I am thinking of trading in my Vee after 5 years of ownership. I have really enjoyed the bike but following my friends recent mishap (see Romania ride report for details) i have decided to upgrade and get ABS. I have a KLR650 as well and this bike is for touring in Europe on paved roads.

I looked at the riumph Tiger 800 XRx and Yamaha MT 09 Tracer, dismissing the latter since whilst it is getting rave reviews I think it is stunningly ugly.

I took the Tiger for a test ride today, thinking this would be the one. I loved the engine - plenty of go and so much more flexible around town than Vee. It also felt really light. On normal roads and smaller back roads it was great. On the motorway however it was a total disaster. At 80mph (125kph) the wind was trying to rip my head off and the bike was all over the place in the (not that significant) wind. I need to be able to ride 500 mile (800km) days on the motorway, as well as play on the twisties, but you wouldn't want to do more than 30 high speed motorway miles on this.

Is this fixable with a different screen - seems a big ask? I came back thinking maybe i need to be considering an agile tourer (BMW R1200RT?), heavier adventure bike (Crosstourer?) or even the new DL1000.

I don't use my bike day to day. It gets the odd weekend blast and one or two big tours a year. Needs to be comfy, do big miles on the motowary in relative comfort and be fun to play, whether in the alpine passes or Welsh back roads. No true off road capability needed but i want it to be managable on crappy roads.

Any suggestions?

With the suspension that these bikes have today I donot understand why a dealer would send you out on a serious presale ride without doing so,that includes the windshield adjustment. bought a bike after many years off ,which then it was a click on the rear shock one direction or the other n that was all there was. buying my 2000 buell I rode off without being setup n hated it until it was time for a trip ,set it up per the manual n loved it ever since,like nite n day.

You've narrowed it down to many of my fav bikes.
I put 90K miles on my 2002 Vstrom and loved it. Had an '05 as well.
Never missed a beat on either. But after 4 years riding Vees, I just wanted a change.

Went with a Tiger 1050 minter at bargain price. Very different bike. More power and torque but NOT better handling and flawed ergos. I've done Ohlins and forks. The top heavy Tiger is a good sport touring bike but just lacks something ... but it's been cheap to run and reliable ... and gets 50 MPG (USA gallons) if taking it easy. Stunning brakes compared to Vstrom.

I've ridden several of the Tiger 800's too, not the latest XRX one ... like them all but missed the 1050's power/torque. My 1050 also has horrible wind management ... Tried 4 different screens and only partially "fixed" the problem. Best solution? NO shield at all.

On the Vee Strom I found the perfect shield for long quiet days. Not so on the
1050 Tiger.

I would not give up on the new Tiger. I'm sure a proper screen that suits you
could work.

But not so fast .... Have you ridden the new Vee Strom? It gets really great reviews from everyone ... met a new owner the other day and he RAVED about it ... he also being a previous Gen One Vstrom owner. I'd love to try one out ... MUCH improved bike.

I would at least test ride one. By end of Summer I'd bet prices will be very
inviting. Biggest improvements center around better suspension and handling.
Plus ABS ... which I love on my Tiger 1050.

I'd avoid an RT ... rather have a used R1200GS instead, a better "Bad Road" bike, IMO. But in the end it's very hard to beat the Vstrom considering price, service and accessory costs ... and also a GREAT bad road bike. Unbreakable too.
S U Z U K I

For me? I'm looking at the "Tracer" (FJ-09 in USA). I don't find it quite so ugly as you do. But it's got some issues so will require a LOT of mods to be right.

I want something lighter, smaller, lower than my current Tiger 1050. But I've not test ridden the FJ-09 (Tracer), so no firm decision until then.

I looked at new 800 Tigers closely ... TOO HEAVY, and way too expensive for me. I have a DR650 Suzuki for off road and mixed tours, so don't need 800 Tiger for off road ... but I'd not take it anywhere challenging ... too risky of ruining it. You can't hurt a DR650. (I tried several times this past weekend! )

Thanks Mollydog - some helpful stuff there.

