[vijai]

Finally all my stars have aligned for me to afford a super bike and I have been in search for one for quite some time.

My Considerations are:
Kawasaki Z900
Ducati Moster 2020
Triumph Street Triple RS
Ducati Multistrada 950s
Triumph Tiger 900 GT which later became Rally Pro in few hours

Budget (on road inclusive of accessories):
11L when I started searching
14L when Striple and Monster came into picture
18L once I got impressed with 900 GT and Rally Pro

Prelude:

I wanted a naked at first but then my brother's genuine reason of taking my SIL on long rides on a naked convinced me to ADV which helps me in long rides too.

My Observations:

1. Kawasaki
When I had a plan of even owning a super bike deep behind my head, Z900 was my ultimate choice but once I got serious into getting one, I started searching for ease of maintenance. I quickly understood from maintenance costs thread that Kawasaki would be the cheapest to own but not for maintenance. I dropped Kawasaki without even visiting the showroom.

2. Ducati
Monster 2020
I was attracted to the design of Monster 821 and decided to give it a try. I quickly realized, I'm not signing up for the same monster on steroids which is 821 but a monster on its toning phase. Anyways, I still liked the new one and took a TR at VST Ducati Chennai. The bike was given to me after the usual paper work for TR and initial impression was, the bike is indeed an arrogant monster.

Likes:
1. Looks
2. Gorgeous TFT display
3. Riding position
4. Functional brakes
5. Hydraulic clutch

Dislikes:
1. The L-Twin cry. Don't get me wrong - it's subjective but me and my brother really felt it sounded more like a tractor on low revs than a twin cylinder super bike
2. Engine was rough overall
3. Although clutch is easier on hands, the gear shift felt more clunky and the 1st gear was always with huge thud.
4. SIL was very skeptical about the up swept exhaust and complained she could feel the heat.

Multistrada 950s
once the TR was done and I was inside showroom for further discussions, I was offered a tour of the service bays and a rather small storage house for new bikes. Where I saw a Panigale V4S . After observing it from a distance not to let myself drool a lot over it, I moved away only for the Multi to get my attention. Boy, oh boy! that massive horse! I was still not so moved by it but gave it a try by sitting on it. Liked the feel and comfort but ADV wasn't my choice back then yet until now.

Final thought:
Did not like monster at all and was out of consideration soon after TR. Like the multistradas but skeptical of getting them because, I know I'm not ready for their desmodromic service costs when it has to happen.

3. Triumph
Went to Triumph last week and was told all Striples have very long waiting time. Saw a new Striple RS waiting for delivery in warehouse. I always liked the not so crowd pulling looks of Striple but my brother never liked it. We absolutely loved how the engine sounds and smooth inline-3 though. Also took a TR of trident and there was nothing impressive in to say. Overall, was convinced of booking a Striple RS due to its slightly better suspension, calipers and the tft display + BT connectivity.

Back home that day, I had the looks of Tiger 900 grow on me. Next morning, for some reason, I got pulled into ADV and Tiger. I initially had Tiger 900 GT in mind to fit my budget incl accessories. But when I talked to the SA in Triumph, he rightly pointed out Rally Pro is much better since it comes with most of my planned accessories as standard and more for just about 15k more than GT's on-road price. Turns out to be true!

My search on reviews for Tiger 900 RP started and there were largely great reviews but I do not have clarity in few and hence turning my face to TBhp.

Likes:
1. Massive yet comfortable looks
2. Comfortable for me, brother and SIL to both ride and sit in pillion.
3. Would be good in long rides which I go twice in a year at least.
4. Bunch of electronics and feature packed built right into it for no extra cost
5. QS works great
6. Has a center stand option! Phew
7. Has spoked rims and tubeless tires!

Dislikes:
1. TBhp review says the visor isnt sturdy enough and slips down at high vibrations and it has distorting effect.
2. Multistrada has convenient mobile phone holder over the fuel tank while have to resort to using a phone holder (just for the sake of disliking something)
3. The switgear feels cluttered and needs a lot of getting used to.
4. No off-road tires. Doesn't matter to me though. I don't off-road.

