| Author | Message | ||
     Wired2 |
TRIUMPH TIGER EXPLORER OR MOTO GUZZI STELVIO 1200 NTX OR BMW R1200 GS ... TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ... | ||
| Andrejs2112 |
Go to advrider.com. Lots of info there for you. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
I've ridden the BMW 12GS several times. It is a very good bike and if you are going to travel far and wide, it has the best dealer network. Nothing is especially great though. I really wanted to like it but found that it seemed to have no stand-out qualities. The Triumph interests me. | ||
| Pontlee77 |
I tried the triumph, and truly if i had the money i woulden't doubt in getting it, that 3 cylinder engine is awsome, great cornering, great on highway, well balanced, the abs and traction control work really great. also good looking and all cables well hidden, and for me of those 3 you mention the niciest looking. But that is my personal opinion. | ||
| Argentcorvid |
Super Tenere? | ||
| Crusty |
Get the Guzzi. They're about as reliable as anvils and they feel a whole lot better than either the inline triple or the Bavarian Blimp. However, the best way to make your decision is to take a Demo ride on all three, then go for the one that grabs you in the right places. Buy the bike that feels Right to you. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Super Tenere! (Triumph is more of a road bike; a bit faster, but less fuel range and drastically less off-roadable, probably more similar to the Uly, but the Tenere opens the doors to the world of off-roading and 250 miles per gas tank touring.) (Moto Guzzi scares me because I ride (and tour) A LOT and dealerships/parts are scarce. (BMW aren't even an option for me. Most expensive bike. Most expensive parts. And least reliable) | ||
| Cyclonedon |
there is a small motorcycle manufacture located in East Troy Wisconsin. You might want to take a look at them, They have done some pretty amazing things with their motorcycles! The guy made one that I sure like riding! | ||
| Buewulf |
Having owned a BMW and being part of that clique for a while, I would suggest you shy away from the R12. It is a nice bike with a huge support network and a great community. But it is expensive, not particularly reliable both from my own experience and unscientific observation from being around other roundel riders. Spare parts and labor cost a fortune, BMW pretends legitimate issues don't exist, and the dealerships aren't as plentiful as you may think. I'd say there are at least as many Triumph dealers. And if you think diagnosing issues on a Uly can be a pain, just wait until you dig into some German engineering. I test rode the Triumph, and it is brilliant. Torquey, powerful, smooth and beautifully balanced. Of the three you listed, it is the least dirt-worthy, but how relevant of a statement is that when we are talking about 500+ pound bikes? It will go where ever the others will go suspension and ground clearance permitting. You just have a higher probability of breaking expensive things on the Triumph while doing so. I have never ridden the Stelvio. A friend of mine bought a Quota nearly 10 years ago. It is his favorite bike ever, and it has been stone-cold reliable over the past 80K miles. He rides with some other Guzzi guys who swear by the bikes as well. When people talk about a bike having character, I immediately think Guzzi. There is something special there that sets Guzzis apart from all other makes in my opinion. Just talking about it make me want to fire up Craig's List. Dealers are few and far between as has been mentioned, though. | ||
| Wired2 |
Thanks guys ... I have ridden the BMW ... Heard about overpricing ... not the others yet ... like the Moto looks the best but as all have stated the dealer network is non existent ... | ||
| Gringo |
i have always found a good indicator in how many of subject vehicle is on the market used, keeping in mind how many have been sold of that make and model. if the owner keeps a vehicle like a religious relic theres probably a good reason. keep, not put in garage and never used. many available usually means it didnt satisfy the previous owners expectations or there is a problem. buy a uly, if you already have one, buy a different color. | ||
| Union_man |
I went with the Triumph Tiger 1050. I really like it. It feels very similar to the Uly. (Only faster.) | ||
| Towpro |
my buddy just went out and test rode the above bikes Plus the F800GS.(not the Guzzi, they sell them but he was not interested). He came home with the Ducati Multastrada S | ||
| Hughlysses |
like the Moto looks the best but as all have stated the dealer network is non existent ... Then coming from a Buell you should feel right at home.  | ||
| Crusty |
If a bike doesn't break, then a sparse dealer network isn't really that much of a liability. And if EBR would hurry up and build a Sport-Tourer, then I wouldn't care if the only place I could get parts was from the factory. I'd be riding the piss out of one. | ||
| Motorfish |
What about the V-Strom 1000? I thought I heard they are reliable, but could get boring. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Does not have to break. Just needs to be dropped (onto a sharp rock that cracks the clutch cover). | ||
| Wired2 |
Thanks for all the input ... I am not super hands on like most of you guys ... Not much spare time ... Thats why i am looking for something reliable and service available with all parts available ... i will also check out the V-Strom, Ducati Multi, and Super Tenere ... | ||
| Skifastbadly |
The GS is the opposite of the Uly. Completely divorced from the road, the telelever front end gives no brake dive but also no road feel...and it's downright creepy in its lack of feedback off piste. I rode the Triumph Explorer last weekend. Very nice bike much faster than the Uly but that cableless throttle would take some serious getting used to, it's REALLY twitchy and I'd be terrified to stand on the pegs because of it. The one I rode had been dropped in the parking lot by a test rider and they said it was going to cost 1500 to put it 'as new'. I dropped my Uly a couple of times and the only thing it cost me was my pride. Plus it's 16K without tax or prep. Lotta dough. I bought my Uly used with 8K miles for 5800. So basically you could buy three Ulys for the cost of a new Tiger. Never rode the Guzzi. Looks cool. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Wired, sounds like the VStrom would serve you well. Don't rule out the DL650 either (the Wee Strom), by most accounts the 650 is an overall better bike than the 1000 (aside from stroking your ego). A DL-650 had NO problem keeping a group of pretty good riders on Uly's, XB9's, 1125's and a Super Tenere completely entertained through the SC mountains. | ||
