If the "Roadie" isnt a true dualsport like Girlies

[aeronca]

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.

[Advwannabe]

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  

[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

[The Kurgan]

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

[Dr. Mordo]

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.

[Mustang]

The Steamer was actually designed for some light off-road duty.

Actually No it wasn't .....................

from the steamer owners manual ......

[The Kurgan]

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.

[abruzzi]

from the steamer owners manual ......

Looks like you are doubly screwed.

Geof

[JetdocX]

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:

[HappyMan]

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.

[oxnsox]

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....

[thumper-darryl]

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.

[TheMule]

Shinko front 17" 705's look like a pretty good option to me.

[flux]

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)

[brad1098]

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?