The reason I was pushed towards ADV(Tiger 900 RP) are:
1. I pulled my heart on the first sight. Somehow changed my decision on Striple RS within few hours. Striple was in my dreams and day-dreams since December when I got serious into super bike but this managed to change that in few hours
2. Has great comfort and practical usability for me and my brother's family.
3. I already own a naked commuter - RTR200 which I really like. Felt ADV might be different
4. There's a bike ready for sale parked! No wait times (Although this isnt a deciding factor for me).


My doubts/Questions on Tiger 900 RP:
1. I only see cruise control mentioned on Triumph website. None of the reviews talks about it. Does it really have one and is it equal to/better than multistrada 950s?
2. How are the service costs of it? I dont see much talks about this bike here. I heard the brake pads costs like 11k when its time for replacement but could be brought down drastically with after marker pads at equal performance and much less cost. True? and is there any other things that doesnt affect the bike but saves unnecessary additional costs?
3. Your general thought about the bike if you were to get it.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by vijai

My Considerations are:
Kawasaki Z900
Ducati Moster 2020
Triumph Street Triple RS
Ducati Multistrada 950s
Triumph Tiger 900 GT which later became Rally Pro in few hours

Prelude:

I wanted a naked at first but then my brother's genuine reason of taking my SIL on long rides on a naked convinced me to ADV which helps me in long rides too.

Bikes are about pulling your heartstrings. Reason 1 alone is good enough for you to choose the 900 over all else. Your use case and the bike you've liked are also perfectly matched so no need to doubt the decision.

Originally Posted by vijai

My doubts/Questions on Tiger 900 RP:

Cruise control
I haven't personally used cruise control on my 800 XRX and haven't ridden a Multistrada for any meaningful distance so can't comment on that. But I know people who have and I haven't heard any deal breaker complaints.

Brakes
Yes, brake change can cost about 9 - 10k if I'm not mistaken. Honestly, the only service I can think of that's cheaper than Triumph is Honda. Kawasaki is comparable or marginally more expensive - it is possibly more frequent too but worth double checking this. Again this is a very specific micro level point and you should take general comfort that servicing a Triumph is not off market compared to service of other bikes. In fact the likes of Ducati Multistrada can be much more expensive than a Tiger.

General inputs

Coming to my general inputs on the bike, I think it makes for a fairly safe purchase. Its a brilliantly capable bike, as usable in the confines of a city in traffic (slight heating aside which is routine for all superbikes) as it is in munching miles all day on the highway. The suspension of the Rally Pro is super plush and for long distance two up touring on Indian roads, its definitely an excellent choice. Its got a great set of electronics, including the offroad pro mode in the Rally Pro. The accessories universe is well established too.

Finally, as a brand, Triumph organises some great events for its customers, specially its ADV owners. Do check out some videos on youtube under the search phrase "Tiger Trails" and you'll get an idea of what I'm alluding to. I've personally attended their Rajasthan Trails event and plan to do Spiti sometime soon with either Triumph or the same folks who organize the Trails for Triumph.

A suggested final short list

Tiger 900 Rally Pro and Honda Africa Twin ATAS

The only properly comparable offering I can think of in your consideration set is the Honda Africa Twin M/T which I estimate would retail in the same ball park as the 900 Rally Pro. Its an equally brilliant bike and you can't go wrong with either of these - really depends on which one calls out to you more on a test ride.

Comparative pros and cons are that the Honda is cheaper to maintain but has a much thinner dealer footprint (something I'm not too pleased about). The Triumph on the other hand has had complaints from users down south so it would be worthwhile to get some feedback from users who have experienced the brand at dealerships which you are likely to deal with.

Do check out the thread below including the counterpoints made by some owners (including me) and do your own diligence and make suitable judgment calls.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ing-brand.html (Triumph Motorcycles India : Is after-sales service killing this brand?)

Please do feel free to shoot off any other questions and I'd be delighted to share whatever information I can. Apologies for the slightly haphazard nature of this post - typing this out in a bit of a rush, between a couple of things.

[killjoy]

15k diff in price between GT and Rally Pro? I don't think so, please check again.

[vijai]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Cruise control
I haven't personally used cruise control on my 800 XRX and haven't ridden a Multistrada for any meaningful distance so can't comment on that. But I know people who have and I haven't heard any deal breaker complaints.

Ah, first confirmation that there is indeed cruise control.

