Then what would it take to turn the 1050 Roadie into a better off roader like the Girly or Steamer? Now granted I am not an owner. But I do have an uneducated yet unbiased eye to this. To me, It looks like all it needs is a set of knobbies and some skid plates. Am I wrong? What am I missing that I cant see with photos?
Can you buy DS tires in that front wheel size?
It's OK, most BMW GS bikes never see any dirt either. :wink:
put a set of scorpion syncs on there and you're halfway home.....
Even a Vespa can be DS bike. It's all about rider skill/brute force/ignorance. :lol:
Quote from: "JetdocX"Even a Vespa can be DS bike. It's all about rider skill/brute force/ignorance. :lol:
Wohoo...Got two out of three, does that mean I am two thirds of the way there :lol:
It's every bit the dual-sport that a factory-stock Girly is. The only difference is the Girlies came with a 19" front wheel, allowing for the selection of more aggressive off-road tires (TKC's, Karoo's. etc).
And as such, the aftermarket was more responsive to outfitting Girlies for dual-sport duty. Since the tires aren't out there for Roadies, Touratech and friends aren't exactly racing to get dual-sport and off-road farkles developed for them. A shame.
If the tire manufacturers would open their eyes and look, they'd see that there is indeed a market for 17" front knobbies... Roadies, the Buell Ulysses, Ducati Multistrada, etc.
I've heard the argument that a 17" front wheel is too small in diameter for true off-road work. But if you're going to wash out a 17" wheel in sand, you'll probably wash out a 19 or 21 as well, so what's the difference?
Quote from: "Sin_Tiger"Quote from: "JetdocX"Even a Vespa can be DS bike. It's all about rider skill/brute force/ignorance. :lol:
Wohoo...Got two out of three, does that mean I am two thirds of the way there :lol:
If you have the right two, no problem. :lol:
Let's see.
1 & 2 :icon_scratch nope.
1 & 3 :icon_scratch nope.
2 & 3 :wings wahaaay .... splat :BangHead
You can certainly get very aggressive tires in a 17" size for the front of a Roadie, so I don't think tires are the issue. Remember you can flop a rear 17 around to rotate the opposite direction and use it on the front of the bike.
I seem to recall that taller tires are easier to offroad because the larger circumference makes them more stable over rough terrain. So by that logic the 17" Roadie front wheel would be less offroadable than my Steamer's 19", or a KLRs 21".
When I first saw this thread, I had expected a Roadie owner to jump in and volunteer why their bike is/isn't offroadable.
Quote from: "Dr. Mordo"You can certainly get very aggressive tires in a 17" size for the front of a Roadie, so I don't think tires are the issue. Remember you can flop a rear 17 around to rotate the opposite direction and use it on the front of the bike.
Front and rear tires have different profiles. Putting a rear tire on the front would make it handle weird on the road.
wow, now yesterday i was comming home on the 405, and ran into a pack of gs100"s, and a gs80's, with a v-strom1000. all those bikes were cool/compentent in any situation, of course they all looked at me as the same.but i looked at the v-stome as the weekest. and thats bullshit. they were all good. the v-strom was just newer, with smaller tire's. regardless of tire size, it all comes down to the rider. period. the vehicle in which we choose to pilot, will make the task at hand either easier, or ,more difficult, but skill and humen desire will prevail in the end. just look at some of the post's on adv(in ref. to the ride reports posted about people in the 20's and the 30's on indians and harley's). fano,mudhen, and patrick have taken the tiger to extreems(not to menchen mustang), even my self have modded my bike to be better off road, but i think the new tiger is not only ready, but more than capable of off road duty. lets face it, the majority will never go to the extreems as we think . outfit the new tiger with a good set of "DUAL PURPOSE TIERS", and go explore.
Quote from: StretchQuote from: Dr. MordoYou can certainly get very aggressive tires in a 17" size for the front of a Roadie, so I don't think tires are the issue. Remember you can flop a rear 17 around to rotate the opposite direction and use it on the front of the bike.
Front and rear tires have different profiles. Putting a rear tire on the front would make it handle weird on the road.
maybe, but there are alot of buel guy's doing it, and not complaining :?
The Steamer was actually designed for some light off-road duty.
The early Girlies, and to a lesser extent, the 2005-06 Girlies, have some dirt worthiness. However, both can be outfitted to be much better "big trailes".
The Roadies have absolutely NO off-road pretention at all. Of course, you can take a Harley Road King off-road if you want to! Expect to drop it and cause serious $$ in damage.
Why?
The Roadie has 17 inch street-performance rims. The tire choices are limited and are almost always in the LOW PROFILE category. VERY VERY BAD for dirt.
The Roadie has a taller gearing than the Girlies and Steamers. I could be wrong on this, but from my test runs, it does appear so.
