Quote Originally Posted by djjuk View Post
Took my bike in for a service this morning and took the opportunity to try out the new Tiger 900. I had a Tiger 800 before my T120 so was keen to see how the new one rode.

Initial thoughts after a cold, rainy ride.

The unmistakable triple sound and feel are still there although it sounds more twin-like at low revs.
Seems to have a decent amount of torque lower down vs. the older 800.
Just as easy to ride as the 800.
It was a lot more vibey through the pegs and grips than I remember on my 800.
Needs some bar risers although that could just be my shape!
Still feels top-heavy.
The new large TFT shows a lot of information and is clear to read. However - too much is shown and it is too big/distracting.
The seat was rock hard!

So - in my very humble opinion if I was still looking at a tiger I would find it hard to justify the considerable extra for a 900 over a well-sorted late generation 800.
Funny, isn't it - when I test rode both the 900 GT and Rally I felt quite differently in most respects:

Rideability - I thought they were much easier to ride than the 800, although the edges of the Rally's frame guards dug into the inside of my knees;
Torque - better;
Firing order - worse, I didn't particularly like the attempt to create more grunt at lower revs and emulate a twin; it wasn't necessary and created vibration;
Gearing - felt like it needed another gear (7th);
Seat - better and lower, could easily plant both feet which I couldn't do on the 800;
Centre of gravity - better, I thought the 800 had a much higher centre of gravity;
TFT - garish and a bit OTT.

I'm sure there was more but these were my stand-out impressions.