I have always had a thing for the BMW GS and would have bought one instead of the Tiger last year, if I could have afforded it. So, consequently, I occasionally read the GS forums. I was bored today and was reading a GS forum (I had read all the new stuff here) and came upon a very lengthy thread about surging problems and all the varied techniques required to fix the problem. Then another about bearing issues at the rear wheel, not to mention the shaft seal failures and other issues.
This leads me to my point... thank God I'm too poor to have bought a GS!
The Tiger has been a delight to ride, service, and own in general. The problems are few and fairly simple to deal with, service is very easy, the ride is fantastic, the cool factor is very high, and this site is THE BEST!
Reading all the smartass replies on the GS forum and the condescending remarks to those who were trying to perform their own service was terrible. It also seems that the valve adjustments are extremely critical and trying to adjust the TPS was over the top. I'm all for trying to do a good through job, but for a bike that is billed as the "ultimate rtw adventure bike" it sure seems to be pretty sensitive.
I still have a soft spot for the GS (thank you very much Ewan and Charlie) but I'll think long and hard before every buying one. (If I ever happen to have that much expendable income.)
Thanks to all who contribute so much to this excellent forum and thank you Abruzzi for the great atmosphere here.
+1 I too thought I wanted a GS a few years ago. When my Tiger came up I bought it because I was 5grand away from a GS. Its the best poor bastard decision I have ever made. I will have other bikes in this life......The Tiger is not for sale.
Yesterday I had to run bike across town in 30 degree weather. I was screwing around. In the cold weather this thing made a deadly amount of power........75mph in town.....in 2nd gear...... pulling the wheel up in first. To much fun. I love this bike!!!!
If you are a Tiger owner and do not have the TOR can and TOR tune you are making a mistake. THE absolute number one farcle for you Kitty.
I plan to do the TOR map this spring. I'll have to wait on the can till I have some more cash. I've read that the TOR map works great even with the stock pipe. I'd like to have a bit more torque from my 885.
I hope to make it to the Triumph dealer day this month, I really want to ride a roadie... and a scrambler... and a Rocket III... and a Daytona... and....
:twisted: :twisted:
You know, the fact of the matter:
1. All bikes have problems.
2. Owners of certain bikes congregate in certain forums and the horror stories come out.
3. This site is not immune.
4. I could go on and on and have at some length about the shoddy workmanship of my Tiger, and this, that and the other thing.
5. I'm not alone here.
Having said that, I'd take a Tiger over one of those overpriced big GS's any day of the week. :D Much more bike for the money, IMO.
6. Preaching to the chior. :lol:
Jet,
I hear what you're saying. I used to have a KLR and the sites are full of the problems and complaints. It just seems that the problems we and the KLR have are pretty minor and easy to deal with. Just my perspective so far.
Anything mechanical can and will break.
You've been fortunate. Me not so much.
This TOR map is a Girly / Roadie thing, right? Nothing to do with Steamer?
Quote from: "Colonel Nikolai"This TOR map is a Girly / Roadie thing, right? Nothing to do with Steamer?
correct it is a fuel map for the ECU on the Girly bikes
it is the new fangled way to adjust jetting :ImaPoser
it's what controls the fuel injectors
Quote from: "JetdocX"6. Preaching to the chior. :lol:
Hallelujah Brother :icon_study :occasion14
Thanks Mustang, that's what I thought. As soon as I heard "map" I should have guessed. Everyone here seems to really like the Girlies a lot. They seem (engineering-wise) to be quite an improvement on the Steamer. And I admit the look of them is finally starting to grow on me.
Quote from: "Colonel Nikolai"Thanks Mustang, that's what I thought. As soon as I heard "map" I should have guessed. Everyone here seems to really like the Girlies a lot. They seem (engineering-wise) to be quite an improvement on the Steamer. And I admit the look of them is finally starting to grow on me.
Funny that, because although I like my Girly, I also like the appearance of the Steamer a lot, and - being carbs - it's a proper motorcycle for the spanner-handy. No electrical jiggery-pokery..... :roll:
I too was looking at a 1200GS but I got my '05 but '06 model Tiger with full luggage for 5k less than an '04 GS. Rode my mates GS last year when we were touring Scotland and didn't like it, I think I have been spoilt by that wonderfull three cylinder lump with all its smooth torque, so glad I didn't buy one.
