[Tuborog]

Originally Posted by vijai

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.

1. Sound of L-twin is not to everyone's liking at idle, but is decent at higher revs (4k+).
2. Looks like your demo bike had not done a lot of kms. Engine tends to smoothen out a lot and after 4000 kms, it is butter smooth
3. Typical Ducati You need to let engine heat upto 70 C, then gearbox is as smooth as any other bike's
4. At least in my SuperSport, my wife has not complained about heat from exhaust. It is well insulated. Engine heat is a different story though!

In terms of features, tiger 900 RP is a very good deal, and it looks good too. So, it is a great choice. As a matter of fact, you will not go wrong with any of the bikes in your list. All have some great plus points, and few niggles. Question is, which bike's niggles you can live with. Hope this helps you to finalize your decision.

[alphadog]

Hi vijai,

I must say, it is indeed a nice position to be in with a budget stretching to 18L.
I have owned Harley Iron 883, Honda AT, Z900 in the past and I now have a V strom and a CBR650F, thats my experience with the bikes. The V strom is for longer distances and the CBR650F, which I got recently, I have been using for my commutes to work.

I never thought I would say this, but if you are looking a bike for a comfortable two up touring twice or thrice a year, then one of the Harley soft-tails will allow you to do this in style. Plush seats, good suspension, plenty of torquey oomph and surely an eye catcher. The smaller Harleys are not worth it.

The Z900 is a great bike and it surely packs a punch, but the wind-blast on open highways can get a bit too much. Also, the seat is not ideal for a pillion, save for shorter distances.
The Africa Twin, is great if you intend to do off-roading and the DCT auto transmission is a hoot, but if you do not intend to go off roads, the bike is a bit cumbersome for city and regular usage. The service and parts costs are low as far as big bikes are concerned.

If its more for a solo regular usage and if you want one bike to do it all, then the Suzuki V strom 650 XT, is all that you will need for our roads. It is an understated gem of a bike - comfy, great L twin engine, easy to manage in traffic, stable on open highways and maintenance costs are not much. There are plenty of aftermarket accessories available as well to make the bike your own.

I would also urge you to consider going down the the used / pre-loved route, as this way you will be saving hell of a lot of money and that can be used to get fabulous riding gears and accessories for the bike. Also, in case you get bored of the bike in a couple of years, you can sell it off without getting much of a depreciation hit, as opposed to a new bike.

The Tiger 900 rally pro is over-priced in my opinion. All the best with your search. Ultimately, you need to take test rides of many bikes and then let the heart decide.

Cheerio!

[forty6]

Hi,

First of all congrats for reaching the milestone of having the money to buy your dream bike.

So far so good.

Now, it might sound preachy and rude, but don't think you are on the right path. You started off with a naked and have landed on an ADV. This is strange, but not unique.
Please decide by riding all the bikes in all the categories before deciding what makes sense. Because spending 15-16 Lakh on a bike does not make sense. You should buy what your heart wants. What you want to see everyday and what makes you smile. Or the other way to look at is, one that you wouldn't really want to sell, after let's say a few years.

You said you are coming from a RTR 200, which means you like something small nimble and with good flick-ability. A Tiger 900 is none of those things. It is not a bad bike, but it isn't a bigger version of what you ride. So, think about that. I would say test ride the Striple RS, the Z900, the CBR 650r and the naked too, and for just the heck the ninja 650 too. Then do the same with the versys 650, the tiger 900 GT and Rally (I will come to this in a while), the Multi V2S, the Multi V4S and the BMW R1200GS.

I know the last two are a bit out of the budget, but hey, you are in the market, you have the cash, go and have a looksie at everything. This will also help you understand the difference in bikes across the range. And whether the premium is worth it or not.

For example if you are into touring, a versys 650 will do everything and save you 10 L straight away, which you can put on a CBR 650 for example. But, if you aren't into touring, then this whole high ground clearance and top heavy bikes that cost a bomb are nothing but show ponies.

Between the Tiger 900 Gt and Rally, go for the Rally only if you are going to do really bad roads, like those in rural settings, or some stretches of Spiti and Leh. Otherwise that 21inch tire is a handicap. Don't be bowled over by the extra dough nonsense. The GT is a better road bike, that can do almost all the roads that pass off as roads in India. I did Delhi to Pondi and Kanyakumari on a Street Triple RS, you can definitely do it faster and comfier on the GT. Rally is an overkill. And in all probability slightly worse on road. If it is between these two I would heartily recommend the GT. Do bear in mind, both of these are unusually vibey at decent cruising speeds (120-140), which might swing the pendulum in favour of the Rally (proper off roads bikes are usually quite buzzy), but no, don't go for the Rally if you have no intentions of dirt roads or rocky terrain.