| Wired2 |
Also might be selling my 2010 Uly ... | ||
| Dcc46 |
14k on my Tenere now and I still really like this bike. Nothing but routine maintenance and tires so far. | ||
| Trojan |
The Triumph is a great bike to ride and being British I should recommend it....but can't. Most of the Tigers are now made in Thailand I think, and build quality is suspect compared to other Triumph models. A friend of mine has owned every model Speed triple built but decided to have a change and buy a Tiger instead. The bike was a dog and spent most of the first 12 months having dealer warranty work done. Eventually they took the bike back and gave him a new Speed Triple in exchange (which he is happy with!). The BMW may have faults and not be outstanding in any particular area, but is probably the best all round bike available, so it is no coinciince that we see so many around on our travels. Just about every other bike on British roads seems to be a R1200GS these days. Another bike very well worth considering, if you can get them in the USA of course, is the KTM 990 Advenure. This is cheaper tham most of the opposition and a much better prospect off road or on poor surfaces. On road handling is also better than both BMW and Triumph. Latest 990 models get a better seat but there are gel seats available for earlier models. Reliability is excellent and the motor is brilliant! There will be a new, larger capacity KTM next year so this years model may be even more discounted before long  I think I would avoid the Guzzi as it just doesn't do anything as well as the BMW or KTM, and build quality is still not as good as the other European bikes. | ||
| Crusty |
Motorcycle Consumer News tested a Stelvio in its latest issue. Their conclusion was, "That a bike this good can remain so rare in the American motorcycle market is a crying shame." They like it a lot. I strongly recommend that you take a test ride on all the bikes you're considering before you make a decision. In 1996, I went to Daytona Bike Week and test rode almost everything I could. The two marques that I was most interested in were Triumph and Buell. The Triumph Speed Triple was the biggest disappointment to ride since I demo rode a Suzuki RE-5 Rotary in 1976. However, when I rode the Buell S2-T, it didn't just speak to me, I was captivated. Before the Demo rides, I was pretty much torn about which bike I wanted; after, there was no question in my mind at all. | ||
| Schwiggy |
Another bike to consider is the KTM 990 SMT. http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=553603  I went and sat on one last week and tried to haggle a test ride, but it was the only one they had and the salesman wasn't to keen on the idea. Its ergos seem about the same as the Uly's, a little shorter I guess. And reading owner's reviews so far, people are raving about it. | ||
| Ejbeert |
mikef5000 So what is your opinion of the hard starting issue some are talking about on super tenere forum. i do enough short trips probably 5-10 mins that i wonder if this would be an issue with the s-10. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Have a link? I've been on the Tenere section of AdvRider for some time, and I occasionally browse the actual Tenere forum, but I haven't heard of the issue. In any case, I do two 10-15 minute rides every single day (work), and never once have had an issue starting. I've put almost 9000 miles on mine since I bought it 3 months ago (Holy Hell! Didn't realize that I guess). If some drunk bastard smashed into it and I got a settlement, even if I got a million bucks out of it, I would buy this bike over again without a doubt (but with more farkles). It just freaking works. Everything about it. And the reliability in Europe and Africa (where it's been out since 2010) is reported stellar. But! It depends on what you're going for. A replacement for the Uly can mean different things to different people. What are your intentions with the bike? Some treat the Uly as a tall persons sport bike. The Tenere would disappoint those folks; it does have substantially less lean angle available. But, for a 'do-everything' bike, or a sport tourer, it's a killer machine that just works. If you're even remotely considering getting dirty you owe it to yourself to try this thing, I swear it's a dirtbike in disguise. I'm still running (about wore out now) street tires, and I have very limited off-road experience, and even I can look good on this thing; Traction Control allowing me to slide around corners oh-so-graciously; ABS letting me creep down loose and rocky down hills, no matter how steep. | ||
| Billy_bee |
When considering the Ulysses, I had "character" at the top of my list. That criteria may/may not matter to you, but I ended up on a Uly b/c it has so much personality. I don't want to ride a appliance. So, I want to comment on these bikes from that standpoint. In order of preference: Guzzi--I have owned and ridden several Guzzi's, but not the Stelvio. In terms of charm, the Guzzis I have ridden excel. They are not fast, they are not high-tech, but they put a smile on your face. Triumph--I was interested to read Trojan's comments on build quality. My Tiger was a good bike. Crappy suspension, but sweet engine. Not overly refined but also not inspiring. My 955 was FAST and high-revving, with a great torque curve. BMW seems to me to have lost much of their character. They are still unique bikes, but the last great BMW I owned was a 1989 R100GS (airhead). The oil and hex heads have lost their appeal to me--SKIFASYBADLY sums it up well. That old airhead, however, had a certain cadence to it, like a boxer hitting a speed bag. I like that... Good luck with the decision. bb | ||
| Ejbeert |
mikef5000 yamaha super tenere forum .com forums -- hard starting today actually thinking of replaceing my electra glide with a wee-strom or an s-10.keeping the buell followed some of your travels thought I'd ask. Both seem like very versital bikes. Some touring,go for putt, dirt and paved,smooth below 15mph, no dramas. if you took the good points of the e-glide,buell and klr 650 | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Interesting! Found the thread... wonder why I've never seen anyone mention it on AdvRider!? In any case, a common trend I was seeing (in the couple pages I skimmed) was extremely short run times (like 5 seconds to pull the bike in the garage) on a cold engine. I can say that I've never done anything like that (I'd just push the thing), which may be why I've never had the issue. |
