Compulsive buyer wants input on Triumph 900 Rally Pro.......

Dirt_Dad

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Arhhh, isn't that picture a little outdatet:p:D.
I guess you ONLY;) have 4 now?:cool:
It is. That was just the last photo I had taken of all the bikes together. The blue Tenere has since moved on to a good home about 15 miles away.

So yes, I am down to 4 bikes.

Much like Texasten who started this thread, I'm bad at moderation when it comes to buying motorsport toys. Other proof of my addiction...


In some ways, Texasten makes me look moderate. I appreciate that.
 

Madscrapper85

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I've ridden my buddy's 800 quite a bit it is a roadie so no 21" front, that engine is something out of a fair tale. It's so smooth if I couldn't hear it I'd wouldn't know it was running going down the road. Very usable low end doesn't want to take your head off with a slight twist of the throttle but open it up and it's a rocket. It always feels lighter than my Strom and feels like a dirt bike after getting off the S10, I've always wanted one but the horror stories of others made me over look it as something I could own. That being said the one I've put miles on has been trouble free for 4 years now I don't have any experience with the 900 but I can't imagine they put something out that didn't improve an already badass bike. Also love the look they are beautiful bikes.
 

Dirt_Dad

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Makes a LOT of sense!!! (2 bike solution, light dirt bike plus more hiway bike.)
The real truth is, that's exactly what we've done. There are two riders in our house. We each have a touring bike, and a dirty bike.
 
B

ballisticexchris

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Go with the 2 bikes option, worked for me:

I'm with you!!

I have had the multiple bikes before and it's a pain to maintain a fleet. At one time I had a XR650R, KTM 300EXC, XR50R, TTR90, KX65, KX100, Ninja 650R, and KFX700. It was a nightmare to service all of them. They all got ridden hard and the dirt bikes went out almost every weekend. I finally got rid of the XR650R, XR50, and TTR90. So I was down to "only" 5 bikes.

Now I have 2 and don't ride as much as I used to:329CEE08-061A-4574-B6E5-95ECACF95819.jpeg
 

artemedes

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I have kind of been following the new tiger 900's. I had 15' tiger 800 XCX for a couple years. I liked it a lot, but even though that was the "off road" model (XC), It felt like the weight was too high up. Since it shared the garage with a well set up DR650, I ALWAYS took the DR650 on trips where I expected anything more difficult than a gravel road. The DR just felt so much better when the going got rough, It was also not worried about damaging it or difficulty fixing things that could get damaged. The tiger was super fun everywhere else. I loved the triple engine. In the end it I felt I should have bought the tiger XR (street) version instead.

They claim to have fixed the most of the things I that I didn't like with my '15, on these new 900's. However, to truly know if you they did, I would have to actually own one for a long period of time.
My issues with the Tiger XCX were few, but annoying. When the bike was unloaded and it was just me, the suspension would hop at certain speeds. Triumph even ordered me a new front wheel to attempt to fix it. They thought it was just enough out of round, but after the replacement wheel did the same thing, I started playing with the suspension settings and was able to minimize most of the bounce. It would bounce the worst around 40mph, but sometimes you could feel it freeway speeds too. The few times I got into some rough stuff on it, the suspension actually seemed good, but the weight up high didn't inspire confidence.

My particular Tiger was also very warm to ride. The warmest bike I have owned by far. According to the forums some bikes are worse than others and some people are more sensitive to this than others. I just know that mine was the only bike to give me this trouble. I would get hot riding the bike in any weather above 85F. On one trip, I had a long day about 850 miles in high 90's heat. I was wearing a camelbak and drinking plenty of water and stopping often and I still got mild heatstroke. The new 900s have a split radiator and I think I read that they adjusted the airflow to keep that heat off the rider, so the new ones should be much better.

My generation Tiger also had the tall 1st gear and seemingly low 6th gear. 1st was a little too tall for slow off road work, and 6th seemed too low for freeway work. I was disappointed that I only averaged around 40mpg at freeway speeds. Again the 900 version is supposed to have addresses this. I don't know how much though.

All that being said I really wanted to love the bike. Loved the engine. It had plenty of power, was very smooth.

I would love to try one of the 900's someday, but after my previous experience I would probably be looking at the Road version. Maybe the new one is much better. I am sure I will miss something, but the newer one is supposed to have slightly lower weight and the weight is supposed to feel lower, removable passenger pegs, and a different firing order that might actually be less smooth. It sounds very interesting, but I am lucky to be very happy with my one year old ST.
 

fac191

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I have kind of been following the new tiger 900's. I had 15' tiger 800 XCX for a couple years. I liked it a lot, but even though that was the "off road" model (XC), It felt like the weight was too high up. Since it shared the garage with a well set up DR650, I ALWAYS took the DR650 on trips where I expected anything more difficult than a gravel road. The DR just felt so much better when the going got rough, It was also not worried about damaging it or difficulty fixing things that could get damaged. The tiger was super fun everywhere else. I loved the triple engine. In the end it I felt I should have bought the tiger XR (street) version instead.