Quote from: "NKL"I think I have been spoilt by that wonderfull three cylinder lump with all its smooth torque
That's it, you have it nailed in one. I think that's what keeps us coming back, even after the electrical shenanigans and the weak suspension. Grin Factor 10 8)
It seems, from my reading anyway, that those of us with the first generation Girlies (885i) missed out on the major electrical woes.
I searched regarding major failures on the 885i and only found one poster here who had serious heartburn with the model. I'm sure there are others who've had major problems, I just didn't find any posts. Although, I would like to have the torque of the 955.
Any vehicle can have problems, just look at Toyota for a high profile example. They have, at least to my knowledge, a legendary reputation for reliability and customer satisfaction.
I was reading a RR on adv today http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532&page=4 where the OP described how to replace a bevel bearing and rear seal in a third world country. He described how easyit was. Aside from his multiple aftermarket shock failures (not a BMW fault) he seems to have had good luck with his 1100. He met another fellow with a 1100 GS with nearly 450,000 miles on it. He says the engine is original but has gone through 5 final drives. Pretty good all in all. Seems a bit hit or miss with the big GS. If I ever buy one, it would be one of the 1100's or 1150's.
Again, I'm not beemer bashing, I truly like them, it's just that they are too rich for my blood. I'm mostly just really happy that I stumbled upon a sweet deal on my Tiger and have found out just how great a bike it is.
Quote from: "macgart"It seems, from my reading anyway, that those of us with the first generation Girlies (885i) missed out on the major electrical woes.
Yep it's got a real alternator , just like the steamer , it's only downfall is it only puts out about 400 watts so you can overload it still with lights and heated gear and other electrical doo dads :cry:
Quote from: "macgart"I have always had a thing for the BMW GS and would have bought one instead of the Tiger last year, if I could have afforded it.
The Tiger has been a delight to ride, service, and own in general. The problems are few and fairly simple to deal with, service is very easy, the ride is fantastic, the cool factor is very high, and this site is THE BEST!
I'm with you on all counts Macgart. (I'm curious how many other Tiger owners were GS hunting). I spotted an 1100 in my price range at the local dealer just before taking a week's vacation. Of course it was gone when I came back to town. Cruising Craig's List for another one, I came across an '02 Girly, (7 or 8 years newer, 1/2 the miles on it and about $2,000 cheaper). I still appreciate the GS and BMWs in general and will own them in the future, but the Tiger is a great bike that can do anything the GS can, (and many things better). I'm amazed at how effective the Girly is off pavement and it's an excellent long distance mount. Other than lacking ABS brakes, I'd put its' performance up against any GS, and I never get tired of that unique triple power! A great bike at a great price!
Quote from: "JetdocX"You know, the fact of the matter:
1. All bikes have problems.
2. Owners of certain bikes congregate in certain forums and the horror stories come out.
3. This site is not immune.
4. I could go on and on and have at some length about the shoddy workmanship of my Tiger, and this, that and the other thing.
5. I'm not alone here.
Having said that, I'd take a Tiger over one of those overpriced big GS's any day of the week. :D Much more bike for the money, IMO.
6. Preaching to the chior. :lol:
I was just going to post exactly the same thing. I'll add that coming from a BMW to my Tiger I have some perspective on this. What I noticed most about BMW owners was that they tended to complain a lot more so you hear about a lot more of the problems (yes, that whining wasn't just from the final drive) and so between their complaining and the sheer number of BMW's sold I think the problems seem a little skewed. I absolutely loved my BMW and it's Boxer engine. Never went for a ride without saying to myself "I love this bike". But I'll tell you this, that Beemer couldn't hold a candle to my Tiger when it comes to the love I have for it. Hands down the Triumph is by far my favorite bike and I've been riding now for 36 or 37 years. Every time I ride my Trumpet I scream "WoooooooooHooooo!" in my head. When I die just put that Triple in the casket with me. I don't ever want to live without it. No, it doesn't have the fit and finish my BMW had but my Tigger is so covered with mud all the time it doesn't matter. As for maintenance on my BMW; it was simple.
