[TheVaas]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I think it gets semi active suspension as well? No?

Nope. This comes with the basic - Front (non adjustable) and Rear manually adjustable Marzocchi suspension. The Semi active suspension was only with the 1200 series. The 900 GT Pro has electronical adjustable rear suspension. But that's not going to be launched in India.

Hardcore offroad is stupid on any of these bikes. Some simple gravel is about it.

I second this. Even basic off-road (read: Bad roads, under construction roads, gravel-loose stones etc.) will be a task.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by TheVaas

Nope. This comes with the basic - Front (non adjustable) and Rear manually adjustable Marzocchi suspension. The Semi active suspension was only with the 1200 series. The 900 GT Pro has electronical adjustable rear suspension. But that's not going to be launched in India.



I second this. Even basic off-road (read: Bad roads, under construction roads, gravel-loose stones etc.) will be a task.

No no, i meant for the Versys 1000. Though available in the international model, they dropped the skyhook suspension for india

[TheVaas]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

No no, i meant for the Versys 1000. Though available in the international model, they dropped the skyhook suspension for india

Oh sorry I thought you meant the 850! Baffles me why these brands drop all the 'suspension' and 'bad road' related technology from the Indian models when we are the optimum 'test mules' for the same!

[imranstael]

Originally Posted by TheVaas

I second this. Even basic off-road (read: Bad roads, under construction roads, gravel-loose stones etc.) will be a task.

I find such roads much easier to ride on adventure bikes. The big front wheel, long travel, supple suspension and great standing ergonomics make it a breeze.

That is, up to hardcore single track. At that point the going gets really tough. But it would be just as tough on any bike besides a dirt bike at that point.

I think the Tiger 850 sport is a great, stripped down version of the Tiger 900. For customers interested in the GT, it will be a compelling proposition to get the 850 instead. A purer bike that's easy on the pocket and almost just as capable.

[amods]

Being a road focused bike(alloy wheels), cruise control is a must on Tiger. It is super handy on long highways. IMO lack of heated grips is acceptable in otherwise normal Indian conditions.

Considering the pricing, as discussed in earlier posts, I too think Versys 1000 is a better alternative to this one.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by amods

Considering the pricing, as discussed in earlier posts, I too think Versys 1000 is a better alternative to this one.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I would choose the Versys 1000.

Originally Posted by Zinda

With this price point for base variant of Tiger, I am tempted to compare it against the Versys 1000.

Leave hardcore off-roading aside, and the Kawasaki Versys 1000 has more to offer, and in style!

At ~11.2 L ex-showroom which is 75k less (~90k on road), the Versys 1000 offers Inline 4, 120 bhp/100 NM, 2 power modes and 3 levels of switchable Traction control and Cornering ABS (compared to standard 2-channel ABS on base Tiger.

Not everyone can handle the "Curb mass 255 kg" of the Kawasaki Versys 1000 compared to the "Dry Weight 192 kg" of the Triumph Tiger 850 Sports.
Both bikes can't be compared as per their physical dimensions, according to me.

No doubt the Tiger range is overpriced

[TheVaas]

Originally Posted by imranstael

I find such roads much easier to ride on adventure bikes. The big front wheel, long travel, supple suspension and great standing ergonomics make it a breeze.

Going by the description, I'm assuming you're referring to the 900 Rally variant. If yes, then I agree. But the 850 Sport has none of these and that's why I said it'll be tough to ride on aforementioned terrain.

Originally Posted by imranstael

I think the Tiger 850 sport is a great, stripped down version of the Tiger 900. For customers interested in the GT, it will be a compelling proposition to get the 850 instead. A purer bike that's easy on the pocket and almost just as capable.

To be honest, there's absolutely nothing compelling for those interested in GT to downgrade to the 850 The GT is still better in all aspects except pricing. The 850 is the XR to the GT's XRx (though the XR had the same power/torque figures of the XRx). I find the 850 to be overpriced for what it has to offer. Better to go for used XC variants that are slowly popping up on the preowned markets!

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Not everyone can handle the "Curb mass 255 kg" of the Kawasaki Versys 1000 compared to the "Dry Weight 192 kg" of the Triumph Tiger 850 Sports.
Both bikes can't be compared as per their physical dimensions, according to me.

No doubt the Tiger range is overpriced

At that price point I really don’t care how heavy it is.

Where does this weight come into question? Off-road or no roads, where I will never take either bike to.

And what does the versys 1000 offer me over the 850 tiger? Sweet in-line four, bullet proof reliability, phenomenal suspension, lazy boy seats, superb weather protection, and just a super creamy engine to take on every single highway in India and demolish what the NHAI has to offer. Where else will you use this road variant of the triumph?