2007+ Roadie makes 74ft lt/lbs of torque at 6250 rpm (114 hp at 9400 rpm)
2001-2006 955i Girly makes 68 ft/lbs of torque at 4400 rpm (104 hp at 9500 rpm)
1999-2000 885 injected Girly makes 63 ft/lbs of torque at 6400 rpm (86 hp at 8200 rpm)
1993-1998 885 carb'ed Steamer makes 60 ft/lbs of torque at 6000 rpm (85 hp at 8000 rpm)
The Roadie has a rigid aluminum frame. Girlies and Steamers have tubular steel frames, which provide for a bit of flex when conditions get rough. Aluminum is more prone to cracking, especially at weld points (like the headstock)! Go to the V-Strom forums and do some reading! :D
The Roadie has firmer street-only suspension. The Steamer has "soggy" suspension. The early Girlies are somewhere in between. The later Girlies have firmed-up suspension.
The Roadie has less ground clearance and less suspension travel.
Cast wheels are not really intended for off-road use. I have yet to hear about bent cast wheel Girly rims, but the rims on the Roadie appear to be much less robust and of a lighter weight aluminum.
I think the Roadie radial brakes, while best for the street, are dangerously powerful for off-road duty.
No underside protection on the Roadie.
The only advantage I would give the Roadie is that it weighs less. 215 kg vs 198 kg. About 37 lbs difference.
good points brother kurgan, oh and by the way, sorry for the bad spelling mistakes in my post, i had a few earlier in the night and was feeling pretty good :occasion14
Looked like a couple of PUI's to me! :lol:
It's easier to close one eye and type with one finger at that point, YMMV.
your right :lol: i have to do that all the time any way's, but get a couple of drinks in me and i get all crazy with the key board. :XXcomputer
Quote from: "Stretch"Quote from: "Dr. Mordo"You can certainly get very aggressive tires in a 17" size for the front of a Roadie, so I don't think tires are the issue. Remember you can flop a rear 17 around to rotate the opposite direction and use it on the front of the bike.
Front and rear tires have different profiles. Putting a rear tire on the front would make it handle weird on the road.
Anyone who has ridden a 1980 XL500 off road knows what a difference diameter makes. the 23´front wheel on those things rolls beautifully over obstacles, but struggles to get around a corner.
There was a lot of experimentation in world MX in the early 80s as all sorts of combos were tired until the now ´conventional´ 21/18 was settled on.
Stretch as you are aware little things can make a big difference in a bike´s handling so yes a 19 is a lot better than a 17. However the fact that these wheel sizes sit at the front of 200+ kg bikes, you are going to get some front wheel washouts regardless.
Can´t put an 18´rear on a front because of funny handling? Well in theory maybe but in practice sometimes its the only way. Cagiva Navigator´s come with 18´fronts and in Oz till recently using a rear tyre was the only way to get dual sport rubber on them. And yes they handle less ´funny´with one of those than a road tyre :wink:
Off roading a Roadie:
Dual sport rubber
Crash protection
Convert the rear brake caliper to above the swingarm.
No reason why this combo wouldn´t be too bad
Quote from: "Advwannabe"Off roading a Roadie:
Dual sport rubber
Crash protection
Convert the rear brake caliper to above the swingarm.
No reason why this combo wouldn´t be too bad
Thanks, I missed the rear brake caliper location in my comments above. :D
All good comments! I'd say with few mods you could ride jeep trails with the Roadie, but if you want to get serious you're better off with a purpose made bike.
Quote from: "The Kurgan"The Steamer was actually designed for some light off-road duty.
Actually No it wasn't .....................
from the steamer owners manual ......
(http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee47/2uoykcuf/sidecar/06-08-2009081037PM.jpg)
Actually, that's just Triumph covering their a$$es in case of liability suits. And, when I refer to "light off-road duty", I'm referring to gravel, dirt and fire trails. The design intentions of Triumph R&D and the Triumph Legal team are two very different things.
Quote from: "Mustang"from the steamer owners manual ......
(http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee47/2uoykcuf/sidecar/06-08-2009081037PM.jpg)
Looks like you are doubly screwed.
Geof
He does own a Steamer or two or three. I'd call that tripl-y screwed!
Roads can be paved or unpaved. One lane or more or less. That little sticker means nothing to me. :lol:
Quite a few bikes can be used off road whether they were designed for it or not. I think the biggest things you look for are whether the bike you are riding will have any protection from the elements you will be riding it in. A rock through the case can really mess up your day so if you can't get a skid plate on it you might want to stay off the gravel. On the other hand, my '78 XS650 was taken on gravel at 55 mph plus and I couldn't damage it no matter how hard I tried....However, today I do care so having a bike with decent ground clearance and a skid plate, radiator guard and off road tires is the way I prefer it today in my old age..I mean greater wisdom. I liked the Roadie but it didn't have the aforementioned protective parts for me. I'd still like to have both a Girly and a Roadie.
