Potential Newbie Seeking Advice

Discussion in 'Newbies Hangout' started by Santa -2512, Jul 11, 2018.

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  1. Santa -2512

    Santa -2512 New Member

    Jul 11, 2018
    3
    3
    North Pole
    Not quite commited yet,

    Currently running an R1200gs which ive fallen out of love with..

    I like the upright riding position and, and ease at which i can chuck it around.

    I dont like it's propensity to throw it's dollys out of the pram, and land me with repair bills

    And it sounds like a bag of spanners at all times lol

    So i'm looking around to replace it

    Ive got several ideas for a replacement .

    The Tiger 1050 (2011) & the Explorer take my fancy ;)

    But i'm what you would refer to as a "Short arse" so on the GS I have backed off rear suspension and a

    Low seat. which means im running at about a 825 seat height (30.5") for the old school people.

    Are any aftermarket or stock items available for the the above models ??

    And more importantly, any recalls or know problems to look out for?

    Been bitten once and not keen to do it again

    :)
     
  2. stevethegoolie

    stevethegoolie Elite Member

    Oct 16, 2014
    2,452
    800
    East Riding of Yorkshire
    Hi Santa!
    Best bet for you would be to get to a dealer's and try 'em out for size.
    Essentially that means that I haven't got a clue!!
    Welcome!!
     
  3. Tigcraft

    Tigcraft Unheard of Member

    Mar 29, 2014
    2,565
    800
    Holmfirth West Yorkshire
    Welcome in to our madhouse
     
  4. Tiglet

    Tiglet Vintage Member

    Mar 28, 2016
    4,433
    1,000
    Cheshire
    Hello Santa and welcome to the forum :)

    As said a trip to a dealer is the way forward.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  5. dilligaf

    dilligaf Guest

    Hi mate and welcome
     
  6. Wessa

    Wessa Cruising

    Apr 27, 2016
    11,318
    1,000
    North West England
    Hi and welcome....
    Wessa
     
  7. mpllineman

    mpllineman First Class Member

    Feb 12, 2018
    826
    500
    Pearl,Ms.
    Good morning and welcome in. I had this problem with my 06 Scrambler. I wound up replacing the shocks to lower it to fit me. I stand 5'10 inches and don't consider myself short, but the bike not fits nicely! Both feet squarely on the ground at a stop.
     
  8. Tucker 1963

    Tucker 1963 Elite Member

    Sep 7, 2017
    3,451
    800
    Newmarket
    Welcome to the Asylum you should fit right in. Try these you should be able to touch the floor. And yes they are BLACK _20180622_154533.jpg Tucker
     
    • Funny Funny x 2
  9. Santa -2512

    Santa -2512 New Member

    Jul 11, 2018
    3
    3
    North Pole
    There's always one :) ..

    Actually there my work boots ;) my riding boots would need to be taller
     
    • Funny Funny x 4
  10. stevethegoolie

    stevethegoolie Elite Member

    Oct 16, 2014
    2,452
    800
    East Riding of Yorkshire
    Well done, Santa. Just arrived and you're already getting to grips with the sense of humour which occupies these hallowed portals. You should do well here!!:grinning:
     
  11. Santa -2512

    Santa -2512 New Member

    Jul 11, 2018
    3
    3
    North Pole
    Ok today i moseyed over to my local Triumph dealer

    Initially to have a nosey at stock but really to try the 800 for size

    He showed me the 800 xrx low , it was there demonstrator..

    Initial thoughts - Really?? it feels more like a 125 than an 800

    I thought i was back on my Varadero 125 when i got on it,

    No wonder its a potent beast in that skinny frame.

    We were discussing the differences between the 800 & 1200

    Then he dropped the bombshell..

    They do a 1200 Xrx low, and they have one .. would i like to try it

    Height wise it,s still lower than my GS. - Width wise the same

    But i can get my feet near on flat on the floor, and it felt a lot easier to

    move around stationary .. Arghhh :confused:

    So he offered a test ride of both to see which one i liked ..

    i'm going back next week to try them out..

    Only trouble so far...

    His prices are astronomical for the 1200 and i think the 800 will be as bad.

    Even if i got retail for my GS we'd still be a million miles apart

    May have to look used used if one of them works for me ;)
     
    • Like Like x 2
  12. Angus

    Angus Noble Member

    Mar 19, 2017
    936
    300
    South Africa
    Hi Santa welcome in !
     
  13. mpllineman

    mpllineman First Class Member

    Feb 12, 2018
    826
    500
    Pearl,Ms.
    Good morning and welcome. There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying anything used. Just be sure to give your prospect a good lookover, and test ride. It might not hurt to bring a friend along as well, Two sets of eyes are better than one. I have owned many bikes in my life, and very few have been bought new. Just my slant on this. Good luck hunting!
     
