Before I bought my GS, I tested a Tiger, among other things. The Tiger got ridden after a Varadero (I’ve been Honda man for donkey’s years and brand loyalty had to come first, although it didn’t last in this comparison), but before the GS. Compared to the Honda, I liked it and it looks good too. Much more sporty that the Honda, the seat was superbly comfortable (granted, an optional gel seat) and the whole impression was just of a classier bike all round. It handles really nicely, much lighter and easier to chuck about than the Honda, but at one point it did get badly caught by the wind (climbing uphill on a by-pass with a long right hander, I crested the hill and took the full force of wind from my right and had to really work to get the bike back on line round the right hander again). That triple engine is a peach – I rode Sprint ST 955 a few years ago and loved the engine then, the 1050 is even better. The only real downer on the Tiger is the mirrors, which are frankly utter rubbish.
I also rode a KTM SM-T: the pegs are very high, not the relaxed knee position I was looking for. Suspension and handling are fantastic. My biggest grumble is that it loves accelerating and braking, but it is very hard to hold a constant speed, either of 30 past the cameras or of 70ish on the dual carriageway. The throttle just doesn't seem to like the idea of holding steady and it's not a smooth ride in that respect. Having said that, it's a fantastic hooligan bike and draws you in to riding quickly – I don’t think you could slow down and look at the view on this bike even if you wanted to. I'd love one in my garage for sunny days round country lanes, but as the only bike in the garage to do everything, it's just not quite there.
Then it was a GS, and I discovered that everything I’d heard was true – they are superb machines. I’ve had mine 5 days and 445 miles so far.
