Tiger Explorer Thinking Of A Change

Steve I test rode the Tiger XCA as i am looking to change my Speed Triple. The bike was excellent - great engine, handling, riding position, comfort and a shed load of gadgets inc the TFT screen. Now torn between the deal I can get on a 1200GS TE vs. no deal on the Tiger! no black available unless i go for lesser model so waiting for the dealer to reconsider a XRT deal!

 

I bought a 1200xca at the end of March and after years of sports bikes I absolutely love it. I try and use B-roads and back roads as much as possible to avoid traffic and camera vans etc which the bike seems suited too. The electronic suspension and gadgets make the bike really easy to get on with. I’ve replaced the tyres with a set of Bridgestone A41s which are quieter than the metzelers. The front had worn on the shoulders and the rear was squaring off, there was life left in the tyres but it spoilt the ride, so I decided to replace them.
The only problem I’ve had is the seat seems to have lost its padding( goes really hard in a short time, approx 20mins) the dealer as got me another one on order.
If you need any more information let me know.
All the best
Phil

 

I changed too and looked at the GS/GSA and the T1200. I was in the same boat, BMW GS/GSA TE spec were no dearer than the XCa. I have no doubt the Triumph will have a much lower resale value in the years to come and will be harder to shift too but if you make that your purchasing criteria........

I went for the 2018 XCa model in January and the bike is a dream, great low speed bike on country roads but super as a high speed mile muncher. If it's touring you want to do this bike will cream it. It comes in for some criticism for it's top end weight and that is a very low speed issue only. If you are lightweight or below 5'10" I would avoid it. There is also the XCx low version which will suit shorter riders. It is no busy commuter though, it will do it but its capabilities would be wasted.

Sparkphil is dead right, you won't be long on those dreadful OEM tyres. I found the handling, grip and feel great but the front end is the main culprit, the droning noise is nearly unbearable, earplugs a must. Check that out on a test ride, once a demo bike has 300-500 miles on it it will sound like a jet aircraft is flying between the forks. I am at 5,800km now and have had enough of them, it never made this sound on the test ride and the Triumph dealer says it is normal! At least Metzeler have offered to look at them for me at no cost, the Triumph dealer charged me full labour rate to look at them. I have also ordered up A41's.

If you are going to do some long trips or even just all day local trips the bike is up there with the best and is to be highly commended, if you want an odd day weekend blast sort of bike I don't think you will get the value out of this bike.

 

I've had big litre sports bikes for years, followed by enduros and a Harley. I recently travelled across the countryside looking at a shortlist for a big adventure bike to cover miles effortlessly and stay reliable plus it had to have reasonable running costs and have some excitement about riding it.

Looked at KTM 990's, 1160's and 1290 SA bikes, and BMW R1200GS TE and GSA models, then at Yam Super Tens and the latest Honda Africa twins.

I chanced by accident onto a Tiger Explorer (2012) model and it made the Yam and Honda feel dated and dull (the Honda's far from dated but I did find it yawn inducing and quite tall). The GS bikes I looked at were between 2 and 5 years old. A couple were immaculate low miles examples but they were all several thousand more than the equivalent KTM or Triumphs. Having ridden most of them, the only thing that the BMW offered that the others didn't was a low centre of gravity and slow speed manners. The engine was ok...pulled strongly but lacked real sparkle. I found the GS variants to be unnecessarily tall in the saddle which for anyone of less than 6ft might be an issue.

I then rode the Triumph and frankly, it blew me away. I've had an older generation Triumph Trident triple in the past and ridden Speed triples but by comparison, they felt heavier (more top heavy), not great handling and drank fuel. The Explorer hides its weight better than the 1050 imho, has masses more low down grunt (it pulls cleanly from 30mph in top gear) and sportsbike performance higher up. Gob-smackingly brilliant engine and streaks ahead of the GS for shear grunt and power.

I looked at the latest spec XCA and decided that the driver gadgets and electronic aids were a nice to have but not essential as the older bike's set up is fantastic anyway. It handles way better than it has any right to, so I regarded all the complex electronics and active suspension of the latest ones more to go wrong (and more costly if they do) and simply not worth the large extra premium over something from say 2014 to 2016. I ended up with a 2014 model which has only needed a running in service and a few oil changes since new as it hasn't covered the 10K mark yet. It has all the toys already fitted including heated seat, bars, spots, luggage, spoked tubeless rims, traction control, abs and cruise control. It came in under £8500. You couldn't look at a BMW of similar age/mileage and specification for that.