Brakes
Yes, brake change can cost about 9 - 10k if I'm not mistaken. Honestly, the only service I can think of that's cheaper than Triumph is Honda. Kawasaki is comparable or marginally more expensive - it is possibly more frequent too but worth double checking this. Again this is a very specific micro level point and you should take general comfort that servicing a Triumph is not off market compared to service of other bikes. In fact the likes of Ducati Multistrada can be much more expensive than a Tiger.

Thanks, the question wasn't about the cost of service but ways to bring it down without compromising on quality like for example using aftermarket pads to bring down parts cost to say 8-9k. I believe, average general service costs about 10-12k average for Striple R(s) but don't see any service costs thread for the Tiger 900. So I just assumed it to be in the same ballpark.

General inputs

Coming to my general inputs on the bike, I think it makes for a fairly safe purchase. Its a brilliantly capable bike, as usable in the confines of a city in traffic (slight heating aside which is routine for all superbikes) as it is in munching miles all day on the highway. The suspension of the Rally Pro is super plush and for long distance two up touring on Indian roads, its definitely an excellent choice. Its got a great set of electronics, including the offroad pro mode in the Rally Pro. The accessories universe is well established too.

Finally, as a brand, Triumph organises some great events for its customers, specially its ADV owners. Do check out some videos on Youtube under the search phrase "Tiger Trails" and you'll get an idea of what I'm alluding to. I've personally attended their Rajasthan Trails event and plan to do Spiti sometime soon with either Triumph or the same folks who organize the Trails for Triumph.

My brother and SIL are going to love this about the suspension. Speaking of which, is the rear electronically dampening/rebound adjustable?

A suggested final short list

Tiger 900 Rally Pro and Honda Africa Twin ATAS

I gave this a brief thought but again, I wanted a triple or a v4. There is also only 1 Honda bigwing in Chennai which is fairly nearby my home and is new too. Not sure of their customer satisfaction though. I'll give this a try if possible during weekend.

Do check out the thread below including the counterpoints made by some owners (including me) and do your own diligence and make suitable judgment calls.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ing-brand.html (Triumph Motorcycles India : Is after-sales service killing this brand?)

Yes, I read that thread quite a while back while searching for options and honestly, that thread put me off from triumph for a good amount of time. I have a neighbour who owns a Speed Triple BS3. He has been servicing in Kivraj Triumph here in Chennai since he got his bike and he told me he hasn't faced any drastic issues so far. That gave me a sigh of relief and put Triumph back in my list.

Also, thanks for answering my questions. I dont think you had to be apologetic You definitely did what had to be done - answer questions I have to help me decide.

Originally Posted by killjoy

15k diff in price between GT and Rally Pro? I don't think so, please check again.

The 15k difference is on-road considering all the accessories I added for GT which are standard fit in Rally Pro like the Quick Shifter, Engine Guard, Connectivity module etc.

[neil.jericho]

vijai, a superbike purchase is all about what makes you happiest and for all the advice that you get on the forum, make an informed decision and buy whatever bike pulls your heart strings. Logic often goes for a toss when it comes to buying a big bike.

That said, since you have shared some of your perspectives, below are some thoughts from my side

- You havent articulated what is your exact intended usage. Are you planning to ride it every day? Or only on weekends? How about overnight weekend rides? You mentioned 2 long rides a year but it would help us help you, if you can list out how you plan to use your big bike.

- This brings me to your requirement of buying an adventure bike. You seem to prefer naked bikes but balancing practicality made you look at an adventure bike. How often will you ride with a pillion? Will this change after a year? Will your pillion ride with you once a month? Once a quarter? Will it be less than 5% of the total usage? If your pillion seat usage will not be much and you are happier buying a naked, then get a naked instead.

- You have a good budget in hand but firstly, do test ride every bike in your budget. Dont close your mind to any options right now. You will be surprised to find that bikes that are often perfect on paper, dont match what you experience on the road.

- Kawasakis will cost about the same to service as a Triumph. Here or there, there will be a +/- 5% difference in the long run but it is not something that should cause you to disqualify any Kawasaki motorcycle.

- If you are looking at naked bikes, check out the Honda CB650R as well, its an excellent and very user friendly motorcycle.

- If you are looking at adventure / sports tourers, the Versys 1000 is an incredible sports tourer. You mentioned that you arent going to ride off road. The Versys 1000 can be the perfect motorcycle for you if you will be doing highway riding over the weekends.

