So I sold my DR-Z SM last weekend and now I'm shopping for another moto. Only thing is, I want to make sure this moto can also carry my bicycle(s) and any gear I may need for trips. I dig the Johnny Rack, but don't know if that's the way I want to go. I don't really dig the design with the rear tire still hanging out so far in the wind like a rudder. If I can find a way to move the rear tire inboard closer to the rear rack, it would be much more stable IMO.
My short list is down to these:
Triumph 800XC
F800GS
Another Wee-Strom (BTDT, got the t-shirt)
KTM 990ADV (Friend has a good line on a leftover '08)
I want it to do highway, two up, DS and carry my bikes. I have zero experience with all but the Strom.
What up Ridge, that's all just wanted to say hi. Don't know anything about Moto's except they don't have a soul..
Not much other than racing bicycles consumes most of my free time now. I'm trying to combine both of my passions though with the new moto purchase. Living life for the ride and not always the destination...
Hey pops, how you getting along? I'll let the 919 reference slide on account of senility in old age and all.... Hope to get to ride with you again one of these days.
Hey pops, how you getting along? I'll let the 919 reference slide on account of senility in old age and all.... Hope to get to ride with you again one of these days.
I've been good. This is the latest in the year I've not had one of my bikes off the stands. Weather had been crap, and when it's good it's either too windy or the roads are a mess.
Hard to beat a well setup Strom. I'd like to ride the Beemer though.
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I've been good. This is the latest in the year I've not had one of my bikes off the stands. Weather had been crap, and when it's good it's either too windy or the roads are a mess.
Hard to beat a well setup Strom. I'd like to ride the Beemer though.
I can believe that. This year's storms have been fierce.
Rode the Beemer a couple of months ago. Waiting on the wife to get some free weekends with me so we can go out two up on the Triumph and BMW. She loved the Strom and I liked it as well, just want to get a good feel of what's out there before I jump into a decision. I'm already financed with Suzuki and have a zero balance, so the Strom would be the easiest... just maybe not the best fit.
The tiger guys that have tried out the 800 have all loved it....some enough so to jump ship from the 1050. Bonus, I think the 800 does indeed come with a soul.
Dude.............I'm still using the boots I got from ya!
I think ya should invest in the one with three awesome cylinders. I do not know about carrying your cycle stuff. Seems that stuff will turn into a big sail when you least expect it. But, ya....the Triumph.
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The tiger guys that have tried out the 800 have all loved it....some enough so to jump ship from the 1050. Bonus, I think the 800 does indeed come with a soul.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigdaa
Dude.............I'm still using the boots I got from ya!
I think ya should invest in the one with three awesome cylinders. I do not know about carrying your cycle stuff. Seems that stuff will turn into a big sail when you least expect it. But, ya....the Triumph.
The Triumph is the way I'm leaning, and I really want to get some seat time on it.
I like that Triumph James, you really need to go find one for a test ride. When you buy it you and the lovely missus can take a trek up to my nek o the woods and you have a place to stay!
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Wow, first time I've heard of the Johnny Rack. That's cool, crazy looking, but cool. Reminds me of the time I carried a 6 foot ladder down to my neighboor, on my CL 175...
Wow, first time I've heard of the Johnny Rack. That's cool, crazy looking, but cool. Reminds me of the time I carried a 6 foot ladder down to my neighboor, on my CL 175...
Hahahahahaha! I can actually picture that in my mine, ladder and bike both!
Man, that CL175 had one bullet proof little motor!
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In 1915 T. Roosevelt said, in a speech to the KofC, "There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. "
So I sold my DR-Z SM last weekend and now I'm shopping for another moto. Only thing is, I want to make sure this moto can also carry my bicycle(s) and any gear I may need for trips. I dig the Johnny Rack, but don't know if that's the way I want to go. I don't really dig the design with the rear tire still hanging out so far in the wind like a rudder. If I can find a way to move the rear tire inboard closer to the rear rack, it would be much more stable IMO.
My short list is down to these:
Triumph 800XC
F800GS
Another Wee-Strom (BTDT, got the t-shirt)
KTM 990ADV (Friend has a good line on a leftover '08)
I want it to do highway, two up, DS and carry my bikes. I have zero experience with all but the Strom.
I like all your choices, with perhaps the exception of the V-Strom, it's not REALLY a dual sport adventure bike, now is it? I've sat on the F800GS and have to say it feels really good, pricey as hell though. Gets great reviews, tons of aftermarket support, but it's going to be expensive to own. Have only seen pics and read reviews of the Triumph, pretty cool but probably not quite up to the BMW standard. The entry fee on the leftover KTM 990 ADV is right, have only sat on it but my friend that rode it coming off a KLR was impressed as hell, his first words were "I think you bought the wrong KTM!" Big power, wonderful suspension and brakes, excellent build quality, extensive factory and aftermarket accessory availability, and not nearly as expensive to maintain and repair as the BMW.