    • Like Like x 1
  14. joe mc donald

    Dec 26, 2014
    13,874
    1,000
    slough / burnham
    Welcome Santa.
    Yes there are good second hand bike around and deals to be had. I find if I am trading I tell the dealer exactly what I want and if they hum then I walk away. It has worked for me if not monetary wise then with add ons. But good luck and keep us in the know when you decide.
    Ride Safe
    Joe
     
  15. Speed Fr3ak

    Speed Fr3ak Member

    Jul 12, 2018
    36
    18
    Wiltshire, UK
    Have you ever ridden a tiger sport 1050?

    If you have the opportunity I strongly recommend you take one out for a spin. It’s the best of both world (sport and proper touring)

    GS’s are so.............every bloody where!!
     
  16. Rich Bryce

    Rich Bryce Dead Eye Dick

    Sep 18, 2015
    2,987
    1,000
    Bedford
    Welcome Santa. The engine in the 800 is really sweet and the bike is very agile.
     
  17. Santa -2512

    Santa -2512 New Member

    Jul 11, 2018
    3
    3
    North Pole
    Well, visited the dealer yesterday and had a test ride on an 800 & 1215 -

    Took these out today for a demo.

    Mixed bag, one was horrid, and one was not bad

    800XRXL

    Looks impressive , but feels odd

    I sat over it, not on it, so it felt like an over size pushbike with lots of plastic.

    Engine was reponsive, linear performance, no discernable grunt so to speak, but got up to 70 quickly and reponsive to the throttle

    Handling was bizzare.

    Straight line - fine,

    Corners, the bike felt not planted, almost as if it couldnt make up its mind what line to take,

    Nice sweeping Lh followed by sweeping RH bends on a nat speedlimit DC

    leant in to take the bike left, and it kept wanting to go right, only way to

    get it to lean in was to come off the gas. Straight into the RH and it did

    the same .. very odd

    This was confirmed at the first of several roundabouts,

    Dropped it down to about 20mph and rolled in to do a loop back down the otherside of the dual carriageway

    Turn in! Jesus, almost like bury itself, ive never had a bike want to drop into a corner that quick.

    Some will say thats what you want, and that may be, but it had another twist to really makes things scary.

    Applying power to lift the bike up , it kept trying to apply oppsite lock, almost how a speedway rider corners.

    Comming off the power made it drop in more , and more power more counter steer. fook me. anyway i workout a happy medium and went

    back up the otherside of the dual carriageway.

    Bike number 2

    Tiger explorer 1215 L

    Another low set up bike, this time 1200 engine and shaft driven.

    Talk about chalk and cheese,

    In terms of power delivey , smoothnes & general road manners it was a dream,

    suspension was a bit too firm, but i wasnt fiddling.

    Roundabout manners were better a slight feeling of wanting to countersteer in, but the heavier engine counteracted it nicley.

    Only problem, wind noise, i had plugs in, but above 60 i couldnt hear a dam thing

    when i got back we adjusted the screen, and i went out agian.

    Much quieter, but the bars are way to low almost like riding with straight bars GXXR style,

    The low setup was impressive, is didnt feel like a big adventure style bike - certainly GS esque in terms of width,

    but being able to get my feet down at juctions, was nice, made the package more managable
     
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  18. Rocker

    Rocker Elite Member

    May 1, 2016
    1,662
    800
    Suffolk
    You'll be keeping the GS then:joy: and why not:)
     
  19. Tiglet

    Tiglet Vintage Member

    Mar 28, 2016
    4,433
    1,000
    Cheshire
    Get real Santa, your only used to Reindeer and that’s only once a year, what do you expect trying to ride a motorcycle.
    You’ll be saying next that Rudolphs red nose is brighter than the led headlights on the bikes you tested.
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  20. Paul Coupe

    Paul Coupe Member

    Jul 13, 2018
    33
    13
    Gloucestershire
    Welcome from one newbee to another!

    I am not that tall myself at 5'8" and I didn't hesitate to buy a 1200 Explorer XC. You can buy low seats for them which bring them down by 30mm to 807mm (from 837) but even with the standard seat I can just about get both feet (mostly) on the deck. I tried a few GS's but they were all far too tall and I didn't like what I was hearing about their reliability issues.

    Only thing I've found so far on mine to be wary of is spoked wheels have a propensity for spokes coming loose so it's a weekly task to run a spanner over them and any that don't ring (instead just giving a dull thud) are tweaked up. It's no biggy.

    The motor beats the GS into a cocked hat. It's smoother, not as rattly and pulls from nothing in any gear. A little top heavy but you soon learn to cope with that and all is forgiven on the go with impeccable road manners. Good luck with your purchase and I hope you enjoy your Explorer ownership.
     
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