[susan3004]

Yes Avi. The bike is very potent, and personally the weight is also not so bothersome to me. Albeit, the size is just apt for me.

My act of passing through the Harley gang was just a gentle reminder to assure them of the august presence of other riders
I feel we should abstain from discussing how fast we gunned the bike down that road the other day. But all I can submit is that those triple digit speeds were towards the end of the powerband of the engine.



Thanks Avi for this photo. Remains a record for the day!

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by pramods

attracts lots of unwanted attention everywhere, sometime this is completely undesirable.While getting back from Hyderabad somewhere near Nirmal I stopped for a butt break near a petrol station and in few minutes there was almost 20-30 people surrounding the bike trying to do all kind of thing, initial lot was courteous enough to ask for taking photo, touching the bike and all but as more people started joining behaviour and action started objectionable, I have to somehow get on bike and get going stop somewhere in middle of nowhere for next break.

Agree with you about the attention. As you may have noted, in our group we have a rider (Sunder) who owns the Tiger 800XC, he is regular to all our rides and whenever he joins us he steals all the attention from us Bonnie owners which is a majority

Tiger looks so different that most of regular folks on road have never seen anything like that before in their life and they just gape at this monstrosity of a bike and try to pose, touch etc

Infact, we kept gaurd of the Tiger and took turns having breakfast during our Medak Church ride

Originally Posted by susan3004

Yes Avi. The bike is very potent, and personally the weight is also not so bothersome to me. Albeit, the size is just apt for me.

Same for me as well. Just that my mass is unexercised unlike yours

Originally Posted by susan3004

I feel we should abstain from discussing how fast we gunned the bike down that road the other day. But all I can submit is that those triple digit speeds were towards the end of the powerband of the engine.

Oh yeah, it just powers on and its almost like an SUV on 2 wheels

Originally Posted by susan3004

Thanks Avi for this photo. Remains a record for the day!

Wah Paaji, tussi chaagaye ho ( your looking good---In English)

[Jayant06]

Pramod: Is the Pannier system and the top box an additional accessory or part of the purchase price?

[rashreddy]

Congrats Pramod. Superb choice. That's a kickass bike.. True Blue SUV on two wheels. I had a chance to see the bike from close quarters at the Bangalore Triumph showroom. Its a monster. And the colors and paint chosen on these bikes by Triumph is also unique

And unlike the 1200Gs and the Vstorm which have twin cylinder engines, this is a typical 3Cylinder Triumph engine and roars like an inline four right?

Congrats and Ride safe

[pramods]

Originally Posted by Jayant06

Pramod: Is the Pannier system and the top box an additional accessory or part of the purchase price?

Pannier and Tank top box are additional accessory, I got following accessories for for XC
1> Tank bag, this also need a harness that need to be bought as separate harness
2> Panier
3> Radiator guard
4> Tankpad

have requested them to get me Tire Pressure monitoring, but have not heard from either dealer Pune/Hyderabad

Got some Triumph Merchandise too
Jacket, Jeans and boot

-Pramod

[mobike008]

Pramod, could you please share the OTR cost of your bike, discounts (if any) and cost of accessories?

[pramods]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Pramod, could you please share the OTR cost of your bike, discounts (if any) and cost of accessories?

No discount Avinash, the on road cost at nagpur was 20L[ this include Ex Showroom, LBT, Road tax, Insurance, RTO registration charges or handling charges]
Accessories, 58K, I don't remember to break up right now, it includes the Pannier, tankbag, tankbag harness, tankpad, radiator guard.

-Pramod

[TheCelestial]

Congrats Pramod. Awesome bike!

What is the range on a single tank of fuel? Have you taken it on really broken roads and how was the ride quality?

Originally Posted by mobike008

...
Myself and Susan3004 rode the Triumph Explorer 1200 during one of our rides to Hillpark and it's simply a massive machine and me being 6ft. 1in tall still had my feet just touching the ground which was not the case of Susan3004 who is maybe an inch taller than me


....

.

I am surprised. The Explorer is not that tall at a seat height of about 837. I am about 5ft 10" and I had no trouble putting both my feet down.

The 800 on the other hand is quite tall.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by TheCelestial

I am surprised. The Explorer is not that tall at a seat height of about 837. I am about 5ft 10" and I had no trouble putting both my feet down.The 800 on the other hand is quite tall.

Good Point, thanks. Not sure if Iam mixing up the 800 with 1200 as I rode the 1200 almost 6 months back sometime (i.e) in March

I reckon taking too many test rides of Triumph bikes have completely spoilt me and left me confused

Let me get astride the 1200 one more time and will report back

[P.S.]

Congratulations on the new bike Pramod.

Your bike is simply jaw dropping sir. Amazing looking machine!!!! love the colour you've gone for as well.

Congratulations again!

[pramods]

Originally Posted by TheCelestial

Congrats Pramod. Awesome bike!

What is the range on a single tank of fuel? Have you taken it on really broken roads and how was the ride quality?

.....

350 kms is the safe range, before you fill again, best would be 300 kms. Broken road! I have taken it on no road and on moon craters, the bike was comfortable, the only problem that I faced was clutch which to me was really to hard compared to any bike I have used yet, even though its hydraulic.

There are 2 setting for seat height a lower that you mentioned and a higher seating position, it can be done by getting the riding seat out and adjust the height, its one of the feature built into Explorer

[n_aditya]

Congratulations Pramod and wishing you many happy and safe miles on this one.