Only one ride in today due to limited time of the shop being open and my lengthy demo...
The 800XC is deceiving in it's presence and marketing. From the reports and reviews I have seen, I expected the 800XC to have the best characteristics of the Tiger lineage with the only change being a smaller, more refined power plant. I rode Bloaker's Tiger a few times and I immediately admired the way it was set up for the rider's position from the factory. The 955 engine was linear in its power delivery and rock solid in its footing. My only check mark against it was being a bit on the hefty side.
At first glance, the 800XC gives the appearance of cutting a big profile. I'm not sure if this was due to the accessory lights pointing out the sides and the little mid beak out front, or the brackets and engine guards installed by the dealer to give that "adventure" appeal to the prospective buyer. Whatever it is, the bike looks physically larger than the 955 or even the 1050. I would say it is somewhere between the BMW800GS and 1200GS in size with it being closer to the 1200GS. Swinging a leg over the saddle only confirms the size difference from the old Tiger. It is a wide seat, even wider tank and the bars feel like they are much farther away than they should be for being mounted on a Dual-Sport motorcycle. Every DS bike I have ridden places the rider up high and almost sitting on the tank with the ability to stand and easily see over the front of the bike. The 800XC is not set up for this at all. The stock bars were rotated rather far to the rear from the factory and I felt like I was reaching the entire time I was riding. Never mind trying to access the LCD display while on the road. This could perhaps be fixed with a higher, and more forward seat as well as risers and a bit more narrow bar. Mind you, I'm 5'11 with a 34" reach which I consider well placed in the average male population. This bike seems to be set up for a 6' + rider with at least a 35-36" reach.
The stock windscreen was the best I have experienced on any motorcycle to date. Even with my Hornet DS helmet, my head never buffeted once. I even tucked behind a few 18 wheelers on the interstate to get a true feel of some disrupted winds. She never even budged. A+ on the wind protection. The wind over the screen hit just at the top of the visor on my helmet and I never felt a tug when I turned my head to check for lane changes.
The suspension was soft and plush... more so than I really expected. This created a loss of feel and feedback from the road surface and some vagueness from the front end. I never really pushed it through the curves I routed us through, but it was not confidence inspiring as setup from the factory. This could easily be dialed in though and is nothing more than a note in the to-do list if it was purchased. I'm accustomed to a pretty stiff suspension and each person has their comfort spot, this one was a bit soft for me.
The engine... oh that sweet, sweet triple. Absolutely the smoothest and most stunning feature of this motorcycle is that engine. It is so linear and refreshingly progressive in its power delivery that it will just create an unanticipated grin from your face and the desire to twist the throttle more. As it builds to the crescendo of approaching red line, the exhaust note sings an aggressive and jubilant melody from the stock pipe. I could only imagine the melody and harmony that you would experience with a proper Arrow system fitted. It reminded me of a tuned Aston Martin DBS or the song of an Audi R8 belting out its war cry at WOT. The sound is something you would love to hear over and over again. Did I mention smooth? I never felt a buzz, tingle, harmonic or anything else that would take your attention away from that beautiful sound. My test ride was 115 miles of NC foothills and a smattering of interstate to round it out. I went from strafing corners with precision shifts to 80+ on the interstate without so much as a whimper. I genuinely love this engine.
My wife was in love with the grab handles and the rear seat. It is moderately higher than the driver's seat, but not so much as to place the passenger's head in the wind above my helmet. She held on to me for the first 10 miles or so, then gained enough comfort/confidence to hold on to the grab rails for the remainder of the ride. The seat was a bit soft and she only remarked so after we dismounted from three and half hours in the saddle. We bumped helmets a few times from rolling off the throttle and my crisp shifts when running through the gears. Overall, she gave it 1.5 thumbs up with the only caveat being the firmness of the pillion. I believe a top box with proper backrest would alleviate that as she could move and shift with a bit more confidence.
After we returned to the dealer, my right arm had developed a bit of numbness near the shoulder which is, I'm guessing, due to the reach of the bars and being unable to rest it as much as my left. The LCD display was very intuitive and offered just the right amount of data so as not to overwhelm. You can press through the screens and see miles left per tank, mpg in real time, trip meters, active gear selection and of course speed. The tach is analog which I like a great deal.
We walked around the showroom and sat on the Tiger 1050 and new F650GS for comparison. She likes the seat of the 1050, but it is significantly higher than the driver and her head would be in the wind much more. The ergos felt much more intuitive on the 1050 to me and if I could duplicate them on the 800, it would be nearly perfect. The F650GS (new parallel twin version) just felt small, and low to the ground. So low and swung back that I felt like I was riding a chopper and the pillion is not designed for any adult passengers of normal size.
I'm looking forward to a test ride of the 1050 Tiger and 800GS when the dealer gets one in stock. The 800XC is 80% what I wanted it to be and I believe with the right tweaks/aftermarket, I could get it almost perfect...
Hope to get to ride with you again one of these days.
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