I'm guessing you would probably find such a warning label in most bike manuals.... it's all about liability because the world is full of folk who want someone else to take responsibility for their actions.
....but hey I'd like to see the label on the manual for the bacon rifle....
Still not sure.
Money saved up, and numerous trips to local dealer have me in love with the Tiger. But dilemma is I ride 70% road and 30% gravel, so the 2006 may be a better way to go. Pirelli MT 60 tires are available to fit the 2009 with a slightly narrower rear tire that will fit the rim. I have sourced a great looking 2006 that looks like will work, but looks cruddy compared to the 2009. (my opinion as wife likes look of 2006) The 2009 has a 23 degree fork while the 2006 has a 28 degree. So will this combined with a 17 in wheel result in a poor handling bike on gravel. I have dual sported dirt bikes for the nasty stuff so I just need a safe gravel road performing bike. Comments Please.
Shinko front 17" 705's look like a pretty good option to me.
Still not ONE Roadie owner posting pics of his machine off road, eh? WTF!
We got into a similar discussion over on ADV in the picture thread... If I had the money to buy a new bike I'd go get me a Roadie to offroad and prove everyone wrong... 8)
You can offroad or dual sport nearly anything. I cant recall the names, but on ADV a guy is doing major offroading on a Scrambler and another with huge offroad mileage on a naked SV650. Also if you really want to offroad/dual sport you need a Husky 610 or similar, though they are the best!
I would like a 21" front and Metzler Saharas on my Girly a true 50/50 tire. That conversion has proved to be cost prohibitive.
Roadies are nice in their own way. I rode one when they first came out in light snow. Very impressive power, brakes and stiff suspension. Not my cup o tea. Really surprised someone hasn't ADV'd one yet! Even more surprised Triumph hasnt come out with an Adventure package. They are missing the boat. Oh and wheres that 675 Tiger?
I borrowed a 1050 a few months ago for a few days and it is a great bike. It seemed to weigh about one million tons less than a steamer and the engine is great. It felt completely like a road bike though, no dirt potential at all.
If I was going to convert one, the list to change would be extensive and would include modification to the suspension along with much of what has been written in previous posts already. I think that the riding position / steering geometry is more road oriented than you'd imagine and that is something that's difficult to change. No, for me it's a road bike pure and simple. If wanted something that was similar (light, fast, upright) but could really handle off road work then I'm afraid it's a ktm adventure.
Did I just recommend a non triumph bike? Heretic!!! Quick, please somebody shoot me in the head! :shock:
Quote from: "nickcalne"Did I just recommend a non triumph bike? Heretic!!! Quick, please somebody shoot me in the head! :shock:
CHICK CHUCK, locked & loaded :lol:
This has been around for a while but worth bumping 1050 off & on road (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3j4-FGA5Ms)
My second ride out after I took delivery took me over the moors and down a few farm tracks (unintentionally) that were broken tarmac mixed with dirt and or gravel. the Roadie coped very well on standard tyres sitting or standing on the pegs, even the ABS kicked in and out without a great deal of drama. I did it with far less speed and skill than the guy in the video I must confess
When I changed the rear with the big screw in it I muted to the dealer that I had considered putting Annakees on her, he gave me a look like I had just sh@t on his showroom floor "Naw yer getting mixed up, that's an off road biased tyre". That's what I have on my Vara and I haven't managed to get the back end unstuck yet :roll:
I should state at this point that my off road experience could be written on the back of a postage stamp with a white wash brush, so if I can get through I am sure the more skilled and experienced than me can give the roadie a fair crack. :lol:
A 675 Steamer, who's up for it :lol:
Quote from: "Stretch"It's every bit the dual-sport that a factory-stock Girly is. The only difference is the Girlies came with a 19" front wheel, allowing for the selection of more aggressive off-road tires (TKC's, Karoo's. etc).
And as such, the aftermarket was more responsive to outfitting Girlies for dual-sport duty. Since the tires aren't out there for Roadies, Touratech and friends aren't exactly racing to get dual-sport and off-road farkles developed for them. A shame.
If the tire manufacturers would open their eyes and look, they'd see that there is indeed a market for 17" front knobbies... Roadies, the Buell Ulysses, Ducati Multistrada, etc.
I've heard the argument that a 17" front wheel is too small in diameter for true off-road work. But if you're going to wash out a 17" wheel in sand, you'll probably wash out a 19 or 21 as well, so what's the difference?
As always was and always will be the case!
The difference is the rider!