This is like a jeep on 2 wheels and a "ride it anywhere" type of bike.

How does this compare to the BMW R1200 GS if you have ridden one? I'm asking since I've read quite a bit on the beemer but interested to know how this one fares in terms of riding comfort.

[pramods]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

....

How does this compare to the BMW R1200 GS if you have ridden one? I'm asking since I've read quite a bit on the beemer but interested to know how this one fares in terms of riding comfort.

Thanks, I have not ridden GS, just can say they are comparable on most of the count apart from suspension where GS is electronic while Explorer is all manual, even though Triumph has electronic suspension setup in Trophy.

Haroon would be able to provide more input and may be able to give a better comparative view.

-Pramod

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by pramods

Haroon would be able to provide more input and may be able to give a better comparative view

+1. That would be an interesting comparison

Haroon, iam sure you rode both GS1200 and Tiger 1200 extensively in your global rides.

May we request you for a "What I like" & " What I don't" for both these bikes

[Haroon]

Originally Posted by pramods

Haroon would be able to provide more input and may be able to give a better comparative view.

-Pramod

Originally Posted by mobike008

+1. That would be an interesting comparison

Haroon, iam sure you rode both GS1200 and Tiger 1200 extensively in your global rides.

May we request you for a "What I like" & " What I don't" for both these bikes

Friends, while I have spent lots of saddle time on a variety of BMW bikes, I have to admit I am severely limited on Triumph. By coincidence few months back when I was returning the rented bmw bike after our Adriatic trip to the rental company, I had the chance to take their Explorer 1200XC on a short ride around their part of town in a corner of Ljubljana, Slovenia. So I can only share so much information based on that small ride on the XC. Also, I am yet to ride the redesigned 2014 Liquid Cooled(LC) 1200GS although I rode for the trip its sport-touring sibling- the 2014 R1200RT LC, so my experience is based on the previous air/oil cooled 1200GS.

On a good sunny day, I am about 6ft tall and weigh close to 88kgs.

Ergonomics
In general the 1200XC and 1200GS are almost on par for my frame. The reach to the ground on the 1200XC probably a tiny bit longer but not significant as I can almost flat foot on both bikes. It may not necessarily just be the height of the bike but probably the seat width/angle also could have made the difference on the XC. The reach to the handlebars on both bikes are similar. The foot pegs are also almost identical but may be the 1200XC footpegs were a wee bit higher. Sitting posture very very comfortable & identical on both bikes with handlebar width also almost identical. Personally for me the stock seat of the GS sucks. So I have a custom seat on my bike. The stock seat of the XC felt a bit better, but I cant give a verdict unless I spend atleast 2-3 hours on the saddle. The wind protection are almost identical on both bikes and the windshield can be adjusted manually with 2 knobs on both bikes with the bike stopped. On the 2014 GS the windshield can be adjusted on the move with a single knob.

Slow-speed handling
The 1200GS felt better, probably due to the lower Center of Gravity of the boxer engine, whereas the 1200XC felt a little top heavy to me and generally it felt a tad bit heavier to move the bike on foot. I felt the turning radius on the GS was better than the XC. As far as High speed handling/braking etc- Sorry no experience on the XC, so I cant make a comparison. At stand still when you twist the throttle on the GS, you can feel the bike wanting to tilt to the right (that’s the jacking effect from the pistons of opposed twin engine conveyed to the drive shaft), no such special effects on the XC!

Engine
People new to BMW boxer engines will initially feel the vibrations like a stone crusher machine and the sound like a sewing machine, but once you get used to it, its torque is simply enjoyable esp in twisty mountain roads (BTW, the new 2014 liquid cooled BMW boxer engines are a tad more smoother, powerful & have a deep throaty sound). The 1200XC engine on the other hand was butter smooth and I really really loved the engine note. Its music to the ears. And a sudden twist of throttle on the XC can really catapult you into orbit.

Suspension
No contest on the front end. The BMW tele-lever on the front is way superior esp on rough patches & uneven surfaces, road humps etc you just don’t feel the fork dive. The rear suspension on both felt almost similar. Ofcourse, I did not have the time to play around with the Triumph suspension as it was more of a goodwill ride...The BMW has the electronic suspension adjustment, but I prefer the old fashioned manual setting type (less things to go wrong).

Price
While the GS is an iconic bike that is generally known for its reliability, appreciated for its technology/riding performance by having amply proved its capabilities all around the globe (but coming with a premium price tag in India!), the Triumph XC although a new kid on the block, I still feel it is also a tough built bike oozing with high quality fit & finish and is good value for money (in relative terms). Added to that the dealer support from Triumph I gather at present is among the best in the Indian market. Approx OTR Price for 2014 1200XC 20 lacs and the 2014 1200GS Adv 35 lacs…

While the GS & XC may be classified as ‘Adventure Touring’ bikes, these are supremely capable & comfortable touring bikes. So its not necessary that you always have to chase the sahara desert or Leh/Ladakh to really enjoy their potential. They are perfectly at home on good tarmac roads as well all across the country. And as a bonus when our highways go from bad to worse, you can still leave your sportbike riding buddies in the dust while keeping up with them on the twisty bits . Therefore, if you have the budget and want one ‘do-it-all bike’, these are the bikes to have. You wont go wrong with them on that front!