Odd choice maybe, but Wee Strom or Tiger 955?

I was going to say that. If you can manage to ride the Tiger without a issue. Then you will buy one. I see now that you did infact ride one ok.

Now for my two pence worth. I used to own/ride a Aprilia Caponord.( 33000 miles on her) before I part ext her for a 2010 model DL650. reason for this was weight/height/MPG 45 to 65 with the Wee. Speed was becoming a issue In the uk, The law/police are targeting speeding. and its so eay to speed on the 1k bikes. At first i found my Wee a little slower then the Capo. However after a little while you become use to it & you get just as much fun at more legal speeds.plus the saying you get more out of riding a slower bike fast then a bigger one slower. the Wee will corner better then the tiger. The tiger will be better two up. however the Wee is ok two up, But you will feel it a little.

It depend also on how tall you are & how heavy you are. My Wee is good for me & my mrs, I weight approx 13st and the boss weights 7.5st. I'm 5.8ft. 29 inside leg. our last trip we did 2511 miles in 6 days two up fully loaded. sat nav speed @ 80mph I was getting 65mpg (uk gallons). Just one more thing before i go. My Wee is cheaper to insure to.

I hope you find this helpful.
John

I own an '01 Tiger and regularly ride a Wee as a friend of mine has one and wants to trade bikes every time we ride . His Wee has been spot on reliable for him for years and he loves it, but he is willing to cheat on it every time the Tiger shows up in his driveway. I, on the other hand, do not particularly enjoy the trade.

The tiger, other than having an aftermarket shock go out on me, has been worry free for several years now. She has 43000 miles on her and I regularly get 48 mpg and can get 52 mpg when I concentrate on driving more conservatively (which is hard to do with the triple). I love the old girl and have even considered buying a used motor off ebay for her so that 60-65000 miles from now I can dump the new motor in her and keep going. The new 800 and 1200 tigers look very interesting but unless something dramatic happens with the finances I'll be riding the girlie for a very long time.

I think EvilClown and several of the other folks who have posted make great points as there many good bikes out there but I regularly see girlies in the $3500-$4000 range and believe that they represent one of the very best values out there. The Wee will do a great job for you but the Tiger will do a great job as well and will make you smile every time you twist the throttle.

Good Luck with whatever you choose,

Todd

We take 4-6 hour rides twisties + gravel roads almost every weekend, and my mates run on KTM 950/990s, BMW GS/GSAs, Triumph 800XCs, and V-Stroms. I ride a 2000 Tiger which I bought for $700. No problem keeping up or leading in any terrain.

I don't think I enjoy my ride any less than my fellow riders. Brilliant motor: Plenty of torque, smooth; comfortable 2-up with camping gear; Acerbis plastic tank good for 250 miles+; heated grips, 12V aux power for my vest/GPS. Top Heavy! Just as unmanageable off-road as any of the other bikes. The big Negative: the Girlie is FUGLY ... so I do drool over the Katooms! which are just as ugly as the GSs.



Research on the 955i and riding experience revealed a few critical weaknesses that can easily be addressed:

1. Suspension: Too soft, but only the BMW Telelever or KTM WP suspension has this beat. Fix: Ricor Intiminators[/URL] (or RaceTech Emulators) fork mod, Ohlins/Penske/HyperPro Shock.
2. Fuel coupling: Fragile plastic. replace with Colder CPC Stainless Steel from QuickCouplings[/URL] ($50 fix)
3. Tires: Same deal with any of the big trailees; Recommend Heidenau K60s[/URL] ; Pro/Cons of a 19" Front wheel
4. Rubber pegs: Replace with serrated PivotPegz[/URL]
5. Better bash plate: But many of the newer bikes are running plastic bash plates.
6. Windscreen - wind buffeting
7. If you submerge the bike in water: You have to remove the fuel tank and air box to get to the sparkplugs.

If you get the first 4 issues sorted, and assuming you've installed crash bars/engine guards, you'll be on par with any of the other bikes.. at a much smaller investment. I'm only $2000 in the hole.

If you go with the V-Strom, DL1000 that is, you'd still have to address suspension and the protection. You'll never match the Triumph Triple motor.

All bikes are a compromise, but you can ride anything anywhere:

On our last ride I was inspired by Sjaak Lucassen off-road on an R-1! See video: http://youtu.be/ThO-w9SCM8I The fastest bike off-road last weekend was the Triumph Bonneville, until he bottomed out and lost his left chromed reverse cone muffler. - No worries: we had tools. We creamed our bash plates on a few rocks and logs.






If you go off-road be prepared to drop your bike... standard technique on a failed hill climb is:

1. turn right,
2. drop left to keep wheels downhill.
3. If front wheel is further uphill, drag... yes drag.. the bike around to point the front wheel downhill.

How much $$$ can you afford on a bike and not feel bad when you have to do what's necessary to off-road.

Love what you ride, and ride the hell out of it!

I definitely wasn't including the Tiger as a budget option. I've seen a couple 2003-2005s out there since I started this thread and they're all selling for about the same as an ~07 Wee Strom ($5k +/- $500). My reasoning for the Triumph was the "wow" factor I keep hearing about, plus the fact that I basically own the hunched over version of the 650 Strom in my SV.