- Coming to Triumph's adventure tourers, the Rally Pro is the top of the line offroad bike from the Tiger 900 series. If you arent going offroading, do you need the Rally Pro? I will suggest the GT and accessorize it up instead, if you are keen on the Tiger 900s. Dont take all the accessories from Triumph. Get what you can from reputed after market companies instead and save a load of cash. That Rs 15K difference will be a much bigger number once you get parts from outside the showroom.

- The Tiger 900s are vibey at highway speeds and you shouldnt discount that factor if you will be doing a lot of highway rides.

- For that money, you should strongly consider the Honda Africa Twin as well.

- Once again, test ride every bike and see what you connect with. Please dont buy any motorcycle without getting an extended test ride.

[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by vijai

Finally all my stars have aligned for me to afford a super bike and I have been in search for one for quite some time.

First of all congratulations in advance. It's a good problem to have when you're deciding between bikes with this kind of budget.

You mentioned that you've been searching for a bike for quite some time. Is there that one motorcycle that gives you sleepless nights, that you dream about or that you have posters of? If yes, do share with us which motorcycle that is. My suggestion would be to simply buy the bike you crave for, fulfill that dream. Comparing with other contenders in the short-list may feel like a logical approach, however buying a motorcycle other than your dream bike (head over heart), will always leave that dream unfulfilled. Many of us have been there, done that.

The only suggestion I'd like to share in this conversation: buy that "dream" bike only. Please ignore the head, do what the heart says.

Originally Posted by vijai

The reason I was pushed towards ADV(Tiger 900 RP) are:
1. I pulled my heart on the first sight. Somehow changed my decision on Striple RS within few hours. Striple was in my dreams and day-dreams since December when I got serious into super bike but this managed to change that in few hours

It seems like you are saying your "dream bike" is the Street Triple RS, and that position has now been occupied by the Tiger 900 Rally Pro.

Which is fine, just that both these bikes belong to different segments, give different kinds of riding pleasure and cater to different use-cases.

Please ride them both at-least a couple of times (if you haven't already).

Originally Posted by vijai

3. Your general thought about the bike if you were to get it.

I am not knowledgeable about the Tiger 900 Rally Pro, having only taken a brief test-ride. Without having truly understood a particular motorcycle, passing judgment could be unreasonable.

While opinions are to be found aplenty on the internet, feedback from folks who have ridden it properly appears to be of true value when you are planning to spend money on a motorcycle.

[no_fear]

I am curious as to why you upped your budget from 11 lacs for 18 lacs. And then you are trying to seek alternatives to save a few k on bike consumables. It feels contradictory - spending pounds to save pennies, as the saying goes.

I don't want to sound like your financial advisor but are you overstretching your budget to accommodate a bike that you want but dont actually need?

I also found your choices a bit bewildering. You wrote off the Ducati Monster for tractor sounding l twin engine but you kept the Multistrada 950 as a contender. But here is the kicker. Both are l twin and have the same engine.

And why is the Z 900 dismissed. It's actually a brilliant bike. From a servicing point of view, it's one of the few liter class bikes in India for which you can source parts easily. Other members have already highlighted this.

The Triumph 900 rally is a very good bike, but if you only want to do 2 long rides a year, I think it's too much bike for the money you want to spend. You mentioned you don't even want to do off roading. Then why buy an off roader ..

[vijai]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

- You havent articulated what is your exact intended usage. Are you planning to ride it every day? Or only on weekends? How about overnight weekend rides? You mentioned 2 long rides a year but it would help us help you, if you can list out how you plan to use your big bike.

Not every day. I have my RTR200 which does double duty of daily city commutes and long rides. This new machine would be to take over those long (2000km+) rides or something similar. To clear all those only 2 long rides perspective, I cover about 6000-7000kms in long rides. Our riding club organizes 4 seasonal rides ranging from 700km-4000km, overnight to a week long sometimes. I think, covering 7k kms a year on the super bike isnt like keeping it idle at all. Apart from those seasonal rides, I'd be taking it for some casual weekend morning rides solo or group to nearby places. All these aren't something new I'm planning to do but something which I already do on my RTR200.

- This brings me to your requirement of buying an adventure bike. You seem to prefer naked bikes but balancing practicality made you look at an adventure bike. How often will you ride with a pillion? Will this change after a year? Will your pillion ride with you once a month? Once a quarter? Will it be less than 5% of the total usage? If your pillion seat usage will not be much and you are happier buying a naked, then get a naked instead.

