Hi I have posted a few stories and questions in the HUBB, I may have posted my last one in the wrong place ( I, m not really that techno) , well what I would love to hear is the following.

Does anyone have or had the following bikes
1. Yamaha TDM 900
2. KTM 990 SMT
3. Triumph tiger 1050 sport

( all of these bike fit into the Sports touring cat, ) I presently own a 2011 Triumph tiger 800 , non XC model, a Aprilia 650 pegaso, and a Suzuki DRZ 400 e, im trying to sell the Tiger and the aprilia, the Aprilia has only 10000 kms on it , the Triumph 14000kms , the Aprilia was my wifes , but she is not interested in riding, and frankly I don't like ths tiger, my last bike was a 955i tiger ( loved it ) , the 800 doesn't handle as well , ON ROAD , and not enough power. There is no bike that is a true off/on road , the only bike that comes close is the Suzuki DR 650 , I use my DRZ for going mad in the bush, If I drop it " I don't care " , as it's hard to break , and lets face it that what it was built for.Most Adventure big tourers would break alot off plastic and other things ( that's expensive) were the Dr 650 will still go hard in the bush, and handle the highway quite well., so in my opinion the only close all rounder.

Well getting back to my original point , the bikes above, ( I do not won't to hear of other bikes please and I have done my research and that's the final list ) I believe you need to bikes one for full on off road, ( like my DRZ ) and one of the above for 90% on road and 10 % of road. ( thats lite of road to) dirt roads and at most good fire trails.

So can you guys and girls that have owned one of the above bikes , and hopefully done lots of kms let me know the good and bad of these bikes.

Thanks
Tiger68

I currently own a 1050 Tiger (2007, not the new Sport). Also owned 2 Tigers before, a '99 and a '95 885. All great bikes, I'm a big Tiger fan.


Never ridden a 900 TDM but owned a '92 TDM 850 for two years.
I've ridden the KTM 990 ADV, not the SMT. I liked it ... but not as comfortable as my 1050 Tiger, uses more gas and not as fast or as smooth either.

I have no idea about the market or prices in Oz, but here in the US, used Tiger 1050's are some of best deals on the market. Really really cheap for what you get. If your liked your 955i ... then I think you may like the 1050 as a road bike ... but NOT for off road. The main thing about the 1050 is how FAST it is ... and how smooth. Nearly as smooth as your 800 Tiger. Can''t imagine how you'll deal with such a fast bike ... all my friends who've gone riding in OZ have come back with $2000 worth of speeding fines. Your cops apparently have nothing better to do than chase motorcycles. I couldn't believe the stories on this and how ridiculously SLOW your speed limits are.
I would NEVER EVER visit for a riding vacation for that reason alone. In California ... we like to SPEED. Why else have a 105 HP bike?

What it needs (badly) is suspension work. I've got an Ohlins shock and custom re-valved forks. Huge difference all round. I've only put 20K miles on it as I have two other bikes keeping me busy. One is a DR650 .... which will do BOTH of your required tasks ... if you set it up properly. But that's another story.

But the 1050 Tiger is a lot of fun, cheap to keep and reliable as the 955i or moreso. Good fuel economy, good twisty road bike and packs up well with Triumph panniers. Easy on tires, chains and sprockets too.

The Yamaha was a good bike (eons ago now) but I hear the 900 is WAY better than the original 850 TDM. Totally different bike? Dunno, can't help there. Mine was quite primitive compared to modern bikes and very very weird and dangerous handling.

The KTM 990 SMT gets fantastic reviews. I would for sure TEST RIDE one if you can. A lot more money than the Tiger, more maintenance and less reliable for sure ... but one Hell of a Fun Ride I'd guess.

But on a good road, I can easily keep pace with a well ridden KTM 990 ADV. I can out brake them, out accelerate them and out lean them because they've got a 19" front. The SMT has the 17" ... so better set up. Keep an eye on the water pump and the few other faults, should be a fine bike.

Two problems I've had on BOTH the KTM and my Tiger: Wind management.
Very hard to find a shield that is quiet. I only rode a friends 990 ADV ... it was noisy as Hell. Worse than my Tiger 1050. But it can be worked out with enough fiddling. A very short shield is best set up I've found .. I've tried FOUR different shield set ups. (see pic above)

Good luck.

(still prefer my DR650 over ALL of them!)

Steve kirk rode a 1050 triumph tiger from Perth in Scotland overland to Perth in Australia. Perthtoperth.com
I think that that is a testament to the quality and capability of the 1050 in itself. His DVD is a good watch.

C