New Tiger or GS1200

[Howard Millichap]

Alan, the final drive had excess play,noticed by me and changed before i took the bike away.When i got home i thought the front end felt odd so got the spanners out.turns out the fork sliders were bent.the front wheel had a flat in it.fair play to bath rd,all these parts were changed.more recently,the front wishbone was changed due to wear in the ball joint hole.the rh switchgear was also changed as the heated grip switch fell apart.no problems with warranty at southport superbikes.
The forks and wheel were damaged,hence no warranty.if i had not noticed these and asked bath rd to sort it out i would have been riding round on it thinking the forks had a poor action,and maybe they were all like that!
Slight bends or damage to telelever front ends is hard to spot.
Bike is now fully sorted an i love riding it.

Nice to know that everything falls to bits after a year trundling around a quarry.

 

[Wierpig]

six months howard,six feckin months and 1500 miles!
hardly trundling though.

 

[Alan B]

Well, sorry guys, but I won't be joining you.

Had another extended ride on both the Tiger and the GS, and there isn't really a comparison, the engine on the Tiger is simply miles better. It's smooth from tickover, and has more power throughout the rev range. This utimately gives a much better riding experience, which is what it's all about for me.

The other factor was price, would have cost another £1,800, not including a tradein value of £700 less than I was offered at the Triumph dealer.

So, happy riding, and if a guy on a blue Tiger gives you a wave, it could be me.

cheers,
Alan

 

[Shep]

Well, sorry guys, but I won't be joining you.

Had another extended ride on both the Tiger and the GS, and there isn't really a comparison, the engine on the Tiger is simply miles better. It's smooth from tickover, and has more power throughout the rev range. This utimately gives a much better riding experience, which is what it's all about for me.

The other factor was price, would have cost another £1,800, not including a tradein value of £700 less than I was offered at the Triumph dealer.

So, happy riding, and if a guy on a blue Tiger gives you a wave, it could be me.

cheers,
Alan

Good luck with your choice, and stick around on here anyway, its a nice place to be

Shep

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Keep in touch

Yes, I will be interesting to learn how you feel when you have covered a few miles; much as I would like to ride a British bike it would be a bit difficult to change after 30 years with BM's.
'Threy' say that the new Tiger is no longer a real 'adventure bike' whatever that may mean but IS a versatile sporty all rounder, so unless you are one of the small proportion of riders who go 'off-road' it seems like a sensible alternative - but I will wait and see! (Did I read 35 mpg somewhere?)

 

[Colban]

Bit of a Triumph fan myself (own a T595) as well as the BM,so just to echo what others are saying..why not give us an in depth "owners" report in a couple of months.
Good luck with the new toy and lets see if Triumph do an "Adventure" version later on.

Dont know if you've seen this website.
http://www.tiger1050.com/

 

[Alan B]

Thanks for the positive responses, and yes I'll resurrect the thread later in the year to provide a review of how I've found the Tiger.

And yes, I'll stay with the site, I've already benefitted from some excellent advice about GPS devices last year, and maybe there'll be some opportunities for shared interests/rideouts/etc in the future.

cheers,
Alan

 

[jnrobert]

Well, sorry guys, but I won't be joining you.

Had another extended ride on both the Tiger and the GS, and there isn't really a comparison, the engine on the Tiger is simply miles better.

I don't want to say I told you so, but. . . There isn't a bike that isn't better than a GS based on a test ride. Its the nature of the beast. Good luck with the Trumpet

 

[BIGMARKY]

I would love to know how it rides after 6 or 7 thousand miles on it,my 955i still dont feel run in yet although the engine seems to be more free.The greese monkeys at Three Cross reckon the gear box takes 10.000 miles to run in.
Be warned though Triumph will probebly release next years model with heated grips and panniers as an all in package.....the gits.
oh and lastly go get some engine bars asap....twill save you a fortune later.
happy days.

 

[PhilBolton]

Tigers v 1200GS

I got my first Tiger in '93 and I've had five now, current is 955i cast wheel model - Great bike! 30,000 miles in less than 3 years and no problems at all! But after a test ride on the new one, I've ordered a 1200GS for March.

Phil

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Tiger or GS

'But after a test ride on the new one, I've ordered a 1200GS for March.' Could you tell us why please ?

 

[gavinsp]

Not just yet

Two weekends ago ... out on my 1150GS pass Hughenden M40 Triumph dealer ... Ah, ok, let's have a look at this new Tiger then ... Test drive? Sure ... First £1000 to your account sir, and your license please ... Shit, will have to be careful then ... great motor ... very quick, at least it FEELS quick, look at speedo, where the feck is the speedo ... Oh, take eyes RIGHT off the road, there ... Wow, 80, 80??? It feels MUCH faster ... engine revs high, keep looking for another gear, but we're already in top gear ... motorway will be a pain in the ... er ... a pain ... So, 45 reasonably cautious (and not nearly enough) minutes later and ... NO SALE. Back on my 7 year old baby ... whoops 80 ... feels slower, but isn't, engine more relaxed, feels slower through the bends too, but a quick glance down confirms it's just as quick ... OK, overdrive means that every once in a blue moon I need to go down a gear to get through a shrinking gap ... so if you absolutely have to be the very fastest flashiest newest in debt bugger on the block, go on then ... as for me ... Tiger, it was fun to dance but I'm afraid the old girl still does it for me. Now that dirt lane ...

