Dual Sport Poll - Tiger vs. GS vs. V-strom

[wabbit]

Thinking of getting a dual sport.

Kind of partial to the Tiger because I have already have another Triumph.

My wife thinks the Tiger is ugly.

The GS is ugly, but it's so ugly it looks good.

The V-strom is pretty good looking in my opinion.

What do you think and why? I would probably be buying used due to cost.

[TheCanuck]

Thinking of getting a dual sport.
same here
Kind of partial to the Tiger because I have already have another Triumph.
me too
My wife thinks the Tiger is ugly.
same here, but she's comming around. She still hates the orange though
The GS is ugly, but it's so ugly it looks good.
oops, I think the Tiger just plain old looks better
The V-strom is pretty good looking in my opinion.
The DL1000 is the best looking of the bunch and I love the engine.

So why was my bote (first) for the Tiger.

1) The 955i engine is amazing. I put 26k miles on an 01 Sprint ST, loved it

2) The GS is having hub issues, not all, but some are suffering trip ending failures with little warning

3) The DL1000 only has about 320-400 watts of Alternator, leaving very little left over for heated gear, audio, heated grips and so on. In fact for me the alternator eliminates it immediately.

4) The Tiger is cheaper than the GS by a lot, < 10,500 including some of the best panniers to be had, reasonable. They can be had new for less than 9500 if you shop around.

5) 520 Watts of power from the alternator :-)

6) Did I mention the price difference between the GS and the Tiger

7) I love the Orange!

YMMV,

8) Speaking of witch the Tiger is rumoured to get close to 50 mpg.


cheers,
Tom

What do you think and why? I would probably be buying used due to cost.[/quote]

[Hacksaw]

Can't speak on the V-strom.
I rode a GS for three years. "Great bike"!
It depends on what you want out of it. The Tiger and the GS will do the same things but the Tiger is better in the dirt and The GS is better on the street. The Tiger has a softer suspension (sucks up bumps better) and a better power to weight ratio than the 1100 and 1150 GS. On the street the GS Winn's with it's suspension and ability in the twisties. It sticks to the road like glue and is very forgiving.

The new 1200 gs, I don't know, but I hear good things.....

[wabbit]

My wife hates the orange too.

I like the orange.

I would take an orange or green for my first choice.
Then maybe a black.

I dont like the silver too much.

I would want the bike for touring and exploring. For Twisties etc. I have the T-bird (soon to be cafe t-bird)

[10-95]

I'm in lust with the GS. Maybe in about a year................

I would think the GS would be better at touring than the Tiger, more wind protection, ABS, etc, etc. If Triumph would put a shaft on the Tiger I would consider it though.

[Squeaky]

I love the riding style of all three, but everyone here has their preferences about which "haves and have nots" are for them. Well, a big one for me is price - I can get a newer, cleaner bike for less with the Strom, and for me a lot of the extra stuff you get with the Tiger and GS just aren't worth the extra cash.

The alternator issue is a very valid one for someone who has and will use all of those things that you're plugging in, but I might one day have one of those, if that. It makes a lot of sense for me to have a bike that is easily serviceable and has built a fairly decent aftermarket availability of goodies.

I'm also partial to the v-twin, with it being the only kind of bike I've ridden and it's like music to me...

[Adan]

I rode a GS for three years. "Great bike"!
It depends on what you want out of it. The Tiger and the GS will do the same things but the Tiger is better in the dirt and The GS is better on the street. The Tiger has a softer suspension (sucks up bumps better) and a better power to weight ratio than the 1100 and 1150 GS. On the street the GS Winn's with it's suspension and ability in the twisties. It sticks to the road like glue and is very forgiving.

I agree ;-)

Had an 1150GS for three years also and I think it is the best all-around litter class quasi-DS. Also had an RT for two years, no final drive failures here.

