I’m contemplating getting a Tiger for touring (no, my Speed Triple is staying), and was wondering which would suit me better. @stevelovatt thoughts? Obviously I’d do test rides, but just thought I’d put it out here. No pillion, just me.
Ideas appreciated.
Personally if you are mainly solo riding then I would say that the 900 (or 800 for that matter) is more than up to the job.
I know that the latest 1200 model is lighter (apart from on your wallet) than previous models - the Explorer I borrowed for 2 weeks was horrendous to move around, but the weight just puts me off.
Price does chime in - and weight too. It’d be predominantly solo riding, and I gather the 900 is easier to move around, but not less quick. I’d probably go for a bike a couple years old, so the initial investment is somewhat lower. Food for thought, cheers Steve!
I had 2 800’s back to back, an xcx and xrx… road and offroad biased. I’d say stay away from a 21" front wheel. Its too much of a compromise for road use.
That’s useful, Andy. Cheers.
Speed Triple and Tiger sounds like the perfect combination to me
I considered the 1200 when I bought the 900, but having ridden both versions of the 900 (GT and Rally) I decided that the 900 was about as big and heavy as I’d want a bike to be. The 1200 was huge and after trying it on for size in the showroom I declined the offer of a test ride.
The 900 has 94hp. My Speed Triple has 180hp, but I find the performance of the 900 absolutely fine, it has plenty of grunt for a road bike.
I chose the Rally Pro over the GT in the end purely because I preferred how it looked. I’m a bit vain like that
The 900 is lighter than the previous 800, not by much but it has a lower centre of gravity so feels much easier to move around and get up on the centre stand.
My 2005 speed triple has 130 bhp, which is more than enough for me. I have toured with it, and was fine, but I reckon getting a bit older and stiffer I might benefit from a more relaxed riding position. Also panniers would be welcomed.
Those were pretty much my thoughts as well when deciding on a Tiger. To be honest the 180hp in my Speedy is way more than I could ever use on the road and completely unnecessary - If you actually fully open it up you’re into three figures speeds (mph) before you’ve left second gear - Crazy fast
I did actually put together a video on my thoughts on the Tiger and reasons for buying.
Very nice Neal, thanks for that. I did see reviews about complaints of wind noise due to the smaller screen in comparison to the 1200? Does that bother you at all?
Wind noise - no it doesn’t bother me, but I always wear ear plugs. With Regards to wind buffeting, all I can say is that it’s a lot better than the Speed Triple.
There’s a large collection of after market screens available, but it’s not something I’m tempted to spend money on.
When I tried the old 1200 and 800 I was surprised to find that in normal riding the difference in performance wasn’t that big. Had I been in a similar situation to you I’d have gone for the road version of the 800, but I wanted something that would do everything and carry a pillion in comfort so went for the GS in the end. The 1200 obviously has moved on a bit now but if not having shaft drive (which is one of it’s advantagescover the 800/900 for touring) doesn’t bother you save some money/buy a newer lower milage 800/900. Might also be worth trying the Tiger 660 too? As you say test rides will help you decide…
Don’t forget the tiger sport 1050 Wim. Really capable touring bike or just going for a blast.
If they’d put the 1050 engine in the 800 frame no one would have ever bought a 1200!
(or an 800 for that matter
Agreed. The 1050 is underrated by many.
It has crossed my mind Steve, but I want something completely different looking, a bit more “adventurous” if you like.
Fair play, good luck with your search.
I have a test ride on a 1200 booked for saturday.
Could be an expensive weekend
Possibly - if I buy new (expensive) or demo (still expensive) I’ll also need some time to ride it in and get it through first service (expensive again) before I take off for the balkans with it mid August…
If I like it it’ll be my first (and probably last ) new bike ever… Full support from the mrs. though