I actually test rode the XT1200Z today (2015 non electric suspension model).

I loved the ergonomics - perfect for me, and could get reconciled to the engine. Lazy power perhaps less fun for a few hours ride but seemed like a good touring engine - bike was always going quicker than the sensation implied if you know what i mean.

However it was really hard to ride smoothly. It had a touring and sport mode. The sport mode was great on a positive throttle but snatchy as hell on a neutral one. Touring was better but not perfect.

I noticed the problem was worse on poorer surfaces which seemed odd. The suspension was also very firm (too firm for the dodgy back roads). Then i remembered that before me the bike had been on loan to Avon for tyre development. I backed off the rear but had no tools to check/change the front. I wonder if this was much of the issue.

If i can get comfortable with the fuelling i will go for this. I am wondering whether a power commander might smooth things out if necessary.

Like you did, i quite fancy a change, but am thinking maybe i should try the new Vee. A couple of things are holding me back. Firstly i get a trigger point in my neck on longer trips which gets really painful. I haven't experienced this on other bikes so want to try different ergonomics. Secondly my Vee can be a bit lumpy at low revs (admittedly so was the XT) and am wondering whether its time to try a different engine configeration.

Ive got a great offer on the XT so told the dealer i would sleep on it and call him tomorrow. What are your thoughts on that as a bike?

Sounds like you may have found a bike that's a good fit. That's important.
I believe fueling can be addressed and suspension can certainly be made more plush for rough roads. Avon probably was doing track testing ... as they do.

I only did a very short ride on a friends 1200 Tenere'. I liked it pretty well but too short a ride to really know. It's a heavy bike, a bit top heavy for a short rider like me ... but a good big man bike, good 2-up with gear and can do a bit of mild off road too.

Handled well from what I could tell. I agree about the motor ... I had got off my Tiger 1050 when I did the test ride ... it was a bit sluggish compared to the Triumph. Very different character.

My friend is a bit fickle ... he's now sold off his Tenere' and bought a Ducati Multistrada. Dropped a bundle ... but he can afford it.

This same guy rode a DL650 for several years, covered 50K miles or so, wore the bike out. But doing all new bearings and suspension sorted it for new owner.

It's possible the new DL1000 Vstrom will have changed ergos enough so that the crick you get may not happen on new version ... dunno for sure.

You won't really know on a test ride. The Tenere' is the cooler bike I guess ... but I was really impressed with the look of the new Vstrom in person ... better than photos.

I'd at least give it a test ride.

Good luck!

Do some more test riding, if that is your thing, and wait a while to see what new bikes come to the market later this year.
Such as the new Honda Africa Twin or even other versions of Yamaha that use the -07 or -09 engines.

The newish V strom does not appear to be selling well in the UK which means that there are bargains to be made with the dealers, in a few months time especially.

__________________
Dave

Thanks both - SO useful to get insights from the right people. My wife listens patiently but is not really able to help!

I've asked the dealer to put the XT back to stock suspension settings and will ride again. If it then works for me i'll got for it. The ergonomics are v important to me - i can live with a less exiting engine more than i can live with a pain in my neck for a whole trip.

If that doesn't work, i'll try and test the new Vee (expect to love the ride more than the XT but nervous about ergos) and also the tiger explorer.

What lucky souls we are - i'm deciding how best to spend what would be a few years wages in much of the developing world on a toy! Gotta keep it all in perspective.....

After a couple more test rides and some hard thinking i've gone for the XT1200.

I couldn't wait too long - i promised my wife i'd swap to ABS before a trip im taking in Sept.

The ergonomics were the decider. The XT just felt for me. I got a great trade in price for me DL1000 and £2.5k off list on the XT. That has left me with the cash to invest in getting the fuelling sorted if i need to.


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