The Tiger lost it's 9.3" (230mm)/7.9"(200mm) long travel suspension after 2001. 2002 forks reduced to 180mm, and 2005-2006 were 170mm just like the 1050. All were 43mm damper rod, KYB non adjustable forks; but the fork caps can be replaced with pre-load adjusters off a Speed Four.

2002-2006 were very much road oriented, with the 2005-2006 going further (less suspension travel) and loosing the wire spoked wheels. The 2006 had 1050 lower cases. If for some odd reason you feel the Tiger is underpowered just swap out cams/heads/pistons and use Speed Triple ECU maps (download free from TuneECU ). For reliability on any ADVenture tourer, I recommend keeping the motor and auxilliaries as stock as possible.

Just as the Tiger needs prep for off-road, a V-Strom would need the appropriate suspension mods, protective farkles, and appropriate tyres.

The opposite end of the spectrum from the BMW R1200 GSA is most likely the KLR... Interesting video on DS/ADV bike selection criteria: "Which Dual-Sport Motorcycle is Right for You?" Although a bit extreme, there's a lot of truth supporting the opinion.

A significant determing factor in selecting your motorcycle is: if you plan on adventure tours across borders. Be aware of the cost of Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD) A trip into Egypt would require security = 800% the value of your vehicle. South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal) or Iran: 500% ; South America: 300%; Kenya, Nigeria, Libya, the Middle East, Malaysia or Singapore: 200%. The rest of Africa, Japan, Australia or New Zealand: 150% .

Add to the planning the availability of spare parts and adequate fuel. Sudenly air-cooled and carburated XLs, KLRs, and DR become very attractive. An Indian Enfield or Ural would be brilliant!

Back in the day, they rode what they brung. Outta Sight Racing ran a 1972 Honda SL350 in a recent Baja 1000 followed by using the same bike in Flat Track, MX, Road Racing, and Trials!

I had a tiger for 3 years and have now had a vee for nearly a year. have not got to ride a wee, but the vee fits me great. for me the ergos and lack of buffeting on my vee sold the trade for me. I LOVED the triple on the girlie, but did not love the wind buffeting I could never solve, and always felt just a little awkward on it. my two gripes on the vee are fuel range (which won't be an issue on the wee) and it falls on its face at over 100mph which the tiger did NOT. if you like the ergos on the tiger in my opinion it is a KILLER bike and will probably spark your interest more than the wee, I just could never get the right feel on it.

I just picked up an 03 Tiger for $3500. Good prices are out there, just have to be patient.

Just made my decision a few hours ago and pulled the trigger on an 05 Tiger in British racing green....my first ever Triumph.

sweet! you'll love it! great color too.

Just got back from my first ride, you're right I do love it! Bout shed a tear loading it on my trailer a few minutes ago.

Let's see some pictures! Great thread and discussion.

Shame you got the green one, everyone knows the Silver one's are more reliable and faster.

Now you tell me

...AND...silver color hides dirt better. For folks with wind / buffeting issues - the palmer brackets & medium screen transformed my 06' girlie into a GREAT adventure tourer. 80 mph (only where legal of course) is now free of 'bad wind'.

This is a good and very understandable discussion. I have been back/forth on this many times as the later Tiger 955i has stayed on my 'gotta have one someday' list. As others have said, if you wait like a vulture, a good deal will come around. The thing that has held me back is I don't have room for a 3rd bike, which means I'd have to sell one, and I love both my bikes.... plus it hasn't been "right" timing to sell either - even if I could come to part with one.

the question I could never convincingly answer was this: given that I love riding where one reasonably should NOT be riding a weestrom, what is it that I would actually GAIN with the Tiger? I've had lots of suggestions, but none convincing.... I don't think I would lose much except Range and agility - but those are two fairly important values...

The Tiger had been on the same list for me. It took a while but the motorcycling stars finally lined up the other day, and another bike on my list is checked off.

Motorcycles are such a individually relative thing, as for a "gain" that would be for you to decide. I've never owned a wee, but have ridden a couple of them, and think they are great bikes. If I did have a wee parked next to the Tiger I'd walk around the wee to ride the Tiger, that's all the gain I needed to make my decision.

Haven't even got mine home yet, she spent the night in the hotel with us in Greenville. Thankfully the kids have a garage to store her in while we are here visiting them in Myrtle beach. I doubt the folks in this hotel would have appreciated me taking her to the 10th floor in the elevator...



Now honestly...y'all actually expect me to believe Silver is faster, better looking, and more dependable than British Racing Green? NOT..



Will have better pics once I finally get her home....

well i have had a few bikes but when i rode a friends Bonnie i started to look into the world of trumpys n here is wat i got, and man LOVE is in the Air, done some good mile on her, reliable as hell and happy as a pig in mud :)






long live the triple growl

Had a ride on a friends 955i Tiger a few years ago, took it for a decent long run and really hated it, god it was awful, sorry.

I'd go with the V-Strom.

No need to be sorry, if everyone liked them mine would have been a lot more expensive.

I think it's amazing a Scotsman even test rode a bike built by their neighbors......