 

[PhilBolton]

'But after a test ride on the new one, I've ordered a 1200GS for March.' Could you tell us why please ?

The new Tiger has a great engine, grunt anywhere and everywhere, that has to be said, but I think it's focus has moved more to the "sports" end of the spectrum, great for a sunday blast on the twisties, but it's not the comfy, long distance mile muncher anymore.
I've had five Tigers, the first in '93, and I really can't fault them, nor Triumph's warranty and service. My current one is not three years old yet, a 955i cast wheel model with 30,000 miles on it and no problems at all. I ride all year and get a five or six week trip in the summer, furthest I've been is probably Turkey, and I've had the footrests (heroblobs) down on both sides in the corners.
I don't think the new Tiger would give me the same as the old one. I could go on a bit more, but you tell me if I answered your question.

Phil

 

[Brian ROSEN]

The answer

'I don't think the new Tiger would give me the same as the old one. I could go on a bit more, but you tell me if I answered your question.' Yes, of course. As good a reason as any. Many thanks, Brian

 

[1200gsbikercat]

virgin r1200gs owner

Hi,had mine all of 1 week now.Done a couple of runs 2 up with my (biker bitch) fella and absolutely love it.He reckons it rocks on the back,cant believe the comfort.Hopefully the weather will hold next week and give it a proper run to the coast,thank BMW for decent heated grips.
Just thought i would say a Thank You to Allan Jeffries of Shipley for letting me have a test ride before xmas,they let me use the demo from 10am to 5pm,actually got up late so 11-4.30.Can you beleive it?I have to say,an hour or 2 would not have done it justice.I even cancelled a test ride on the new Tiger ,tho that had more to do with a hangover/flu symptoms ahem.
Cant stress enough that you get a decent test ride,an hour is just not enough with this bike.Altho i didnt buy a bike from Jeffries they will be getting all my buisness regarding servicing(due to good rep and feedback anyway)Excellent service and comunication.
By the way,my brother borrowed the GSA the same day?Never thought you could pull a wheely on one of those.

 

[JohnC]

Currently have a Pan European, but don't like it, it's to big and heavy. Previously I had a Tiger 955i for 3 years, which I enjoyed, and did alot of miles including continental trips. My riding style is brisk.
Prior to that had sports bikes.
I now want to change. I've ridden the new Tiger 1050, and it's a lovely ride. The only drawbacks were - it's a little skimpy especially at the back, no where to put a tail pack, weather protection is poor; the brakes were a bit wooden; and depreciation is likely to be bad (but it does only cost £7,500).
I've not ridden the GS1200 yet, but will be next week. I think it's likely I will like the handling, but might find the engine and gearbox not as good as the Triumph. It obviously will be better than the Triumph in the areas I mentioned, but will cost £2,000 more !
Any thoughts from people in similar dilema ?
cheers,
Alan

The new tigers box is crap, believe me, it's way worse than my old 1100 GS never mind the 12. I had a two hour test drive as it was offered, and I came back completely underwhelmed by everything bar the motor. It's not in the same ball park as a GS.

 

[Philm4]

Buying either a 1050 Tiger or GS 1200

Test ridden a 1050 tiger today, I am either now going to buy one of these or a 1200gs. I have to say the tiger was awesome, it was comfortable, easy to ride, handled superbly and had a great engine, the only downside was wind noise, I am 6'4'' and with the touring screen it was very loud, I would need earplugs. I have only done a few miles on the 1200gs so need to book a long test ride. The advantage of the tiger is you seem to be able to get an ex demo for £6500 with whereas that will only just scrape a 3 year old well used 1200 gs. Insurance is about £100 more on the tiger though. Anyone bought a tiger on here?

 

[Ash]

had a test ride on the new tiger.
i found it very tall[bear in mind i have a gs1100]and very road biased.more road than adventure.compare the old tiger against a new one and you will see what i mean.ill take the bmw please.i would'nt fancy a new tiger on anything but a road and dont forget your high heeled shoe's

 

[Eastriding2002]

I don't know why we try comparing the new Tiger with a GS or any other giant trailee style bike. The new Tiger is just a big tall all round road bike. Fitting in the slot left vacant by the old style Fazer Thou, and maybe sitting alongside the Honda CBF1000 and new Bandit perhaps?

 

[scottpa]

I had a test ride of the new tiger before the 12GS.
I think of the tigger as a tall speed triple. The 17in front rim makes it turn in a bit faster. Minimal wind protection for my 6' frame. The engine is a belter, but the gearbox is full of cornflakes, I had hear rumours that the GS box was supposed to be agricultural and to be fair it is a bit rough by comparison to the Vstrom but it is made of silk compared to the Triumph. My left foot was in pain after about an hour and a quarter test ride because of the gear lever.

So a couple of problems really spoilt the whole tigger experience for me. Maybe in 4 or 5 years when I come to change I'll give the tigger another go. But until then I am very happy with the GS. Most addictive, rewarding bike I have ever owned.