You ought to ride a baby GS, I think you'd be surprised. I am very happy with the mini GS I picked-up earlier this month, have put on about 800 miles on it riding on the weekends, it is definitely a keeper!!! I'll let you try it on a ride anytime.

I had a Vstrom for 6 weeks and could not get used to the nose dive and weak brakes, it simply did not inspire a lot of confidence on the road and absolutely no passion from inside. IMHO the engine's performance is mismatched to the bike's handling, given a non-professional rider of course.

I almost picked up a Tiger this month, but the soft suspension and lack of experience with Triumphs kept me away. LOVED the engine, looks and brakes though.

So here is my personal preference:

A.- F650GS (Dakar if you are tall)
B.- 1150GS
C.- Tiger
D.- Vstrom (Buy cheap, so you can sell quick if it doesn't work out)

[whoa]

Obviously I'm partial to the Tiger. Not enough time on it to say for sure but it seems a bit tall and heavy to me for anything beyond basic double track. Love the torque from the 955i. Has more top end than I want.

Not sure what a used GS goes for but it looks like a wonderful ride. I picked up my 01 Tiger with 7k miles for $5500 from a dealer so would probably be mid to high $4000 from an individual.

Mine is the bright green. I thought the bike was hidious but test drove it anyway and pretty well knew I was going to get it. I tell myself the color is easier to see in traffic and if I go down in the back country, can be seen from a helicopter. ;-)

Either of those two bikes would be very good picks. I bet test driving each would tell you which way to go. The shop here in Austin sells both so hopefully you can find a similar shop near you.
David

[VFRinAustin]

I am in lust with the Tiger in British Racing Green and since I am not planning on getting rid of the Viffer, it would spend most of its time off road anyway so things like wind screens would not be that big a deal.

Only problem is the 1200GS. Now thats another bike I could get along with also.

No real big concern though for now. I wont be in the market for at least another year or two anyway. Got to wait until Connor is closer to getting his one ride

[STrider]

All of them are great, as mentioned before, it really comes down to personal preference. I would love to prefer the Triumph for obvious reasons, but I really think the DL is the better DeaL. The looks have grown on me, the name hasn't. I havent ridden any of them, but have ridden with all of them, and the 'Strom is a great street mount, I have to believe it is at least a workable dirt/ fire road mount, as my KLR buddy & V-Strom buddy had to wait quite a while for me to catch up on the Sprint on some nasty, twisted, rutted, rocky fire road, (sorry, that is a story for another board).

I really have two lists based on $$--
If $ is no prob, I would choose the Beemer,

If $ is a factor, 'Strom.

Speaking of which- Have you considered the KLR 650? It may be one of the ugliest bikes ever, but the Bold New Graphics are an improvement over the olive (or worse, the teal-- :puke: ) To quote Peter Egan quoting somebody else-- "At any time there are a half dozen people going around the world on a KLR, and having a great time"

Stock the KLR does have a slightly limited range and almost no storage, but there is great aftermarket support (see above), and for the price of the Beemer, you could buy 2.5 KLR's.

[Adan]

I would want the bike for touring and exploring.

If you think you'll be doing significant time off road, you may also want to consider the weight factor, the following is a short summary of the dry weight of these bikes (lbs).

1150GS - 549
Tiger - 474
Vstrom - 456
F650 Dakar - 412

:chug:

[whoa]

I am in lust with the Tiger in British Racing Green and ...
... I wont be in the market for at least another year or two anyway.

Too bad, they have a shiny new 05 Tiger in that color at Lone Star right now.