I was preferring naked because none of adv caught my eyes like Striple did. Honestly when I went to test monster, I was already predetermined to reject it but only those immediate dislikes made the rejection easier. Then the day came when I finally went to Triumph to see RS and discuss the financials, I stumbled upon Tiger. A small discussion with my brother's family the next day, we all 3 started believing thats the bike we were looking for and the decision steered to Tiger.

- You have a good budget in hand but firstly, do test ride every bike in your budget. Dont close your mind to any options right now.

Of course! I'm not plonking 18Lakhs on something with haste.

- Kawasakis will cost about the same to service as a Triumph. Here or there, there will be a +/- 5% difference in the long run but it is not something that should cause you to disqualify any Kawasaki motorcycle.

- If you are looking at adventure / sports tourers, the Versys 1000 is an incredible sports tourer. You mentioned that you arent going to ride off road. The Versys 1000 can be the perfect motorcycle for you if you will be doing highway riding over the weekends.

This might have made me consider Z900 if I was still on naked but versys is something that really didn't catch my eye.

- Coming to Triumph's adventure tourers, the Rally Pro is the top of the line offroad bike from the Tiger 900 series. If you arent going offroading, do you need the Rally Pro? I will suggest the GT and accessorize it up instead, if you are keen on the Tiger 900s. Dont take all the accessories from Triumph. Get what you can from reputed after market companies instead and save a load of cash. That Rs 15K difference will be a much bigger number once you get parts from outside the showroom.

I weighed adding accessories to GT and the on road difference didnt make a huge change on my budget. May be after market accessories might help me save but that's something I'll research on final moment.

- The Tiger 900s are vibey at highway speeds and you shouldnt discount that factor if you will be doing a lot of highway rides.

- For that money, you should strongly consider the Honda Africa Twin as well.

Dont know how I forgot the Africa Twins. Should see if Honda Big wing has these for test ride.

Originally Posted by GoBlue

You mentioned that you've been searching for a bike for quite some time. Is there that one motorcycle that gives you sleepless nights, that you dream about or that you have posters of?

Was the Speed Triple 1200 RS but I settled for its sibling as Street triple RS made more sense for my usage. Then a visit to Triumph pulled me to Tiger.

Which is fine, just that both these bikes belong to different segments, give different kinds of riding pleasure and cater to different use-cases.

I'm aware of different segments but Thinking about Tiger and Striple RS rationally, puts Tiger into more practical use than Striple RS.

Originally Posted by no_fear

I am curious as to why you upped your budget from 11 lacs for 18 lacs. And then you are trying to seek alternatives to save a few k on bike consumables. It feels contradictory - spending pounds to save pennies, as the saying goes.

Guess I clarify this better now. 11Lakhs was may back couple years when Z900 was my go to bike. I briefly considered Speed Triple RS since last September but then didnt want to venture to 1200 from 200cc and thought Street is sensible. Besides always had the feeling I will not use 1200 to its full potential. Having capacity to buy a 15L+ bike is one thing but whats the point if it wont be put to its proper use? So the budget went down to 14Lakhs to match price of monster, Street Triple of those sorts. So the budget wasn't increased drastically but just kept fluctuating between 14L and 18L to match the bikes of same segment.

I also found your choices a bit bewildering. You wrote off the Ducati Monster for tractor sounding l twin engine but you kept the Multistrada 950 as a contender. But here is the kicker. Both are l twin and have the same engine.

Well, I'd still not like Multistrada's L twin. I said in initial post that like how mighty the bike stood - the looks, same for Panigale V4S. But once I swayed from naked to ADV, I'd give it a chance again to weigh its positives against the sound and then decide - only reason its still on list. Didnt really feel like rejecting it for its exhaust sound alone.

The Triumph 900 rally is a very good bike, but if you only want to do 2 long rides a year, I think it's too much bike for the money you want to spend. You mentioned you don't even want to do off roading. Then why buy an off roader ..

I have already answered this for Neil. I think the same would apply here too.

[vijai]

Originally Posted by no_fear

And then you are trying to seek alternatives to save a few k on bike consumables. It feels contradictory - spending pounds to save pennies, as the saying goes.

