Reply With QuoteThe bike!
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Looks like a beauty to me. I'd still prefer the ballistic grin factor of the new bike though.
Had a really hectic week finishing all of my work off and leaving today for 10 days on the ACT in Portugal. All packed And ready to go!
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The bike!
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I want a R80 GS!
But I accept the R850 GS is a worthy descendant.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
The R80G/S was far simpler.Originally Posted by Saint-Just
The R80G/S monolever was far more comfortable
<sotto voce>
Wasn't the R850GS the one with the electronic brakes?
</sv>
Nope, ABS was an optional extra, and I think it came with linked brakes.
My bike has no ABS nor linked brakes
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I remember the 850 LM linked brakes as a revelation.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
That's very good news. I had one of the ones with the electronic brake servo. When I discovered how complicated the servicing routine was, how that didn't do much to avoid brake failure, and how much the cost of fixing was if it went wrong, I quickly stopped owning one!
That’s pretty well identical to the one I’m getting.
Replying to post above, I showed my 850GS to my mate who has the new S1KR. They are fabulous bikes, ballistic and agile. Quickshifter and blipper provide a new level of rider enjoyment. But for me, so little passion in the engine vs an old boxer. Way too fast for the road and quite an aggressive riding position with a hard seat.
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Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
When I was looking at R1150GS’s the presence of the electronic servo brake system was a walk away deal breaker for me. Sounds like one of the worst devices ever fitted to a bike.
I'm happy!!
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I often think of upgrading my old 2001 R1150GS, then I hear this type of feedback. I'll sick to the old analogue thing, has never let me down.
Not enough Guzzi content.
They are still on my radar…lovely tractors. I mean bikes lol.
Got any photos?
My buddy loves it. He came from an MT10SP, it is a mind blowing machine but he has an aftermarket can on his and the cold start is obnoxiously loud
He's definitely faster on it, but I still keep up with him on my R850GS
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Plenty, if I ever work out how to post one I shall do so!
My mate sold this one recently😎
It may be more comforts than standard but that seat is a monstrosity!My mate sold this one recently😎
For anyone in the area, it’s the MCC Lands End Trial on Easter weekend.
Starts 5pm Friday evening and goes through the night to end mid-afternoon on Saturday.
Over 300 hardy competitors on two, three and four wheels starting from three different locations (Plusha, Popham, Cirencester) and heading to Bridgwater and on into the main event through Barbrook, Simonsbath, Sutcombe, Darracott, Widemouth Bay, Crackington, Warleggan and finishing at Blue Hills.
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Have to agree. Beautiful LeMans but the seat?
That's the ceramic coating applied, just curing in the sun.
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Watch this space... (maybe)
Bike got Absolutely battered today. Engine bars bent and rear brake failed.
Mitas E07s are no good in the mud and rear brakes are a definite must on steep rocky terrain. Absolutely knackered.
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Jeez that looks intense.Bike got Absolutely battered today. Engine bars bent and rear brake failed.
Mitas E07s are no good in the mud and rear brakes are a definite must on steep rocky terrain. Absolutely knackered.
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What caused the rear brake to fail? How did the other bikes on the trip hold up?
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I would have thought any knobbly would do - in mud? Not like compound would make any difference?
I took a GSA in mud once, with Tourance tyres, and found that it is easy to strain something - trying to keep the bike upright!
Managed to grab a test ride on the new Tiger 1200 this afternoon, although due to my time constraints it was restricted to about 90 minutes in total, so hardly comprehensive.
Anyway, cutting a long story short I decided to confirm my order for the “Explorer” (30 litre tank) version, even though this ride was on a GT Pro (20 litre tank).
In comparison with my current bikes - a 19 plate R1250GS with 25k miles that I’ve owned from new, and a Multistrada 950S with 5k that I picked up last summer, I’d say the Tiger is a great all rounder and a ‘different’ replacement for the GS.
In terms of the engine, it is obviously more rev hungry than the Boxer and it does not have the absolute grunt at the bottom end, which is probably the characteristic I like best about the GS. It makes for a very relaxed ride in slow moving situations which makes the bike easy to ride. On the other hand, the Tiger engine is probably more urgent in the mid-range and sings very nicely at higher revs. In conjunction with a quick-shifter that is streets ahead of the BMW, it makes for a bike that is nice to ride in fast A road situations. In this respect the Triumph is more akin to the Ducati, but with more grunt.
Concerning smoothness, I reckon it all depends what you’re used to. Owners of existing Triumph triples will probably think this new engine is a backward step, but for me, although there are some underlying vibes at around 4k revs, it isn’t something I’d worry about.
Handling and suspension wise, the Tiger felt very supple and in the limited time available I could clearly feel the difference when switching between modes. As always, after an extended time on a GS it will take time to get used to the more pronounced fork dive under braking. And talking of braking, I found the front brake quite sharp although the rear brake is significantly better than the one on my GS. In both cases, I believe the brakes are linked.
