Adventure Bike Rider Forum

So regarding my previous thread about replacing my Versys 650 with a bigger bike I've now managed to test ride 4 of the potentials all back to back.
I rode the versys there to the bike shop and then rode the v strom and the cross tourer over the same route.
First the v Strom - overall great bike, really surprised with the amount of acceleration and low down torque. It was comfy and loved the dash with loads of info. It felt light and went around the corners well. The suspension felt quite hard but not uncomfortably so. Plus it comes with panniers, belly guard, hand guards and engine bars for 10k.
The only negatives are the screen could do with being bigger and it isn't shaft drive.

Honda Crosstourer - I got straight off the Strom and straight on to the Honda. First thing I noticed is the dash is not anywhere near as nice as the Strom's.bit too small and all the info is too close together. Next thing was there didn't seem to be as much low down grunt as the Strom. I would say in a simple drag race to 100 there wouldn't be much difference despite the Honda having another 30bhp, the seat wasn't as comfy either.
I was worried about the weight of the cross tourer initially but it hides its weight really well and handles very good though it does feel heavier than the Strom. The engine is a peach above 5000 rpm and really takes off and the bike looks nicer than the Strom. The main down size is the price..nearly 4k more than the Strom.

I then took out the Tiger 800. Again I always look at he dash as its where you are going to be sat all the time so it is important to me. The Tiger's dash is OK and better than the cross tourers but again not up to the v Strom. It doesn't look finished and you can see the back of the lights which I think looks a bit cheap.
looks are subjective but I think it looks better than the Strom but not as nice as the cross tourer. It goes well and handles the best out of all the bikes I rode. It doesn't have the low down of the Strom or the top end of the cross tourer but I don't think you could complain with overall performance for an 800. It was the road version I tried.

Lastly was the explorer. I was worried as a friend of mine has just had a legal battle with triumph over the front end wobbleweave issue. However I have had good things so thought I'd give it a go. I thought it could feel some instability but only at high(very) speeds but maybe that was me reading too much into it knowing my mates issues. I'm sure a lot of people have bought the bike and not had problems.
I was impressed overall. It felt substantial with lots of low down torque. The dash is roughly the same as the tiger but doesn't feel as cheaply finished off. I like the looks as well which is a bonus. Its handling wasn't as good as the tigers but not bad for a bike of that size. I'm 5ft 10 and none of the bikes were a problem for me to get my get down. The explorer is a big bike physically but didn't have a problem with it. Off road may be a different matter though.
Again the big problem is its getting on for 14k for the xc model.
On my first day riding I've already eliminated the tiger and the cross tourer.
I have to ride the GS1200 and the Super Ten then make a decision but the Strom is going to take some beating tbh. Really surprised as I wasn't even going to ride it.

One thing it did was highlight how poor, cheap and slow the versys is. Every bike I rode was significantly better in all respects.

Cheers

Wayne

u will luv the super tenere if u like a good dash, but u may find the motor a bit weak or possibly not. it looks great, handles great, very reliable, but needs to woken up a bit, the ECU flash sorts this out easily then u will definately luv it (thumbs)

The litre V-Strom can be fairly easily bought for under 10k even with the Adventure package, have a look on ebay at some of the prices.

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the other two as well (thumbs)

It may be worth waiting a little while before you decide because there are six new versions of the 800cc Tiger ready to be launched for the 2015 season!

A friend at work has the super ten and is championing its corner. His is currently away being flashed so can't ride it til it comes back. The local Yamaha dealer doesn't have a new super ten to ride so I'll borrow my mates when it is done.
Apparently that can add another 20bhp or so. It should put the performance on par with the Honda and triumph.

Hi I did something similar this year. I test rode all the bikes you mentioned plus the KTM 1190. I went for the Explorer xc in the end. I actually went back to it three times. I wouldent say it was the better all round bike just that it seemed to suit me better than the rest. Did a 1700 mile solo tour of the UK mainland in July and loved every mile on the big tiger.What a great 50th pressie to myself. Deffo right choice for me and you will probally find yourself going back to a try one of the bikes again. That may be your machine lol.

Not only are there 6 version's of the Tiger 800 coming, also the KTM 1050 and hopefully the Africa Twin. We will find out Nov 3 rd. Very interested in your write up as I am looking myself thanks.

If you want the best value, the V strom wins hands down.

But, there are other considerations. It will lose value pretty rapidly - something a GS doesn't do. Though the extra ££ to purchase takes the advantage of the low depreciation away somewhat. Also the V strom will be very reliable (if it's owt like my Bandit has been), something I doubt you can confidently state for the Beemer or the Triumph.

Sometimes, you just have to say sod it, and buy the one you want!! B) (thumbs)

I think you need to decide what you want the bike for as they are all different. I would say though that the S10 is a fantastic bike and probably the toughest and most reliable bike there. Plus you can pick a very low mileage one up cheap get the engine sorted and you have a bargain. Spend the money saved on luggage etc. I have a Tiger 800 so not a biased post.

efayce191 wrote:I think you need to decide what you want the bike for as they are all different. I would say though that the S10 is a fantastic bike and probably the toughest and most reliable bike there. Plus you can pick a very low mileage one up cheap get the engine sorted and you have a bargain. Spend the money saved on luggage etc. I have a Tiger 800 so not a biased post.

A Yamaha more reliable than a Honda? Well that's a new one on me plus the honda doesn't suffer from rusting spokes and performs superbly right out of the box with no need to mess around with the engine management system. There is no better all round engine than the Hondas turbine smooth 130BHP glorious V4. They are so good, Ive had two!