Guess, I failed to address this in previous reply. No, its not contradictory to me. Just because I could spend 18L doesnt mean I should spend whatever the SVS asks me to spend at. The specific brake pad question was because I read quite a few posts in the maintenance thread that brake pads and engine oil are something where you could save a chunk on service without giving up quality. In case of few bikes, after market pads were reported to be cheaper and perform better aswell! Since Triumph doesnt use some fancy named oil (Castrol power 1 is used), it isnt expensive. I just asked to see if there are other components like the brake pad thats better or equal in performance and save some quick bucks.

Tl;Dr: Its not to save money on service but to understand if some alternative does exist to cut cost, what are they?

[neil.jericho]

vijai, you can easily tour with a naked motorcycle in India. Add a flyscreen and you get some luggage options and you are done. You dont need to disqualify any of the nakeds. Just find out from the dealers whether the bikes you like, can run comfortably on XP95 or premium fuel.

For those 7,000 kilometers that you will cover in your biannual rides, the Versys 1000 looks to be a perfect choice. Do also consider the Suzuki VStrom 650 as well. Its an under-rated gem of a motorcycle.

I guess the responses here from fellow BHPians have already covered all possible suggestions. Take some time to test ride all these bikes and let us know what your feedback is and if you have more queries.

P.S - The Castrol Power 1 that is used in Triumph motorcycles is supposed to be fancy and it isnt cheap either. That said, owners only use it for the duration of the warranty period. The moment warranty runs out, they shift to much better engine oils.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by vijai

In case of few bikes, after market pads were reported to be cheaper and perform better aswell! Since Triumph doesnt use some fancy named oil (Castrol power 1 is used), it isnt expensive. I just asked to see if there are other components like the brake pad thats better or equal in performance and save some quick bucks.

Ok, your reply added clarity. However, bigger budget bikes lead to bigger expenses. This is no different for Triumph. I went through the specs of the Tiger Rally and they definitely have a lot of stuff that are quite high end. Most of them will not have cheaper after market alternatives. Indian SVS in vast majority do not look after customers' best interests but lets exclude that for now.

For Tiger models, most prevalent brake pads are EBC but given that the Rally has Brembo brake calipers, it must be using Brembo brake pads. Those pads cost about 50 USD for one disk, that's about 100 USD on INR 7,600 for front wheels. Add in shipping, it will cross the INR 9k mark.

Your point is valid that if there is alternative to cut costs, it can be taken. But for the budget you are looking at, those alternatives become smaller. If you want to cut costs, find a reputable garage that can service your bike. Consumables whether bought from dealer or online do not vary a lot in prices. What adds to the hefty service cost is the labor charges and additionals tacked on to the bill by dealer.

Best of luck in your search.

[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by vijai

Was the Speed Triple 1200 RS but I settled for its sibling as Street triple RS made more sense for my usage. Then a visit to Triumph pulled me to Tiger.

I'm aware of different segments but Thinking about Tiger and Striple RS rationally, puts Tiger into more practical use than Striple RS.

Superb to know that your dream motorcycles are the Speed Triple 1200 RS / Street Triple 765 RS.

Given your dream bikes and budget, following are some interesting combinations which you could explore (suggesting brand new purchases as per your original post, you haven't mentioned if you are open to pre-owned bikes):

Option 1: Triumph Speed 1200 RS + (add a KTM 390 ADV later for long tours)

Note: The Speed Triple 1200 RS is a special motorcycle. It will give you decades of riding pleasure, if you choose to retain it as a keeper. ADV 390 should suffice for long tours, plus it'll be relatively inexpensive to maintain.

Option 2: Triumph Street Triple 765 RS + Honda CB500x (should fit in your existing budget, perhaps some adjustment needed)

Note: The Street Triple 765 RS is a special motorcycle too, it can be a keeper. Complementing it with a Honda CB500x will give you different riding pleasure each time you ride either motorcycle. The CB500x can be used for your annual touring needs, while the Street Triple RS could give the pleasure of refinement/power/handling for weekend rides during the year.

PS: if you plan to retain the motorcycle for a period of 2-3 years then a brand new purchase may not be advisable (given the budget you are looking at). If you're looking to keep for 6-8 years then it should be okay.

[TheVaas]

Originally Posted by vijai

Back home that day, I had the looks of Tiger 900 grow on me. Next morning, for some reason, I got pulled into ADV and Tiger. I initially had Tiger 900 GT in mind to fit my budget incl accessories. But when I talked to the SA in Triumph, he rightly pointed out Rally Pro is much better since it comes with most of my planned accessories as standard and more for just about 15k more than GT's on-road price. Turns out to be true!