Impossible to justify any of the tigers really. None of them gets my vote. Just that Kawasaki isn’t pushing the versys 1000 in any big way else we will be seeing more of them on the road.

Head to head, triumph loses every battle except for perceived badge value.

By the way, kerb weight includes fuel and coolant and all oils. Triumph gives you a dry weight minus all that. So let’s say another 25 kgs. So closer to 220 vs 255.

[imranstael]

Originally Posted by TheVaas

Going by the description, I'm assuming you're referring to the 900 Rally variant. If yes, then I agree. But the 850 Sport has none of these and that's why I said it'll be tough to ride on aforementioned terrain.

No I was referring to any of the adventure bikes with at least 19 inch front wheels. I have ridden a Street Scrambler off-road for years and even that bike with its minimal suspension travel and heavy weight was a blast on everything but single track. I think the 19 inch front and low end torque already make most bad roads/trails easy and fun to blast through.
With that in mind, I am sure that even the 850 sport which is much more capable than a Scrambler, with longer travel suspension and lighter weight will be fun on this kind of terrain.
I agree that the Rally or other 21 inch front wheel bikes will be much better though, but there is a big difference between the 19 inch front ADV bikes and the 17 inches which are purely road focused.

Originally Posted by TheVaas

To be honest, there's absolutely nothing compelling for those interested in GT to downgrade to the 850 The GT is still better in all aspects except pricing. The 850 is the XR to the GT's XRx (though the XR had the same power/torque figures of the XRx). I find the 850 to be overpriced for what it has to offer. Better to go for used XC variants that are slowly popping up on the preowned markets!

Yes the price is the only thing about it that's better. Some people don't have a need for all the extra features the GT offers though, so for them a compromise isn't even being made. A lot of people prefer to stick to even more basic bikes than the 850 sport for a more pure riding experience.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

At that price point I really don’t care how heavy it is.

Where does this weight come into question? Off-road or no roads, where I will never take either bike to.

And what does the versys 1000 offer me over the 850 tiger? Sweet in-line four, bullet proof reliability, phenomenal suspension, lazy boy seats, superb weather protection, and just a super creamy engine to take on every single highway in India and demolish what the NHAI has to offer. Where else will you use this road variant of the triumph?

Impossible to justify any of the tigers really. None of them gets my vote. Just that Kawasaki isn’t pushing the versys 1000 in any big way else we will be seeing more of them on the road.

Head to head, triumph loses every battle except for perceived badge value.

By the way, kerb weight includes fuel and coolant and all oils. Triumph gives you a dry weight minus all that. So let’s say another 25 kgs. So closer to 220 vs 255.

I suppose your focus and preferences are much different from mine. There are many of us who certainly intend to take these bikes off-road on all but the worst single track trails (some even take them there).

Price isn't a deterrent for many to take their bikes off-road. After all that is what they were built for to some degree, and potential repair costs are a part of the game just as the cost of petrol or servicing are.

To me the Versys doesn't fit the requirement at all, being heavy and that too top heavy, very road focused with its 17 inch wheels and having an inline 4 with poor tractability off-road and minimal low RPM torque. No matter how well priced the bike may be, it would be a pointless purchase to those of us who have the desire to adventure tour beyond roads for any portion of time.

There is definitely a segment or buyers that want the compromise between hardcore off-road specced Tiger Rally/Honda AT and the hardcore road specced Versys/Multistrada.
This is where the Tiger 900 GT or Tiger 850 sport come in, depending on your budget and requirement of features. 19 inch front, decent suspension, light weight make them good but not great on road and good but not great off road.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by imranstael

I suppose your focus and preferences are much different from mine. There are many of us who certainly intend to take these bikes off-road on all but the worst single track trails (some even take them there).

.

Horses for courses bud. After lots of expensive transactions, most of the smart ones here have realised buying one do it all bike is foolish. If i am on an xpulse and you are on a tiger anything, you will be eating my dust offroad. And when on a glorious open highway you will still be eating the dust of a versys 1000. Between the two, i will be having 100% more fun than you on the tiger. Though subjective, a majority of the riding population will feel the same way. Go out to big rock and get a little pocket book to tab the number of big bike owners who have gone out and bought an xpulse.

Regarding damage costs, When even people abroad in supposedly affluent countries complain of expensive parts that need to be replaced when broken offroad, you are talking about an extremely dystopic indian minority who probably dont care.

Lastly, do post pictures and videos of the offroad you have done. Offroad is a very generic term for anything that doesnt have blacktop. If you are an mx champ, then you still form an extremely minor single digit population of motorcyclists who have the skill and the money to do what they will with their big bikes. Unfortunately some of us have only one or the other and most of us have neither!

