Looking at the Triumph Tiger 800....

Seen that video before.....Funny sh....t :rofl:

 

L

Hey congrats and have fun with it!

 

I've heard nothing but bad things about the GS from numerous experienced riders over the years. Three lifetime owners have told me the entire back end is complete crap, and that if i wanted to take one to South America I'd be wise to have it entirely rebuilt with higher quality aftermarket parts. I thought maybe this wasn't true, and then I watched Ewan and Charlie and their constant busted shocks, cracked rear sub-frames, etc. Everyone I've spoken to said if you wanna do the type of thing the GS is supposedly made for, there's just one bike for it - the KLR.

That being said, if you're interested in a triumph tiger and you have a little cash, the answer is clear (and I myself am becoming somewhat obsessed with these bikes). My guess is this thing, with Honda reliability and that beautiful engine, would smoke a GS1200 or a Triumph Tiger like a fine cigar:

 

Can we get that here in the U.S.?

 

Around the world.......Honda Cross Tourer YES :thumbsup:
KLR not sure :noidea:
Wish Honda would bring the Cross Runner and the Tourer to the US :sad:

 

I've been interested in trans-Asia motorcycling since long before Ewan and Charlie's stupid TV show came out. Every time I meet an experienced dual-sporter I ask them their opinion on bikes, and every time I hear about a reference to someone riding around the world I look up their website. By far the most common bike cited is the KLR, for example here. Trying to do a trip like that on a bike as complicated and fragile as the pathetic GS1200, or as complicated and awesome as the badass (but wholly 1st world) Crosstourer, is sheer lunacy. The only reason the rich kids got away with it was because they had millions of dollars following them around.

 

Tyaro, Thanks for the link
Some amazing road trip for sure, this is where I found a lot of interesting report
:crazy: Peeps used all type of bike not just the 1200 GS
Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB

 

I just got through watching an installment of Ewan and Charlie's "Long Way Down" adventure ride in Africa. My impression of the GS is a very heavy street bike with crap suspension for real off road reliability. They look the part but I think they are actually made for road work. I am sure a specialty builder could make it work for the dirst and sand but the bikes they were on didn't look up to the task. I was thinking that if you are truly going to parts of the world where they don't have mechanics and parts, It would be best to take a bike that has fewer parts. Also, as part of your trip prep shouldn't you learn something about bike repair before you leave.

I was following a couple, several years ago, who was doing the whole "around the world ride" thing and They started with her on a F650 and him on a GS. They finally broke his GS and opted to replace it was another F650. Like the KLR the F650 is simple, light weight and had they had the added benefit of two bikes with the same parts.

Ultimate Journey

 

Yeah...not liking the GS at all and having owned a beemer in the past, I wouldn't own another. So far, I am liking everything about the Tiger and I am going to go check on out next weekend. Although I won't be buying until spring because I want to wait on the 2014's as well.

Sadly, my beloved 2000 VFR may be up for sale at that time.....:frown:

 

Nothing wrong with owning two bikes

 

It seems to me that Beemers are overly complex for a trip into a primitive world. I was thinking about the collapsed shock problem. It took them hours to get that single shock out of the middle of the bike. The old twin shock bikes took about 10 min each to R&R. The GS is billed as a rugged, round the world tourer. I think it might be if you were touring Europe or The States. I think I would rather ride Africa on a KLR or even an XR650. The other thing about the Ewan and Charlie's "Long Way Down" adventure, they were packin heavy and yet had two chaise vehicles. Please! Did they really need those beemers loaded for bear? It's like all reality shows, it was crafted to look like something it was not.

 

. . .or eight.

 

I am going to try and keep the Viffer....gonna come down to how much cashola I can save up by March :smile: I don't have Scuba money, hahahaha otstir:

 

Fix it for you........

 

Hehe the more the better otstir:
BTW I love your Norton :thumbsup: might look for one when I am ready to move to Mexico otstir: