tedwards463 Posted June 11, 2016 Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 Hello again from staging area. I'm looking to add an Adv/Touring bike. To justify this financially and mentally I'd like to use this bike as a commuter (80 miles round trip all freeway per day). I'm not looking to get gnarly off road, but handle graded gravel and some trails possibly. My quick research so far has pointed in the direction of V Stroms, Versys, maybe Tiger 800. I'm a decent sized guy 6'2" 230lbs, so I'm looking in the 1000cc range. Any experience or input is appreciated. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny-tiger Posted June 11, 2016 My Ride Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 I think your on the right track. I would say the versys I think is a little more street then the other two. I'm sure it can handle most light off road. The other two (if they are newer models) are pretty good for both. Both have a good aftermarket range of parts and upgrades. My recommendation is to ride both for a decent amount of miles to get a better feel of how they handle and perform. People can give you an idea of what they like. I have ridden both and liked the dl1000 and the tiger. I ended up with the tiger because the seller came down on price. Just my two cents. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted June 11, 2016 Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 Of those three I'd pick the Tiger because the other two can do dirt but the Tiger's the best of them. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Bryan Bosch Posted June 12, 2016 Administrators My Ride Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 I have a 13 Tiger 800XC. With the stock tires, awesome on the pavement and plenty capable on dirt roads or even off-road if you have good throttle control, you're "gingerly" on your line changes, and know how to pick your lines. Spoon on some knobbies and it's a hoot off-road w/o killing use on the road. I can't say that I have any real whines about my Tiger save a tranny part that failed, fixed under warranty, and Triumph has updated the part that failed. So, I expect it to be a non-issue. I'm a long time dirt bike guy, so used to riding technical terrain and honestly, the Tiger does pretty well, even when the pace is pretty brisk. The seat is comfy and the engine is great for the road. Of the three bikes listed, the Tiger is very much the best at doing street and dirt well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason R Posted June 14, 2016 My Ride Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 The Honda Africa Twin will fit in there too. I have a BMW F800GSA and it will easily do the commuting too. Honestly, any of the liter or close to liter adventure bikes will do what you need. Which one do you like best?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Bryan Bosch Posted June 14, 2016 Administrators My Ride Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 The Honda Africa Twin will fit in there too. I have a BMW F800GSA and it will easily do the commuting too. Honestly, any of the liter or close to liter adventure bikes will do what you need. Which one do you like best?? I've seen guys on Vstrom 650s with mostly street tires rockin' in the dirt very, very well. I've seen guys with decked out F800GS that could barely make it down a sugar sand road. So, there's a lot of wisdom in your post. NONE of the bikes he mentioned suck and all of them will eat up tarmac and get most riders down any dirt/gravel road and even some decent trails if their skills are up for the task. Hard to go wrong, so pick what makes your heart go boom boom! 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason R Posted June 14, 2016 My Ride Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 Personally if I was commuting mostly, I would find a used BMW GS1100/1150/1200. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteMoto Posted July 11, 2016 My Rides (2) Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Although I don't own one, I was giving the Tiger 800 serious consideration before opting for a KTM ADV. Liked that a 21 inch front rim was available as well as the performance of the triple with chain drive.Friend of mine rented a 1250? Tiger while in Vegas and came away impressed even shod with street tires on it.Like others have said try to ride each if you can and give us an update. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney78865 Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) Just to be different, look at the Moto Guzzi Stelvio. Stock it comes with EVERYTHING. They are very easy to work on, last for three or four centuries, and have virtually no mechanical issues. A work of caution though. If you ride it 20 miles you will never buy one. Ride it 100 miles and you will never sell it. Edited July 13, 2016 by Mooney78865 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zook Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 As everyone has said the bikes you are looking at will all do what you want. Some are better are certain parts than others. its always a compromise. I ride a suzuki vstrom 650 adventure and it fits my short legs and small stature. I didn't need the 1000. This one even loaded with my chub and 150 pounds of camping and fishing gear will still go faster than I am willing to go. Consider dealer availability for parts and service. There are big differences in what it costs to maintain some of the bikes you are looking at. look at gas mileage differences as well. It is nice to be able to get 50 miles to a gallon without really working at it. Look at available add ons because half the fun is customizing it to fit your style and purpose. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster72 Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 (edited) I'm pretty late to the thread, boredom got the best of me I guess. I picked up a 2012 WeeStrom about 2 years ago for $5,500.00 and put 20,000 miles on it, that bike never hiccuped and for what your talking about would be fine. I was in the 1% of the riders that the review guys all say most riders will never use that bike for and definitely put it through TOTAL HELL. The biggest downside on the VStrom is that its very prone to bottom outs due to its IMO sub-standard suspension that will cause damage if you push it, even with a skid-plate (trust me I know). That being said, I would hope one day down the road you'll want to ride in something somewhat rougher (maybe that trail you mentioned) and for that reason alone I'd opt for the more off-road capable Tiger out of your choices. What did you wind up with? Edited August 23, 2016 by Rooster72 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PierreADV Posted September 5, 2016 My Rides (2) Report Share Posted September 5, 2016 (edited) Just to be different, look at the Moto Guzzi Stelvio. Stock it comes with EVERYTHING. They are very easy to work on, last for three or four centuries, and have virtually no mechanical issues. A work of caution though. If you ride it 20 miles you will never buy one. Ride it 100 miles and you will never sell it. Sorry Mooney if I sound like a jerk, but that's a Stelvio NTX. That's the model that comes with everything (except the topcase, available as optional, along with heated grips). The NTX features crash bars, skidplate, fog lights, handguards, aluminium panniers by SW-Motech, a bigger windscreen, and most importantly, wired-rims. Other than that, I can agree 100% with what you said. My father owns a '11 Stelvio NTX, lava-black, 90°th Anniversary edition, and, I'm literally quoting him "I'm never gonna sell this thing". Gotta admit I love that bike as well. PERFECT tourer, huge fuel range (32lts), decent fuel consumption (avg 15km/L), supersuper comfortble for long trips... as I said in another post, In my opinion it's one of the most underrated bikes EVER. From saturday morning's trip. My soon to be sold S10, and dad's NTX. Also, about the Kawasaki Versys, I've made a video about it: And also one about the Guzzi Stelvio! Edited September 5, 2016 by PierreADV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney78865 Posted September 5, 2016 Report Share Posted September 5, 2016 Sorry Mooney if I sound like a jerk, but that's a Stelvio NTX. That's the model that comes with everything (except the topcase, available as optional, along with heated grips). The NTX features crash bars, skidplate, fog lights, handguards, aluminium panniers by SW-Motech, a bigger windscreen, and most importantly, wired-rims. Other than that, I can agree 100% with what you said. My father owns a '11 Stelvio NTX, lava-black, 90°th Anniversary edition, and, I'm literally quoting him "I'm never gonna sell this thing". Gotta admit I love that bike as well. PERFECT tourer, huge fuel range (32lts), decent fuel consumption (avg 15km/L), supersuper comfortble for long trips... as I said in another post, In my opinion it's one of the most underrated bikes EVER. From saturday morning's trip. My soon to be sold S10, and dad's NTX. Also, about the Kawasaki Versys, I've made a video about it: And also one about the Guzzi Stelvio! You are correct I have the Stelvio NTX. But you should have pointed out that the "standard" Stelvio is not available on this side of the pond..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PierreADV Posted September 5, 2016 My Rides (2) Report Share Posted September 5, 2016 Wait...seriously?The Stelvio 8V isn't available?!Man, sorry...I absolutely wasn't aware of that! My bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney78865 Posted September 8, 2016 Report Share Posted September 8, 2016 According to the Moto Guzzi USA site, it is not listed. Spoke to the dealer they said hasn't been for a couple years.... I suspect the price point wasn't enough to justify having both models... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Bryan Bosch Posted September 8, 2016 Administrators My Ride Report Share Posted September 8, 2016 Sorry Mooney if I sound like a jerk, but that's a Stelvio NTX. That's the model that comes with everything (except the topcase, available as optional, along with heated grips). The NTX features crash bars, skidplate, fog lights, handguards, aluminium panniers by SW-Motech, a bigger windscreen, and most importantly, wired-rims. Other than that, I can agree 100% with what you said. My father owns a '11 Stelvio NTX, lava-black, 90°th Anniversary edition, and, I'm literally quoting him "I'm never gonna sell this thing". Gotta admit I love that bike as well. PERFECT tourer, huge fuel range (32lts), decent fuel consumption (avg 15km/L), supersuper comfortble for long trips... as I said in another post, In my opinion it's one of the most underrated bikes EVER. From saturday morning's trip. My soon to be sold S10, and dad's NTX. Also, about the Kawasaki Versys, I've made a video about it: And also one about the Guzzi Stelvio! You are correct I have the Stelvio NTX. But you should have pointed out that the "standard" Stelvio is not available on this side of the pond..... I've not ridden the Versys, but I sat on one and honestly, it felt really nice ergonomically. I thought that the riding position was good; very upright and not a big feeling bike. I'd' have to agree that it's a good n00b adv tourer. Used in the US, all day long in the 4 to 5k price range and not beat or high mileage. The looks are goofy and the front end on the early models is butt ugly. Still has a place for sure and very reliable I understand. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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