Reading your post and your subsequent replies to fellow members' suggestions, I'm safe to assume that you've made up your mind on the Tiger 900 RP. Also, since you've factored in your brother and SIL riding it - it makes sense.

Dislikes:
1. TBhp review says the visor isnt sturdy enough and slips down at high vibrations and it has distorting effect.
2. Multistrada has convenient mobile phone holder over the fuel tank while have to resort to using a phone holder (just for the sake of disliking something)
3. The switgear feels cluttered and needs a lot of getting used to.
4. No off-road tires. Doesn't matter to me though. I don't off-road.

These aren't dealbreakers in anyway and to be honest, not something that should dissuade you from booking one. Once you start riding, you'll discover more things to like and dislike about the bike!

My doubts/Questions on Tiger 900 RP:
1. I only see cruise control mentioned on Triumph website. None of the reviews talks about it. Does it really have one and is it equal to/better than multistrada 950s?
2. How are the service costs of it? I dont see much talks about this bike here. I heard the brake pads costs like 11k when its time for replacement but could be brought down drastically with after marker pads at equal performance and much less cost. True? and is there any other things that doesnt affect the bike but saves unnecessary additional costs?
3. Your general thought about the bike if you were to get it.

1. There's cruise control alright. But its only ideal on a really long and straight highway where you aren't faced with traffic or humans/animals crossing in blind! Unfortunately, such roads and instances are rare to come by. So it's a good feature to have but hard to use in our country.

2. Triumph service intervals are 1 year/10k kms (whichever is earliest). The major service that happens in even intervals (20k, 40k) cost about 22-23k INR. Brake pads are either OEM Triumph or the aftermarket EBC. The cost difference between the two is about 2k (Triumph is the costlier one but better from my experience) - so not very drastic as other members have also pointed out.

3. I have the 800XRx. But if I was in the market now with 18L in hand - I'd go for the RP blindly. It ticks most of the boxes in terms of touring, handling, comfort, reliability and most importantly - the SVC and staff in Mumbai.

Also as @Axe77 rightly pointed out - you could try test riding the Africa Twin as well since its almost the same price point. And then make an informed decision on which ADV you'd want to see in your parking!

[krishsreedharan]

As an owner of both the Kawasaki Z900 and the Kawasaki Versys 1000, here are my observations:

I have covered roughly 19600 kms on the Z900 so far - this includes a whole lot of daily city riding, quite a bit of highway and hill riding. I had my first front brake pad change at around 18,800 kms. Fixed EBC Pads which cost me roughly around ₹ 4,000 a pair including labour. So far, in terms of maintenance, I have spend roughly about ₹ 22,000 for routine service - which works out to roughly over ₹ 1 per km. I changed the first set of OEM tyres to Michelin Road 5's at around 5,200 kms and I still have at least about 3k worth of usable life still. So if your use is going to be primarily solo - irrespective of whether you ride within the city or take it out on highway rides, please do seriously consider the Kawasaki Z900

Now coming to the Versys 1000, I got this bike primarily to do long distance highway touring with my wife/son. Its been about 8 months since I picked up this bike and I have crossed roughly about 4,200 kms on the bike. Again like other members earlier have mentioned, at ₹ 13.44 lakhs on-road (ex Coimbatore), its absolute value for money. Its superbly comfortable and quite economical on the go as well. I use it predominantly for Sunday rides with my riding group and to do my weekly work-related travel to my remote offices - I have stopped taking my Endeavour when I do solo work trips.

So far, my experience with both the Kawasakis has been top notch. My two cents.

[ballfry]

Originally Posted by vijai

2. Multistrada has convenient mobile phone holder over the fuel tank while have to resort to using a phone holder (just for the sake of disliking something)

Just wanted to share my personal experience.

Cellphone camera's don't play too well with being mounted on motorcycles.

I own a 2019 Speed Twin, so the vibrations are much more than the Tiger, but my iPhone XS' camera's Optical stabilisation sensor broke and I was left with a phone who's camera didn't work. So I would ask you not to take this as a reason as it could potentially harm your device.

If you still consider the phone being in your pocket a hassle, you could always get a RAM mount and call it a day.

Link to Apple's official statement.