Triumph Tiger Explorer

Thanks, Troppo. No sign of one in Melbourne yet. I'll be interested in your test ride impressions.

Yes, I reckon it will be a perfect bike for us down here: Trumpy will sell them by the container load.

3 of my mates have GS1200s. I have put a few km on them, and they are like the proverbial leather lounge chair.

The Explorer feels just the same - the sit up and beg position is great for stacking on the miles, plus the cruise will be a big plus.

I am very, very reluctant to sell my beloved Busa, though.

:-(

Will let you know what I think next week.

Rgds

Troppo. I've owned a couple of GS's and if you like them, then I think you're going to be impressed by the eXplorer, which has moved the game on sufficiently to make it the class leader at present. It's not going to be faster than your Busa, obviously, but it can certainly get a decent lick on without having to rev it hard and it's definitely sportier and quicker than the GS, so coupled with cruise (really useful I find), 10k minor service intervals and a host of accessories to pick and choose from, it makes it an ideal workhorse for using on big continents.

HappyGL, RIC, on here, owns both a K16GTSE and eXplorer, so would be good to advise you. I've owned a K13S, Tiger 1050, have ridden both the T8 and T8XC, plus I currently ride an eXplorer, so can at least relate to your conundrum to some extent. I really liked the T8's, particularly their light weight and agility. But, not unlike the Tenere, their lack of low down grunt compared with peppy motors like the T12's is noticeable if you're used to big bikes. I hope your knee heels properly, one of mine is full of screws and I've had ligament damage problems myself. I don't find it a problem pushing the bike forwards in neutral, but I am very careful when putting it onto it's centre stand (a lift handle would help, I believe Wunderlich are working on one) and I notice it when pushing it backwards into my slightly uphill garage. However, even walking pace figure of eights are child's play, the turning circle is pretty good and stability exemplary. As you mention, a test ride will tell you the answers to those questions which matter the most to you as an individual, so good luck with that and let us know if it was a good experience for you or not.

Lobbed into the Honda Dealer to cast my eyes on the Honda Cross tourer. Bike didn't do it for me , looked heavey , massive frame, small forks , huge bolt on shaft , and butt ugly with all the plastic finish. Just looked like an after thought bike to me.

Still calling by the Triumph dealer on a daily basis, demo was supposed to be hear by now !

Not intimidating like the Big K but it is heavy when static. On the move at very low speed it is a doddle if a touch top heavy. You sit a lot higher but have the benefit of better forward vision. Does take a little adjusting to after the low seat Big K.

It is easy to manoeuvre and balance at low speeds in tight traffic.

Happygolucky
Having come from 2007 BMWK1200GT, the Explorer feels much lighter to manoeuvre, with a slight slope on the drive, the Explorer feels very similar to the much ligher V-Strom 650 to move and turn round, the weight is a little higher.
When moving its well balanced and easy to paddle round compared to a GS1200 with its lower seat height.

Having gone for a tall rounder to slow me down, I am finding some journeys are quicker on the Explorer than they were on the K1200GT, probably the better visibility!

Troppo
Not too sure about the Street Triple R as a hoon machine, I daren't try one, there isn't room in the garage!

The Explorer is proving a good mile muncher, most times it goes out it is doing 200+ miles and I have no complaints about the standard seat comfort!

RIC

Just wondering what tyres you opted for?

I've put PR3's on. Initially they were underwhelming despite turning in much quicker. Then after 150 miles running in they started to shine with good feedback, faster turn, better line hold at high speed plus a plusher ride.

The stock tyres are good but seem to under steer under high load if you want to be picky.

Thanks for the feedback RIC. Might give those a go next. Not had any time to ride this week (started a new job, VP of Quality at a bank HQ) but managed to clock up over 800 miles so far this month and (high ambients temps aside) enjoyable one's.

Like the Honda, the shaft-drive is a chunky bit of kit, but the flip side is that they've made blatant/direct open claims that their shaft drive design is 'more reliable' than BMW's.

To the buying public, time will tell. But it does seem foolhardy at best, to make such claims, if they are not confidence derived from a comprehensive internal testing programme? So it might have to be viewed as an acceptable compromise.

The Yamaha shaft is more lithe, but then again it's putting out lower horsepower and is more artificially restricted in it's lower gears, so perhaps doesn't need to be so over-engineered?

The blue and graphite bikes look great, but I find the black scheme a bit average in the flesh for my personal tastes.

I hope you get to ride it soon Bails. It's a shame I can't send you our forecasted 92F with 0% chance of rain this coming weekend, for your test ride - although that might be just a bit too hot to enjoy the ride! :-D

Cap'n said: "Like the Honda, the shaft-drive is a chunky bit of kit......."

Cap'n, when you say shaft drive do you mean swingrm? There's no doubt that the swingrm is almost overkill in its proportions. I wonder if they've done that specifically to help overcome fears or lack of confidence in shaft drive rear ends generated by BMWs lack of acceptable reliability in that area? They may have "saved" the shaft drive!

Capn said: "....but the flip side is that they've made blatant/direct open claims that their shaft drive design is 'more reliable' than BMWs"

At the same time let's not forget that the BMW problem seems to have been down to an oil seal. If so, no amount of over sizing of metal components would help.

Hello from Ireland,
I bought a 1200 Explorer 2 weeks ago, after some extensive testing on a Demo bike. This is a really good motorcycle. The fact that I have put 3000 Kilometers on it already speaks for itself. It came to me with Metzeler Tourances. My first impression of these tyres was that they seemed to tramline excessively from new, over longitudinal road irregularities/white lines etc.
However I have also noticed some fore and aft play at the front axle of the bike which I feel is excessive.It is probably caused by either loose stem bearings or excessive clearance on the fork bushings. That would certainly exacerbate such an issue in a tyre. I have contacted the dealer to investigate, and await inspection. These tyres otherwise grip well and turn well.

"Triumph are on a winner. It craps all over a GS."
... Did you get one Troppo?

Kevin, how are you getting on with the long-termer?

I'm only up to 1,000 miles on mine - blahdy work getting in the way. Enjoyable miles mind! :-D

It will be a great combination Troppo but sad to have to see the Busa go I expect. One of the all time greats and my wife loved it as well, which was a bonus!
I had eyes on the Street Triple R myself but backed off due to the wind blast since it would have been used for high speed out of town runs. The Tiger 800 would suit me a bit better in the circumstances and the demo ride was excellent, as was the Explorer, but I just can't bring myself to px/lose either of my present bikes (Thunderbird 1600/Ducati 999S).
At my local Triumph dealer they have one of the group of Explorers used on the Triumph tour in Morocco, at a discount price.

It's a stellar engine. Right up there with the best. Although the new ZZR14 makes it look a bit weak on the dyno. And similar powered bikes like the S1000RR are much lighter too. So with peers like the K13S, different types of fish like the V4 in the VMax, I'm not convinced it's still the daddy engine, but it's as near as damn it and given it's age that's quite monumental in many ways.

Sid has just returned from a 1,600 miler in France on his eXplorer and paraphrasing said it was as fast on the road as the Busa in general terms but handled better. Poetic license maybe? But still praise indeed, I think you'll be happy enough with your new steed. It's certainly deceptively quick with a really rocking midrange.

"The Tiger 800 would suit me a bit better in the circumstances and the demo ride was excellent, as was the Explorer, but I just can't bring myself to px/lose either of my present bikes (Thunderbird 1600/Ducati 999S)."
... that's a toughy as the TBird/999S is a real good two-bike combo. Maybe a used T800 might be an option?