The 990 KTM was lovely (SMT model rather than the Adventure which looks too fugly for my tastes). Perfect balance of weight to power...very lightweight compared with any other large adventure bike and superb handling BUT fuelling was terrible low down, saddle wasn't that comfy and it was still quite tall at close on 34 inches to the saddle. The 1290 was just bonkers...way too much stomp for anyone to ever need on or off the road and very very complex...I wouldn't want the reliability worries or have to live with that crazy bike day to day. 1160 was great but still a very complex bike.

In the end the triumph offers flat feet on the floor, superb suspension (even the older model) and all the kit anyone would need for serious mile munching but if your riding will take more serious off roading then the KTM is really the only sensible choice (Adventure model). For occasional stomps on fire trails or across camping fields, the Explorer is just fine.

I can only speak from my own experience, but for me, any of the Explorer bikes are a seriously capable and super comfortable tourer with some off road abilities and more stomp than you could ever realistically need...and imho are a step up from the 1050. The BMW reliability record is not great with 40% breakdown rate on bikes up to a few years old. They seem plagued with engine casing and frame corrosion issues (all but two of the bikes I looked at were badly corroded), final drives still give troubles, and earlier models up to 2013 suffered with piezo fuel strip problems (fuel gauge sender units) costing £200 a time to fix. I decided that I didn't want to take the risk on expensive repairs so my choices were whittled down to the KTM SMT/Adventure or the Triumph. I have no regrets with the Triumph...possibly the best all round motorcycle I've owned in 35 years of biking.

 

try the new tiger 1200

 

It's better...my local dealership was offering test rides. I liked it a lot but definitely not £7K better to me than a good used earlier explorer. Feels lighter and suspension is better plus front brakes are a big improvement. Depends on budget and where most of your riding will be (for most of us that will be on road). Riding modes to me for road use are a gimmick and as the competition have all gone that way, Triumph have had to. Off road the newer riding modes and active suspension are a big plus. If those looking can afford a newer one and won't miss that extra £7K it'll take to buy one, go for it. If budget is a consideration the Mk1 will do everything (on the road) the newer one does just fine. Front braking can be improved by going to braided hoses and decent pads and if needs be, suspension can be upgraded (The factory suspension set up is just fine though...I have no plans to upgrade mine).

 

Agree with you there, took one for a test ride, didn’t touch the rider modes etc, took all my limited intelligence just to work out how to start it, if I had the money I would tho’

 

Me too...having ridden the competition I just think that the Triumph is currently the best on road adventure tour bike out there. Still very happy with my choice of the 2014 model though.

 

I bought a Tiger 1200 XRT in May and really rate it. I'd previously had a Yamaha FZ1 (which was also a nice bike), but wanted something more comfortable for my annual Euro tour (Strasbourg this year - was good).
I took an XCA out for a test ride from A1 Moto in York, and had a couple of hours tooling around the Howardian hills. The size of the bike took a few miles to get to grips with, but after that, the handling blew me away. Got back to the dealers and bought an ex-demo XRT there and then! I would have liked the XRT in green, but settled for red as they had an ex-demo, which is a really good way to get a good deal on what is pretty much a new bike.
I've done about 2500 miles on the bike now - still love it, and am looking for suitable weekend to take it to Scotland on the NC500.
Highpoints (not in any order)

• handling
• looks
• cruise control (amazing how useful this is)
• tech
• engine!!!
• comfort
• wind/elements protection

No so high points:

• sometimes feels a bit heavy (it is heavy...no hiding from that), but not when riding
• bugger to get on and off with the expedition panniers fitted (may just be me)

Go and try GS, KTM etc, then go and buy yourself a Tiger - you won't regret it.

 

Just picked up a 1200 XCA. Is it hot? Yes. Is it a blast to ride? Yes I live in Arizona in the US. It gets very hot here. I am, however, coming off an air/oil cooled Vtwin cruiser. This is no hotter and I have no fear of fuel boiling. I actually think it runs cooler. If you saw the size of the radiator you'd understand.

I was also apprehensive about the height and weight. I am 5'8" and come in at 185lbs. I have absolutely no issues moving this bike around. I test rode everything across the board and this is what I landed on. Get the bike, enjoy it the ride.