For riding comfort, I couldn’t find anything to dislike about the Tiger’s riding position and it seems to offer all day comfort – just as the GS and Multi do. For me (6’0”), the windscreen worked well but I would add a wind deflector to the top as a further improvement.
The controls are fine on the Tiger, although I’m not a major fan of the joystick menu system and although the TFT is huge, I don’t feel that Triumph necessarily made best use of the space. Some of the info is buried a bit deep, even though there seems to be space on the screen to make more information permanently visible. This is not a major issue but in comparison with the GS, I feel it is a bit of a miss.
Overall, I think the Tiger is a bike I will get on with, and with more time and familiarity I think I’ll enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed the GS.
Delivery should be sometime in the next month or so.
Last edited by downer; 14th April 2022 at 19:04. Reason: fixing typo
A very interesting comparison.
Triumph seem to have the looks sorted now (compared to previous).
Did you notice any difference on the move and manoeuvring - with the centre of gravity?
I had a quick push/pull around the car park and the Tiger felt nice and light. Slow speed riding (where the COG was reportedly an issue on the previous versions) was fine. Of course, once the bike gets moving the weight disappears, as it does on all bikes. Anyway, I'm what's known as a 'big unit' so the weight of the bike doesn't trouble me at all.
I didn't try getting it on/off the centre stand but I've read that it requires 25% (IIRC) less effort than comparable bikes.
The E07 is a 50/50 tyre as we had a very long ride to Portugal first. Had to strike a balance. The rear brake doesn't help either!
Ah-hah! It looked well-knobbly........
”Ribbed for extra pleasure”.
Sorry to sound like a rivet counter, but the exhausts are wrong too. But ultimately Guzzi’s are about the engine and sublime handling, which Im sure this bike did.Have to agree. Beautiful LeMans but the seat?
Steve
No idea what happened to the brake. All experienced riders and everyone came off a few times. They've had lots of rain here recently so the track is quite bad. Roding through Spain we had hailstones and snow of biblical proportions. Manged to stay upright through that lot though.
Have to agree. Beautiful LeMans but the seat?
Yeah - looks rather incongruous to me. BUT - a thing of beauty none the less!
Going to look at and give this a test at the weekend...
Cheers,
Adam.
Not my usual kind of bike. But who cares. Time is running out.
30mm bar risers fitted. Centre stand on order. Expected today. Plus a Quadlock yoke mount. Really missed not having a Satnav on the bike. Never used my phone as a Satnav. Anti vibration mount also ordered in the hope it doesn’t goose the phone camera.
when i was looking at navigation last year i ended up with a beeline which works fine and is a small great bit of kit - i didnt like the aesthetics of putting either a phone or a big satnav on my bike (not mention either go flying down the road or i leave on the bike when parked)
https://global.beeline.co/
You don’t need a satnav with a zzr1400 though; you just point it in the general direction, open the throttle and you’re there!
Keep an eye on the oil level though, they have a reputation of using quite a bit and starving the crankshaft and big end bearings.
Last edited by Dave+63; 14th April 2022 at 09:50.
Plus one on the Beeline. Great piece of kit. Nothing you don’t need. Easy to follow directions.
Even on sportsbikes - I've found a place for a small satnav (say - Zumo220). I'm hopeless with directions and road numbers - and rely heavily on a proper satnav.
Once saw a guy with a Ninja636 with the satnav clamped to his left-hand mirror stem. Had to admit it was a good solution!
The oil level drops to the extent that the pump loses suction? (surely those bearings aren't 'splash fed'?)
Yes, if you don’t keep it topped up. The lower limit is there for a reason. The oil level with the engine running is a fair bit lower than what you see in the sight glass when checking your levels.
The joys of bike insurance...
renewal with 3 years NCD on the policy is £93.23.
Ah, but I have 9 years on an expired policy so can I remove the 3 years NCD and apply the 9 years instead?
I can? Good!
renewal with 9 years NCD on the policy is £105.47
Yeah - I know about oil levels, minimums etc - but what you describe is what happens when people get used to riding bikes with no consumption between services so don't check regularly, then buy a bike which burns oil.
True. The ZZR is evidently one of the latter.
When I eventually get round to sorting mine out, it will have an oil and filter change first and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on it.
Nick a lad I know had a blue one of those. Took it to the TT for practice week every year upto 2020. Regularly hit 180 mph over the mountain when its one way. I followed him once along a dual carriageway when he gave it some. It was like a Playstation game, the acceleration was so relentless!
Steve
I’m in Cyprus for 3 week - picking up a couple of XR400’s fir a couple of days - should be a blast
150 mile done in the last couple of days.
Soo happy with the 660, really glad I opted for that over the CB500X.
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TKC80s or something like them are what you need for anything more than a dry hard gravel road, Even though I rag my Gsa on Tourance on the roads I’ll change the wheels and tyres if it’s going to get muddy or slimy.
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first ride out since major heart operation
great to be back on the bike
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