[Tourmeister]

:tab The new 1200 GS is in line with the Tiger weight wise. Suuposedly, it is sub 500 wet with a tull tank. Of course, it cost quite a bit more than the Tiger! :shock:

:tab While total weight is always a concern, how the bike carries that weight is really important. Everyone thinks the GS is top heavy, it is not. It is quite easy to pick up. I've done it solo in some serious mud. However, once the bike is in a place where it is hard to ride out... say maybe a ditch... you're screwed. Of course, the same would be true for any of the bikes on that list :lol: At low speeds, the GS is very agile. However, the lower gearing of the Adventure model for first gear would be desireable. The Vstrom did not seem to have trouble with slow stuff in North Carolina, but that could be because Bill seldom went slow... :-P

:tab Realistically, I think all these bikes are of equal ability on the unpaved stuff. Except maybe the Dakar because it is significantly lighter and I think has more suspension travel than any of the others. On the paved stuff, I think the GS rules. It has great suspension and is exceptionally smooth, feeling rock solid and planted at all times, even at luggage dragging lean angles. But this is not to say that the others are not perfectly capable and excellent street bikes.

:tab For me, the real kicker is the ease of maintenance on the GS. It takes one bolt to remove the gas tank. After that, everything else is right out in the open and easy to work on. Oil changes, spark plugs, valves, etc,... all right there. Parts are not any more expensive than they are for other bikes. Changing the tires is a snap. Yes my final drive failed, but I expect that because I inherited this odd streak of freakish luck from my Dad :roll: It is nice not having to mess with the chain. Lastly, I can tell you from much experience that dropping the bike does nothing to it. Not that I have been tossing mine all over the place :-P But 15-20mph drops in dirt/gravel have done nothing. The thought of that happening to one of my VFRs... :-|

:tab Lately I have been thinking of selling my GS and getting something like a KLR 650 or an XR650L. Those bikes would be better off the paved roads, but they would suck when I try to lead group rides with a bunch of sport and touring bikes. The 650 GS would probably do okay in this role, but the GS rocks at it ;-) So for now, I think I may hang on to it unless someone makes me an offer I cannot refuse :mrgreen:

Adios,

[Adan]

Thinking of getting a dual sport.
The GS is ugly, but it's so ugly it looks good.


Speaking of ugly litter-class kick-a@# DS adventure rides.....

Forgot to mention the KTM 950 Adventure, have you considered it?

I've seen a few used ones go up for sale on ADVrider.com
ORANGE
http://www.ktm.com/EN/images/4685.jpg

ORANGE/BLUE
http://www.ktm.com/EN/images/4689.jpg

Too bad (for me) it is a V-twin, nothing wrong with them, just not my cup of tea anymore. KTMs usually come fitted with some of the best suspension/engines/brakes in the market.

[STrider]

KTMs usually come fitted with some of the best suspension/engines/breaks in the market.

I noticed your spelling of "breaks". Intentional? I only have direct experience with one KTM, a friends '03 520 EXC. It was truly awesome, motor, weight, suspension, brakes, etc. all top notch. What my friend experienced was too much "little" breakage, ie: fasteners falling out, spokes bent/ broken, lines kinking, etc. For perspective, his previous bike was an XR400, so he may have needed his reliability guage recalibrated.

Sorry for the hijack, my point (finally)

I think the KTM is an excellent, albeit potentially pricey option, and it has recieved nothing but great reviews. I can't (so far) get used to the origami space ship look though (but I really like the 990 superduke - go figure).

[Adan]

KTMs usually come fitted with some of the best suspension/engines/breaks in the market.

I noticed your spelling of "breaks". Intentional?

:oops: :oops: :oops: No, just my ESL (English as a Second Language) showing :oops: :oops: :oops:

[STrider]

Sorry Adan, that was really not meant critically. I thought you were kidding/ intentional.

[Tourmeister]

:tab The KTM is an awesome machine. However, it will be a lot of work to maintain. It is the most dirt worthy of all the bikes mentioned here, including the Dakar. But even something like an oil change is a real **** and expensive. Like many dedicated machines, it takes a lot of TLC to keep it in top shape, more so than any of the other bikes. Still, it does call to me in a soft lulling voice... The black/silver version is good looking despite the origami styling.

Adios,

[wabbit]

What about 2up power/comfort.

I like the idea of the 650 bmw. I am tall enough for it, but will it be alright with my wife and i on the bike.