They claim to have fixed the most of the things I that I didn't like with my '15, on these new 900's. However, to truly know if you they did, I would have to actually own one for a long period of time.
My issues with the Tiger XCX were few, but annoying. When the bike was unloaded and it was just me, the suspension would hop at certain speeds. Triumph even ordered me a new front wheel to attempt to fix it. They thought it was just enough out of round, but after the replacement wheel did the same thing, I started playing with the suspension settings and was able to minimize most of the bounce. It would bounce the worst around 40mph, but sometimes you could feel it freeway speeds too. The few times I got into some rough stuff on it, the suspension actually seemed good, but the weight up high didn't inspire confidence.

My particular Tiger was also very warm to ride. The warmest bike I have owned by far. According to the forums some bikes are worse than others and some people are more sensitive to this than others. I just know that mine was the only bike to give me this trouble. I would get hot riding the bike in any weather above 85F. On one trip, I had a long day about 850 miles in high 90's heat. I was wearing a camelbak and drinking plenty of water and stopping often and I still got mild heatstroke. The new 900s have a split radiator and I think I read that they adjusted the airflow to keep that heat off the rider, so the new ones should be much better.

My generation Tiger also had the tall 1st gear and seemingly low 6th gear. 1st was a little too tall for slow off road work, and 6th seemed too low for freeway work. I was disappointed that I only averaged around 40mpg at freeway speeds. Again the 900 version is supposed to have addresses this. I don't know how much though.

All that being said I really wanted to love the bike. Loved the engine. It had plenty of power, was very smooth.

I would love to try one of the 900's someday, but after my previous experience I would probably be looking at the Road version. Maybe the new one is much better. I am sure I will miss something, but the newer one is supposed to have slightly lower weight and the weight is supposed to feel lower, removable passenger pegs, and a different firing order that might actually be less smooth. It sounds very interesting, but I am lucky to be very happy with my one year old ST.
I think the Triumphs are getting overpriced now. I got a 2012 Road ABS with engine bars new for £7400 . At the time the 660 Tenere which i had were £7300 ! . I know Japan was struggling with exchange rates at the time but it was a bargain. I think people are right about the 2 bike deal especially in your case !
 

Texasten

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What was the good and bad of the KTM 790 R?
Sorry reply a bit late..... I did not have the 790 R, I had the more street version, 790 S. It is an amazing bike. It just did not fit me, it belongs with a younger person who likes to "hooligan" more than I do! It was amazingly lightning quick when you revved it a bit. The front end would get light and feel like it wanted to wheelie. Not my style, I like to just putter more and feel like my bike is comfy just puttering along, not anxiously awaiting for me to rev it way up to show off it's stuff. Now, yes, I did that a few times and the adrenaline rush is kind of fun for sure. But, I just figgered out that with my style of riding, that 790 deserved someone who could more appreciate and utilize it's amazing talents! It was quite an improvement over heavier bikes I have owned, riding it in Colorado on some pretty rocky roads. It is not a real tall bike, so that was a big plus also.
 

Texasten

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Just an update to the Triumph discussion......... Shoulda coulda woulda listened to those who asked what I would gain by buying the Triumph 900 Rally Pro. Well, I thought from all the reviews that it was the absolute PERFECT bike for me. But, the thing never mentioned in any reviews I watched, was that it has a problem with heat. Yeppers, no reveiwer mentioned this, but 82 degrees and above here in Texas, and you have a blast furnace on the knees. Have still not entirely given up on the bike, bought some riding pants today, with armor and kevlar in the knees, hoping that might lessen the pain. Just took the 2018 Africa Twin Adventure Sports out for a spin this evening to refresh the memory on it's heat management. Went in shorts, 14 miles around the neighborhood, a few blasts up to 50 or 60 mph, and they have aced the heat thing. A few puffs of warm air yes, a burning blast furnace to the knees, no. So, I wish common sense would have prevailed and I should not have believed all the hype on the Triumph, but going to try to figure a way to cut down the heat. Am even thinking of a deflector, attached to the crash bars...............
 

Sierra1

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That, to me, is too much work for something that I intended to enjoy. The Tiger(s) were always my 2nd choice in a matter of speaking. Heard good things, and liked the looks. The price tag always scared more than anything.

I think we met once at Burleson Power Sports. It was right before I got my Tenere. You showed/recommended your Givi bags, and Madstad bracket. It would have been December, ish, of '16.
 

Sierra1

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See, instead of having two bikes. . . . I only have one bike, and a shop/garage. My new shop cost about a grand less than a new KTM 790 Adventure R, and four grand less than a 900 Tiger.
 
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