ridden the 1150 but not the 1200. My Girly has been a loooong way off road and with knobblies there isn't really anything in it with BM's. BM's are inferior in every other area, especially reliability. The 1200's are a nightmare. You could give me one bit it would be straight up for sale.
Quote from: "Chris Canning"When in my local Bm dealer recently buying oil filters,the guy in the service dept was telling me the first thing all their GS customers do, is buy road tyres for their bikes!!!.
Yeah, they have them fitted at the same time they're having all the warranty work done. Like leaking crankshaft oil seals needing a new clutch, replacing all the corroded bits and putting in the 15th software update etc. etc. Utter rubbish these modern MBWs. Best bike they ever made was the 1981 R80GS. Down hill ever since.
don't hold back, tell us what you really feel there, blacktiger :lol:
Quote from: "blacktiger"Quote from: "Chris Canning"When in my local Bm dealer recently buying oil filters,the guy in the service dept was telling me the first thing all their GS customers do, is buy road tyres for their bikes!!!.
Yeah, they have them fitted at the same time they're having all the warranty work done. Like leaking crankshaft oil seals needing a new clutch, replacing all the corroded bits and putting in the 15th software update etc. etc. Utter rubbish these modern MBWs. Best bike they ever made was the 1981 R80GS. Down hill ever since.
Funny e'h,i've had my Beemer 7 years and my Tiger 6,the only one thats ever let me down is the Triumph!!!
Quote from: "Chris Canning"Quote from: "blacktiger"Quote from: "Chris Canning"When in my local Bm dealer recently buying oil filters,the guy in the service dept was telling me the first thing all their GS customers do, is buy road tyres for their bikes!!!.
Yeah, they have them fitted at the same time they're having all the warranty work done. Like leaking crankshaft oil seals needing a new clutch, replacing all the corroded bits and putting in the 15th software update etc. etc. Utter rubbish these modern MBWs. Best bike they ever made was the 1981 R80GS. Down hill ever since.
Funny e'h,i've had my Beemer 7 years and my Tiger 6,the only one thats ever let me down is the Triumph!!!
Listen bloke, this is a Triumph site... If you want to talk shite about Tigers, go back to your own den, i.e. advrider, I mean, BMW.com
ps: Hey mate, why don't you just sell your Triumph to one of us, and put yourself out of your blumin misery...
Quote from: "Chris Canning"Quote from: "blacktiger"Quote from: "Chris Canning"When in my local Bm dealer recently buying oil filters,the guy in the service dept was telling me the first thing all their GS customers do, is buy road tyres for their bikes!!!.
Yeah, they have them fitted at the same time they're having all the warranty work done. Like leaking crankshaft oil seals needing a new clutch, replacing all the corroded bits and putting in the 15th software update etc. etc. Utter rubbish these modern MBWs. Best bike they ever made was the 1981 R80GS. Down hill ever since.
Funny e'h,i've had my Beemer 7 years and my Tiger 6,the only one thats ever let me down is the Triumph!!!
Chris, how has your Triumph let you down.
Lets not turn this into a I hate Bmw forum. Even triumph has some really bad design flaws.
Gents i don't hate either,both bikes have their plus's and minus,i'm not into this 5 year old stuff 'i'v got this bike or that bike and it's the best thing since sliced bread',you start going that route and you'll end up like the GS mob,it's all about a balanced view which some people do not seem able to do,you show me a great Beemer i'll show you a great Triumph and vice versa.
As to what let the Tiger down,phew you don't read this board often,as for selling it, why would i want to do that just because it's had a blip, my first Tiger(new) in 99 blew a head gasket at 1500 miles,i got rid of that,Triumph had it back and i had a new one,but that really is another story,and it never put me off buying another Triumph.
As for my Tiger!! with 8500 viewings there's certainley some interest out there!!,haveing said that,it has taken 3 sets of wheels 2 lots of suspension and 2 lots of brakes to get it how i want it,but then i've had to do the same with my Beemer!!!!
Quote from: "ned37"don't hold back, tell us what you really feel there, blacktiger :lol:
Just telling it as it is.....re UKGSer.com just have a look at the 1200GS section.
Now whilst I'm not saying my Tiger is puurrrfect, it's pretty close as nothing's fallen off or blown up. The R100GS I had was far from it.
What I hear from advrider.com guys all the time is about how the shaft drive on bmw gs have stranded many of them.
Did you guys see that one guys rt who had it fully modded for a iron butt ride, and it left him stranded. Insane.
Bmw is a good manufacturer, but they really should learn how to make shaft drives.
Thats one of the things I wish the tiger had, some sort of shaft drive. I guess i am spoiled, after getting a shaft, you just dont want a chain anymore. But once that shaft goes bad, forget it. Thats going to be a mmighty expensive fix!
Actually Scorch, I was a bit sad when all the canbus and final drive failure stories started coming in. I'm not stuck on Triumph as a brand I just like Tigers. Now my choices are down to dirtifiyng the 1050, roadifiying the Katoom or getting a smaller adventure bike. Shame really
A 675 Tiger cub with about the same dirt/bitumen balance as the 955, or even a F800GS, now that would be something. :P
I remember when I had my steamer. The rage was to get 17 inch wheels and motard it. Few did it. But many wanted to street afy it..
Now with the 1050.. People will make them into dirt bikes.
Its a cycle... But a cycle i like seeing. The motor on the 1050 is great. It would look great as a dirt bike.
Im not stuck on Triumph either. But lately they have been producing some really interesting bikes.
Shame Honda can't do the same, they used to take risks.
The problem with the 1050,they've gone 17" wheels but also a wishy washy head angle on the basis of 'We don't want anything drastic for Joe public' put 17" on your 955,it'll change direction before you've even thought about it,but if you think your stock Tiger is great,don't even go there,they'll give you a heart attack!!!
I was paying close attention to the much rumored F800GS and waiting for it to come out. Then came along this '96 Tiger and I had to have it. It's a good thing because I was not wanting to jump in and buy a first production year bike and I'm afraid I would have jumped on the GS. The way I see it I just saved myself about $8k. I'm still going to check out the beemer at the Houston Cycle show in November but I'm not in any rush to buy now that I've got the Tiger. She'll do nicely. :D
The f800gs seems like a great idea. I think rotax makes the motors. And if thats the case, its going to be a good one. The rotax motor on the 650's is really good. Many 1150gs riders started their journeys on them, some broke, and they ended up getting f650's and finished the journey. I have never heard of any significant problems with the rotax motors.
But the tiger is still cooler :)
I wonder about the new 675 tiger thats coming out. If it has the power the 675 daytona has, forget trying to keep up with it on the 1050's.
Considering how much BMW is asking for the new 650 models...you can imagine how much NOT a bargain the rumored 800 will be. Plus doesn't that cylinder head have a pretty pronounced forward slant? No more than a Strom I guess though.
Quote from: "scorch"The f800gs seems like a great idea. I think rotax makes the motors. And if thats the case, its going to be a good one. The rotax motor on the 650's is really good. Many 1150gs riders started their journeys on them, some broke, and they ended up getting f650's and finished the journey. I have never heard of any significant problems with the rotax motors.
But the tiger is still cooler :)
I wonder about the new 675 tiger thats coming out. If it has the power the 675 daytona has, forget trying to keep up with it on the 1050's.