Being vibey gives the Ducati V2s a good shot at the better choice. The V twins are inherently vibey, but the the V2s is more powerful and infused with tech. Funnily it is also more frugal. Handling wise it doesn't feel as light as the GT, but by god that suspension is magic. You can make it go really comfy and plush and then stiffen it up for a faster and sharper ride. The components are also better on the V2s, for example the Triumph GT has Brembo calipers but not the master cylinder. The Ducati for sure is going to be expensive to maintain, but that is the only chink in its armour. Do read what Schumi has to say about the Multi, he tours extensively on this 1200S.

But, if you really fancy the 900 Rally, I would insist you do try the Africa Twin. That is a better bike to really go off road. In india they sell the all bells and whistle edition, but the price difference is worth it. It isn't going to be as good in corners as the Triumph, but since you have already decided to go for Rally over GT, I think you wouldn't mind the Africa Twin.

Lastly, don't be influenced by what the sales person says, or features like cruise control and heated grips and what not, they are useless for 99% of riding in Indian conditions. And like someone else mentioned, accessories can be purchased from outside, and shouldn't be the reason to go for the bike. Get the bike that you love, accessories will follow.


Lastly, if you can wait, do try the Tiger 660. It is cheaper, can do two up, and will be a better handler than the Tigers and the Multi, though will look and feel cheaper, but then it will be cheaper to own too.


Cheers.

[Crankpin]

I think the Tiger Rally is a great bike. The overall package with that punchy triple engine and a great handling yet comfy chassis makes it stand out. I'm not at all a 'adventure' motorcyclist but today's road conditions (especially nearby Pune) makes you want one! The 21" front wheel was never a deal breaker in case I ever thought of getting one for myself.

I tried the new Africa Twin and even though it's a brilliant bike by all standards, I found the Tiger a better bike overall.

Honestly, I never found any major vibrations riding the Tigers, even at higher speeds and when compared to the Africa Twin, the Tigers felt much smoother to ride.

Triumph's service was the main reason I got a Street RS myself having had experienced poor/ non existent after sales from Yamaha.

I only hope Triumph India maintain their service levels up to the mark!

[vijai]

Thank you everyone, I took a step back for the past week to evaluate what I need and am I in a position to take up the huge owning cost - 2 points which was made repeatedly in one form or another. I started out with naked and moved to adv. I understand that both are completely different segments and seems like adv is a good choice I would make - although I wouldn't mind owning a Striple RS along but you know, bank balance says no .

So, temporarily I forgot the budget I had and started looking at adv without seeing the price tag - Versys, Africa Twin and Tiger 900 RP. Versys just had no connect with me. Africa Twin was great bike and little more power, gizmos but liked Tiger design better. Ultimately, my heart won and I'm kind of happy for that. That being said, I have initiated loan processing and seems like 4th March would be the day my garage rumbles with sweet I3's symphony

Originally Posted by forty6

Lastly, don't be influenced by what the sales person says, or features like cruise control and heated grips and what not, they are useless for 99% of riding in Indian conditions. And like someone else mentioned, accessories can be purchased from outside, and shouldn't be the reason to go for the bike. Get the bike that you love, accessories will follow.

For one thing I liked about Triumph Chennai dealership, they weren't pushy for anything - no push for booking, no push for taking insurance from them, no push for specific model. They weren't having the usually believed "Sales person doesn't attend to people who look normal and middle class" thing too. Spoke to sales person - who I later found to be my school senior - numerous times and every time I had proper prompt response. He worked out multiple quotes between Rally and Rally Pro with different accessories combinations I wanted and only then I decided on Rally Pro.

[vijai]

Did really have find time to update the thread but I did take delivery of my Tiger 900 RP pure white on March 4. I have named him Falcon. Between March 4 and now, I have completed close to 2000Km and the bike is really fun and way lot more to learn new every day.




Now, I'm not sure if I should convert this thread into ownership thread or make a new one.

[prasanna_indaje]

Originally Posted by vijai

Did really have find time to update the thread but I did take delivery of my Tiger 900 RP pure white on March 4. I have named him Falcon. Between March 4 and now, I have completed close to 2000Km and the bike is really fun and way lot more to learn new every day.

Congratulations Vijai. The Tiger is an excellent choice and will keep you happy for years to come.