Right now we ride a 900cc Triumph Thunderbird. The power is fine for both of us, but we dont have a whole lot of space.

[Tourmeister]

:tab The 1150GS is quite roomy and has more than enough power for you, her, and a buttload of luggage. The KTM would not be so comfy. Not sure about the Tiger ergos, but it should have enough power. The 650 GS would be straining under the weight of two people and luggage, it would overwhelm the suspension. It is not a powerful bike so the ride would not be much fun. Not sure about the Vstrom ergos, but the added weight definitely push the limits of the soft suspension. It should have enough grunt though.

Adios,

[Adan]

What about 2up power/comfort.

I like the idea of the 650 bmw. I am tall enough for it, but will it be alright with my wife and i on the bike.

Right now we ride a 900cc Triumph Thunderbird. The power is fine for both of us, but we dont have a whole lot of space.

I'd say 2up on the 650 may not be too enjoyable for either one of you because of power and room. I'd reccomend it ot for 1up adventures mostly. I sit on the passenger seat and use the passenger pegs often for a more sport bike posture and to avoid dragging my boots.

The full-size GS is an excellent 2up adventure-touring bike, and there are some smoking deals out there on used 1150s due to the ADV and new 1200 models.

[VFRinAustin]

The KTMs are great off road from what I hear as you would expect from the company that has made the winner of Paris-Dakar the last 6 or 7 times in a row.

I just can seem to wrap my sensibilities around the harsh body design. And that says a lot coming from a guy who owns a 2003 VFR. Also cant get over the price. For something that expensive I would hope it would be less to maintain not more (can anyone say Ducati)

[Mer]

Go with the Tiger. I think it's an AWESOME looking bike!!

[Sleepy Weasel]

You ought to ride a baby GS, I think you'd be surprised. I am very happy with the mini GS I picked-up earlier this month, have put on about 800 miles on it riding on the weekends, it is definitely a keeper!!! I'll let you try it on a ride anytime.

So here is my personal preference:

A.- F650GS (Dakar if you are tall)
B.- 1150GS
C.- Tiger
D.- Vstrom (Buy cheap, so you can sell quick if it doesn't work out)

I'm assuming you're not riding the Dakar, correct? If you're on the "normal" version, how tall are you? I've been thinking about one, but at 5'7" with stubby legs, my choices are kind of limited.

[pdef]

I voted for the GS, but only because the KLR wasnt up there.

Another possibility is the aprilia Capo Nord. I haven't heard much about them, but no news is good news, right?

[Adan]

I'm assuming you're not riding the Dakar, correct? If you're on the "normal" version, how tall are you? I've been thinking about one, but at 5'7" with stubby legs, my choices are kind of limited.

Correct, mine is the regular F650GS; I am 5'9" 32' inseam with stubby legs as well. 5'7" should be absolutely no problem on a regular F650GS.

I saw a lowering kit (dogbones, shock block, shorter centerstand & sidestand) for the F650 on ADVrider today for $150, not sure how much it is new, but it is good that BMW makes it available.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63956

[STrider]

Sorry to keep harping on the KLR idea, but the idea should apply equally well to GS--

My bud that has one (KLR) is WAY under 5-7, and he added a cut down Corbin seat that allowed him to touch one foot at a stop. Something to consider for the inseam challenged on any tallish bike.

[Tourmeister]

I was surprised there were not a few other bikes on the list:

KLR 650
XR 650L
DR650
Aprilia Caponord

maybe a few others? :shrug:

Hey Buck000, have you been riding your DR650 at all? I could store it for you if it is taking up too much space in your garage ;-) Of course, the rule is, you have to leave the key :-P

Adios,

[Sleepy Weasel]

Correct, mine is the regular F650GS; I am 5'9" 32' inseam with stubby legs as well. 5'7" should be absolutely no problem on a regular F650GS.

Gracias. 8-)