Truth be told, now the Vstrom looks value for money!

[Sheel]

Any *BIG* Motorcycle will be a very good tourer, roads or no-roads, but if you plan tricky terrain where you will have to plan your speed / approach and a drop can not be ruled out, you are better on a lighter, nimble Motorcycle.

Now, of course, there are exceptions, but, I haven't seen much. Unless, you are Chris McNeil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yemi...st=LL&index=11

[imranstael]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Horses for courses bud. After lots of expensive transactions, most of the smart ones here have realised buying one do it all bike is foolish. If i am on an xpulse and you are on a tiger anything, you will be eating my dust offroad. And when on a glorious open highway you will still be eating the dust of a versys 1000. Between the two, i will be having 100% more fun than you on the tiger. Though subjective, a majority of the riding population will feel the same way. Go out to big rock and get a little pocket book to tab the number of big bike owners who have gone out and bought an xpulse.

These comparisons make no sense. The X pulse will be faster off-road than the Tiger and the Versys faster on the highway. There's no denying that. But an ADVENTURE tour comprises of large sections of tarmac followed by considerable sections of off-road/trails. So the x pulse will be boring as hell on the highway and the versys unpleasant/slow/heavy on the trail sections. Unless my touring choices are single dimensional, I would be having more fun on an adventure tourer like the Tiger, than either the small displacement dirt bike or the sport tourer.

If your argument is that the entire middleweight off-road leaning adv touring segment is foolish, I don't know what to say. The market the world over speaks for itself, and I as well as every Tiger XC, KTM 790 adv R, Tenere 700 and large displacement enduro bike owner would disagree. If you think you're having more fun on your x pulse and versys 1000 than all of them then good for you.

Also I never said that Tiger owners cannot or should not buy a dirt bike or a sports bike or both if they want. And even if they do it doesn't make the Tiger an irrelevant bike for them. Neither the sports bike or the dirt bike nor a sports tourer will do an adventure tour as well as an adventure tourer.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Regarding damage costs, When even people abroad in supposedly affluent countries complain of expensive parts that need to be replaced when broken offroad, you are talking about an extremely dystopic indian minority who probably dont care.

I don't think it's irrational to consider cost of damages a part and parcel of a purchase. That's just how I go about my finances and I assume that there are others that do as well. If I can't afford the repairs of a vehicle and factor in the frequency of such repairs based on the type of vehicle and its intended purpose, then I won't buy it.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Lastly, do post pictures and videos of the offroad you have done. Offroad is a very generic term for anything that doesnt have blacktop. If you are an mx champ, then you still form an extremely minor single digit population of motorcyclists who have the skill and the money to do what they will with their big bikes. Unfortunately some of us have only one or the other and most of us have neither!

I was pretty clear when I said I happily took my bike on all but gnarly single track. I don't think that's ambiguous at all, and I don't know why you need photographic evidence of it. You don't have to be an MX champ to enjoy riding off-road. In fact you don't even have to be good at riding off-road to enjoy riding off-road. I've had my share of drops and learning experiences that came from it. I and many others just enjoy riding on road, getting somewhere beautiful and then riding off-road to discover and explore further.

Adventure touring is fun and having a bike that's good at it makes it more fun, regardless of your skill level. If I had the itch to spend a lot of time doing local intense offloading then I would get an x pulse too. I don't know why you are insisting that this entire segment is pointless. Different people have different focus with their riding and enjoy different bikes. And those that enjoy multiple types of riding can always buy multiple bikes.

[abhi_tjet]

Price of z900 8.2L. Triumph Street Triple R - 8.8L. There are still many buyers for R/RS despite the more value for money(while buying) z900.

Similarly, Versys 1000 - 11.2L. Triumph Tiger 850 -12L. There will be many buyer for Tiger 850 Sport range.
Triumph marketing is quite good as compared to Kawasaki. Moreover, Tiger brand is stronger as compared to Versys.

[Avinash_R]

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Price of z900 8.2L. Triumph Street Triple R - 8.8L. There are still many buyers for R/RS despite the more value for money(while buying) z900.

Sharing sales numbers of 2020 here.

Z900 - 297
Street Triple(R/RS) - 151

Last 4 months of 2020 alone:
Z900 - 148
Street Triple (R/RS) - 91

That's over 50% of sales for Z900 when compared to the street triples.

For me, the Triumph Tiger 850 is definitely overpriced when compared to its peers. But when it comes to picking superbikes, it's always a matter of heart over head decision and it's best not to argue about those

[imranstael]

Great review by Mr. Kamrad. Just goes to show that the spec sheet doesn't tell the whole story when it comes to some bikes.

https://youtu.be/eDjYH9--P-U