I had a 650GS and liked it, but not as much as the Tiger. What the GS did have over Tiger was lightness but that was all, the GS paint was rubbish and service costs extortionate. It was an easy-to-ride bike though. The big GS is a cool bike but not £4k cooler than a Tiger. I smile to myself when entering GS territory at my local BMW dealer (I still have a friend who works there) my riding gear could be described as "lived in" compared with their pristine BMW clobber but I kind of enjoy looking like a real-world renegade. I know I'm going to get "the look" from the GS crowd, but I also know my Tiger is cheaper, faster and more reliable than anything that they have, but most of all - IT'S MADE IN ENGLAND!!!!
I test rode the Bimmer and a Tiger Roadie the same day. Bought the Tiger and it was an easy choice. Tiger motor felt much stronger overall. The Tiger turned in better at low speeds and had a better riding position than the BMW. Add in the huge difference in price, the funky turn signal controls and there's no comparison.
Yep, JetdoX and Happy Man made some very relevant posts. It is quite true that all bikes have problems and bike specific forums have tons of negative posts by nature. A lot of us, myself included, go to the forums for help with those problems. Quite right that the sheer number of BMWs out there will lead to large numbers of posts, both positive and negative.
I've never been much for running with the herd, so the Tiger fits me fine. It's kinda nice to be the oddball (on many levels) in the group. Besides, beemer may have panache, but when it comes to the Tiger I have to quote Dirty Harry, "You sure show a sense of style... Sweet is it?".
I read all the scary stuff about things that go wrong on these forums. The forums are like a screen that catches everything. My Steamer has been trouble free for 6,000 miles. I needed a lower cost off-road bike and it has worked fine. I have looked at BMW's many times, but I just dont get "it". Little appeal for me. Besides, nothing looks like a Steamer on the road, unique for sure.
I sold a gs1150adv to a young lad from san diego 4 yrs ago with 10k on it,
he's got 80k on it now and just had the final drive rebuilt not that it was broke just a preventative maintenance thing..
He has had no issues with the thing at all.
BMW owners tend to bitch more and I put it down to having spent a lot of money up-front so they want flawless performance.
You only ever hear of the bad bikes not the ones that run fine with no problems . .
I initially bought the beemer cos it was cheap and I was going to do Alaska on it , instead took my tiger and 50k later still grinning
Horses for courses.
Would have really loved to see the girly chassis with the 1050 motor tho
Happy man you took the words right out of my mouth...... The Tiger is easily the best. I've been riding bikes for 37 years now & I think all round the Tiger has been the best... other big trailies (or adventure bikes as they're now called)I've owned are....
Transalp, R100GS/PD, Africa Twin & Varadero...the only one that came close was the Varadero, but man it was so boring & soulless & those linked brakes... hmmm
Had smaller Traillie type bikes & the Tenere was the best of those.
I road tested the 1150 GS & hated it.
The Tiger isn't perfect but its the nearest, I've found.
Love mine to bits I will NEVER part with it.
Agreed Geoff, Tigger is far from perfect but the overall package works for me.
Now can I have the 675 motor with 100 horses, telelever front end, shaft drive and wet weight around 200kg please?
I have a technical question on this too, talking about BMW final drives. BMW has a paralever, Kawasaki has a tetralever, Moto Guzzi has a torque arm arrangment, all to counteract the rise and fall effect of the shaft.
Yamaha just positions the drive pinion in the correct place (FJR1300) has none of that paraphanalia and works beautifully with no discernable rise and fall. What was so hard about that?
Ya gotta wonder why beemer apparently has more drive issues than other major manufacturers. Maybe we just don't hear about the other issues or maybe it's related to the off road use of the GS. I dunno.
I have had several Japanese bikes with shaft drive with no problems. But then I also did not do a lot of serious off roading. I did take my Honda Aero 1100 up a rutted mining road in South Dakota. Let me tell you, that bike was not built for jumping water bars and diagonal water ruts! It did it, but boy was it uncomfortable. :twisted: