is it worth getting an adventure bike for ontario roads?
- Thread starter vrus
- Start date
I always liked the 955i. Really nice bike. I'd love to trash one
I have to say, once again, my '95 Triumph Thunderbird 900 and my '01 Triumph Tiger 955i were the two most unreliable and expensive to maintain bikes I've ever owned. It wouldn't take you long to trash one, it pretty much does it on its own. A better bet would be the '00 Tiger; it had the new frame but was powered by the tried and true 900cc carburetted mill.
Tripletrouble
Well-known member
That recommendation makes no sense as the '95 Thunderbird had the same engine and you said it was unreliable? I've owned several of these bikes and they were bulletproof.
The problems with the '95 TBird model were electrical and fuel related and were sorted out in later years. The 900 engine itself was bulletproof by the time it was replaced with the 955i, which as any Triumph fan knows, had numerous teething problems in its first two years. Would you like to see a detailed list of the problems with my two bikes? Again?
Tripletrouble
Well-known member
Then you were unlucky and not the norm. And your '01 would have been the fourth year for the 955 engine which first appeared on the '97 Daytona.
I was not unlucky, I was a typical Hinckley Triumph owner of that period and a member of several Hinckley Triumph forums where others shared their similar and frequent tales of woe. And that 955i engine was detuned and given a new ignition system before it was shoehorned into the '01 Tiger frame.
insert
Well-known member
if youre bouncing between a speed triple and a f800, maybe consider the triumph tiger800... triple engine, has a couple models to choose from. AND the chain is on the proper side of the bike, and headlights arent lopsided. i hate that asymmetrical look.
Tripletrouble
Well-known member
As everybody knows, people go on make or model specific forums with complaints or to seek advice whilst the majority that are happy never write in to say so, which means that you get a lopsided view.
I'd love me a triumph 800...the lower seat one with cast wheels.
That being said, I found I was doing really crazy stuff on a GSXR (lots of gravel, fire trails, hiking paths, and some boulder strewn knee deep river crossings and muddy jeep-with-winch-trails), so I sold it and got a KTM 950SM. It is SOOOOOOOOOO much fun....and when the road gets twisty, I haven't owned a bike that rides easier or faster, as long as speeds are kept under 140 kmh. Over that, the lack of wind protection gets old fast.
That's the lamest - and funniest - excuse I've heard in a long time, thanks for the laugh. :lmao:
Tripletrouble
Well-known member
Is that really the best you can come up with to justify an untenable position?
insert
Well-known member
its actually the truth... if you go on any model specific forum for anything and start reading common problems you will get an idea that every vehicle of that make and model is tainted. and Tripletrouble is right, people seek out online forums for two reasons: 1, they are enthusiasts and want to share knowledge/belong to a club and 2, they have a problem, need help, and dont want to take it to a professional just yet because they want to do it themselves.
so whenever you go on an online forum and hit the tech section you get a skewed view to make you believe that the product is a lot worse than it is. not every person that buys a bike searches out a forum registers, and makes a post to say "i woke up this morning, went to start my bike and it started fine without any knocks or leaks", and they wont sign on the next day to say "still fine no leaks or noises today either". people with problems will sign on to say they have a problem, and then make more posts everyday about how the problem isnt fixed yet... its just how it works.
by your logic if i go to the tech section of this forum, and i browse the titles of the top 6 threads at the moment, it would appear that suzuki's of all different models up to the year 2010 dont start in the cold, and motorcycles of all makes leak gas and coolant. is that accurate? well, i then took a look around to see how many threads there were about people posting that their suzukis start in the cold, found none. then i looked for threads of people bragging about how their bikes dont leak anything... and had normal coolant levels... found none.
thus triple trouble's logic seems good, you just have to take the time to understand it for it to make sense.
and i've owned 2 675's, common forum complaint is about the regulator/rectifier on those bikes... i never had an issue with either bike... did i luck out and get the only two that were ok out of the thousands produced? or did the few that had issues just make it known so that they could find ways of fixing it.
i mean, its like working as a 911 dispatcher and concluding that the people in the city is ****ed because 100% of the calls you get are about theft, assault, rape, murder, etc. when in reality that is a small minority of the population. of the 6million people living in the gta, the other 5.99million people didnt call to tell you they had nothing stolen, and were not assaulted, raped, or murdered that day.
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Insert, I am no stranger to the motorcycling and online forum scene. While your comments about the Tech section of a forum are true it hardly forms the overall theme for the site itself, which is to provide a gathering place for happy enthusiasts to pat each other on the back about how great their bikes are. When the complaints outnumber the happy thoughts, that`s when there is a problem. With the possible execption of Ural a few years back, I have yet to see that happening with any manufacturer. But I do stand by my comments that the `95 Thunderbird and the `01 Tiger 955i were well known for their reliability issues; call them AC spikes in a DC waveform if you want, but the truth remains.
The real issue here is tripletrophy's anal glaucoma, which is preventing him from seeing the fact that Triumph does not make 100% perfect bikes all the time. For seven years - and two bikes - I was heavily involved in the Triumph scene, eventually defecting to Kawasaki when I got tired of paying for repairs to said bikes. During that time, I got to know and meet many other riders of the marque through forums such as the t595. I also ran my own forum, which was part of the RAT Pack I founded when I was living in Kingston; it was one of the more successful and active ones in Canada at the time. My comments about Triumph are not off the cuff, they come from years of ownership and experiences dealing with other owners, dealers and Chris Ellis. I heard the same stories many times, from owners and dealers, about problems with the bike itself and Triumph's bizarre way of doing business in Canada.
From what I have seen since leaving the fold, Triumph has tightened up its quality control and complaints have dropped significanlty. However, I am still reluctant to give the brand another try because of my experiences, even with one of the best Canadian dealerships (J&R Cycle; I`m still on a first name basis with John and Rhonda after all these years) ònly a short ride away.
The real issue here is tripletrophy's anal glaucoma, which is preventing him from seeing the fact that Triumph does not make 100% perfect bikes all the time. For seven years - and two bikes - I was heavily involved in the Triumph scene, eventually defecting to Kawasaki when I got tired of paying for repairs to said bikes. During that time, I got to know and meet many other riders of the marque through forums such as the t595. I also ran my own forum, which was part of the RAT Pack I founded when I was living in Kingston; it was one of the more successful and active ones in Canada at the time. My comments about Triumph are not off the cuff, they come from years of ownership and experiences dealing with other owners, dealers and Chris Ellis. I heard the same stories many times, from owners and dealers, about problems with the bike itself and Triumph's bizarre way of doing business in Canada.
From what I have seen since leaving the fold, Triumph has tightened up its quality control and complaints have dropped significanlty. However, I am still reluctant to give the brand another try because of my experiences, even with one of the best Canadian dealerships (J&R Cycle; I`m still on a first name basis with John and Rhonda after all these years) ònly a short ride away.
wonderings
Well-known member
Adventure bikes are my favourite class of bikes, even if your not doing gravel. I love the seating position, just feels better then any sport bike or cruiser I have ever ridden. They are versatile, usually not lacking in power, but nothing compared to a SS. Just all around, do everything, good bikes. Good for commuting, touring, day trips, some off the beaten path exploring. You really cant go wrong.
vrus
Well-known member
yeah I almost forgot about the 800xc. I was only considering a speed if I decide I don't want to check out the fire roads and such. I hear it's not as torquey as the beamer, though.
I think I would like a ktm, but I am scared of their maintenance compared to bmw
awonderfulworld
Well-known member
I've been riding "adventure" bikes for a number of years now (KLR, now a 1150GS) and I love them.
However, they're becoming the new Harley - too many people buy them that don't ride much simply because they want to look "cool". It's great for me, since I'll buy their used bike with some ridiculously low km on it for dirt cheap, but they really are the new poser bike.
If you want a big adventure bike for the road, get a BMW GS. If you want one for dirt, get a KTM 990 adventure. The super-tenere and the new crosstour are lipstick on a pig type adv bikes - more show than go.
If you want cheap road adv bike, get a v-strom. All round bike for gravel travels: 800GS.
If you actually want to travel the world, get a KLR or a G650GS (or register a tenere thumper in europe). Real adventure bikes don't have gizmos and gadgets -those types of things break or are hard to fix.
However, they're becoming the new Harley - too many people buy them that don't ride much simply because they want to look "cool". It's great for me, since I'll buy their used bike with some ridiculously low km on it for dirt cheap, but they really are the new poser bike.
If you want a big adventure bike for the road, get a BMW GS. If you want one for dirt, get a KTM 990 adventure. The super-tenere and the new crosstour are lipstick on a pig type adv bikes - more show than go.
If you want cheap road adv bike, get a v-strom. All round bike for gravel travels: 800GS.
If you actually want to travel the world, get a KLR or a G650GS (or register a tenere thumper in europe). Real adventure bikes don't have gizmos and gadgets -those types of things break or are hard to fix.
wonderings
Well-known member
Who really cares if they are becoming the new Harley? They are good all around bikes, buy based on what you want, not to try and start a new trend.
The new Super tenere is more then just far from more show then go. Its being put through the paces and seems to be holding up incredibly well.
I agree, the more electronics, the more to break down that you cant fix. Doesnt sound like were talking about a round the world tour here. Any of the current bikes with electronics out the wazzoo will give you miles and miles of enjoyable riding and exploring.
I would not trade my 2010 GSA with all the bells and whistles for anything. But if I was going round the world, I would probably go with a simple KLR because parts are everywhere and it is indeed a simple pig that gets the job done.
awonderfulworld
Well-known member
One other thing - any bike can go around the world. People have done it even on a R1 in race leathers. (http://www.sjaaklucassen.nl/) through sand and snow.
Any bike can give you years of trouble free kms... the most important thing is to lean how to fix it so when it breaks down (and every bike breaks eventually) you can fix it.
As well, any bike is good enough for Ontario roads - even a rigid frame chopper or an old indian (both of which have also gone RTW - look up RTWdoug on advrider)
Any bike can give you years of trouble free kms... the most important thing is to lean how to fix it so when it breaks down (and every bike breaks eventually) you can fix it.
As well, any bike is good enough for Ontario roads - even a rigid frame chopper or an old indian (both of which have also gone RTW - look up RTWdoug on advrider)
SkinnyPedal
Active member
^^^^ What he said! ^^^^
Hopefully I'm not breaking the rules by throwing this link up here:
http://kitchener.kijiji.ca/c-cars-v...g-2010-KTM-990-Adventure-R-W0QQAdIdZ329026433
You just have to ride one on gravel, double track or even tighter than that and you'll be hooked...It really is an enjoyable ride.
