Tiger 1200?

[County Tar]

Peter over on VSRI reports 250kg/550lb before add ons.  Don't know if thats wet or dry.  

[jstark47]

Peter over on VSRI reports 250kg/550lb before add ons.  Don't know if thats wet or dry.  

It better dang well be wet.  Heck, my old Trophy doesn't weigh that much, and it's a heavy pig! (I love it to death, but it's still a heavy pig...)

[JReazor]

New Triumph link for the Explorer - http://www.triumphadventure.com/en/  - but not much content there yet except for a sign-up for more info.  Why is it not triumphexplorer.com?  

Triumphadventure.com has been up for over a year. Until very recently it was just black text on a white background with a couple paragraphs about the 800cc Tigers.

[atadaskew]

It better dang well be wet.  Heck, my old Trophy doesn't weigh that much, and it's a heavy pig! (I love it to death, but it's still a heavy pig...)

If that is wet, it is 50lbs heavier than an R12GS wet.
If it is dry weight...

[Croak]

If that is wet, it is 50lbs heavier than an R12GS wet.
If it is dry weight...

Water cooled and a more complex transmission needed for the shaft drive can account for a fair amount of that weight spread.  And as we all know, weight figures are never accurate to start with, especially on un-released models.

[expatbrit]

If that is wet, it is 50lbs heavier than an R12GS wet.
If it is dry weight...

MCN puts the GS at 530 and change, wet, I think.

[Cablebandit]

 weight figures are never accurate to start with, especially on un-released models.

...and usually end up being much higher once they hit the production stage.

[garry]

I won't buy an "adventure" bike if it weighs over 500 pounds full of gas and loaded with luggage/etc. The dirt roads I want to travel get a bit gnarly (rutted, rocky jeep trails) and even 450 pounds is a pretty piggish bike to manhandle and/or pick up from an awkward position. Lose traction for a second, stop moving, tip to the side a little, and then try to hold that big pig up when you're dabbing into a rut. Not gonna happen. I was hoping it'd be significantly LIGHTER than a 1200GS. Guess my planned usage isn't what the designers were aiming for...

[Cablebandit]

I won't buy an "adventure" bike if it weighs over 500 pounds full of gas and loaded with luggage/etc. The dirt roads I want to travel get a bit gnarly (rutted, rocky jeep trails) and even 450 pounds is a pretty piggish bike to manhandle and/or pick up from an awkward position. Lose traction for a second, stop moving, tip to the side a little, and then try to hold that big pig up when you're dabbing into a rut. Not gonna happen. I was hoping it'd be significantly LIGHTER than a 1200GS. Guess my planned usage isn't what the designers were aiming for...

Likewise.  Even the Vstrom 650 was too heavy once you got into deeper gravel or rutted roads.  The other thing is they all seem to carry the weight up high, making them even more unwieldy once the going gets tough.

[garry]

I'm tempted to buy a couple cheap bathroom scales just for measuring the honest, ready to ride, weight of my bikes. Just roll the bike onto the scales and add the numbers. Easy Peasy. Then take the scales to a moto shop and see what the new shiny thing really weighs in at with fuel. You can probably save at least 10 pounds or more by swapping out the exhaust, but then you start adding crash bars, skid plate, luggage, etc and the weight goes back on.

[The Dude]

I won't buy an "adventure" bike if it weighs over 500 pounds full of gas and loaded with luggage/etc. The dirt roads I want to travel get a bit gnarly (rutted, rocky jeep trails) and even 450 pounds is a pretty piggish bike to manhandle and/or pick up from an awkward position. Lose traction for a second, stop moving, tip to the side a little, and then try to hold that big pig up when you're dabbing into a rut. Not gonna happen. I was hoping it'd be significantly LIGHTER than a 1200GS. Guess my planned usage isn't what the designers were aiming for...

To be fair, this is an "adventure touring" bike... touring being the key word. All the big adventure tourers are pigs. They're built for the highway. Sure, you can take the fire road to your camp site, but they're not built for off-roading, and that's not what most people use them for. If you're looking for an off-road bike, would you really consider something with a 1200cc displacement? I'd want a single, 450 or 650. No bike is going to do everything.

At 6'3" with a 36" inseam, I like the big adv bikes purely for ergonomic reasons. My FZ6 can handle fire roads, and I'm not really looking for much more off-road ability, but I would love some more distance between the seat and the pegs.

Yowza!

So why would one look at a Yam Tenere 1200?

Too soon to say how they'll stack up... but I think the Super Tenere still has some things going for it. I expect the Tiger Explorer to cost more in the US. Yamaha gave us a great price relative to what they sell it for in other parts of the world. The Yamaha was sold overseas for over a year before we got it, so it was a bit more of a known commodity and has proven extremely reliable. Add to that, Yamaha's much more extensive dealer network in the US. It seems like the practical choice.

The Triumph's big opportunity is the engine. Many people have been disappointed with the lack of character from the Super Tenere. Given Triumph's success with the stroked 675 triple in the Tiger 800, expectations for the big stroker are high. If Triumph can meet those expectations, Yamaha won't be the only company worried. I don't think Triumph is too concerned with the Super Ten. They're aiming for the GS. The premium end of the segment is where the margins are.

[Croak]

It's not a stroker.  The 1050 was a stroked-to-the-max 885 (and no real room to bore).  The 1200 is a clean sheet design.  

And I guarantee, they're not aiming at the high end of the segment...they're going to do what has worked well for them for every model they released, which is to compete on price and value, punctuated by an excellent power plant and a historic name.

In other words, they're going for the same "mid-teens" market segment the S10, the V-Strom, the Varadero, etc inhabit.  I expect this bike to start at around $14,000 USD, and be less than $18,000 with all the options and OEM farkles.  

[The Dude]

I hope you're right. I'd love to see it around $14K. But look at the comparison between the 800XC and the 800GS. The 800XC (w/ABS) stickers at $11,800... just above the base MSRP on the 800GS and about a grand under a comparably equipped model. I suspect they may try the same thing with the big Tiger. Probably offer it better equipped just above base 1200GS price, and about $1000 under the GS when comparably equipped.

I'm looking forward to Nov 8th!

[expatbrit]

I'm tempted to buy a couple cheap bathroom scales just for measuring the honest, ready to ride, weight of my bikes. Just roll the bike onto the scales and add the numbers. Easy Peasy. Then take the scales to a moto shop and see what the new shiny thing really weighs in at with fuel. You can probably save at least 10 pounds or more by swapping out the exhaust, but then you start adding crash bars, skid plate, luggage, etc and the weight goes back on.

I've absolutely considered the same thing. One under each wheel.

[Cablebandit]

I've thought about just rolling over the truck scales along the highway.  The C14 is heavy enough it should work.  

[Dan K]

I've thought about that too.  What's the worst that could happen if you roll on in?  I'm going to give it a shot next time I see one on the slab.

- Dan

[Cablebandit]

My neighbor said some of them only measure to the nearest 50 pounds or so.  I'm not sure if that the case or not.

[expatbrit]

My neighbor said some of them only measure to the nearest 50 pounds or so.  I'm not sure if that the case or not.

Sounds like it'd be closer than most dry weights from the manufacturer.

[Cablebandit]

True enough.

[County Tar]

Peter over on the VSRI forum is reporting that the 1200's suspension is from WP.