Triumph Tiger Explorer

[Venture]

I don't know about other Triumph dealers but mine insists on freight ($495) and prep ($150).

I'm pretty sure the freight is a mandatory charge from Triumph. The prep however is a negotiable dealer charge.

I hear what you're saying about the price, it's a lot of coin and definitely factors into the equation.

 

[Sir Bo-Croat]

This is a new video on the Triumph Explorer see: http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/1365/Motorcycle-Video/2012-Triumph-Tiger-Explorer-First-Ride-Video.aspx

Not trying to pimp the Explorer exactly, I'm just posting this stuff for Super 10 comparison.

 

[Checkswrecks]

The video caught the marketing intent quite well. They intend to be between the Yam and BMW in price.
I do think the Triumph is much more street oriented than either, though.

 

[Paulvt1]

Sat on one the other day. Impressive dash and switchgear layout. Bike felt top heavy though.

 

[la-motor]

It looks too much like a GS knockoff

 

[T30]

I sat on the Triumph Explorer at Daytona in bike week. Did not get to ride it since Triumph only had a static display ::007::. I road the Super 10 twice at the Yamaha display at the speedway. Guess which bike I bought yesteday? ::022::! I don't buy them anymore unless I ride them and they pass the "I like it" test.

Its real hard to tell anything about the way a bike handles, accelarates, shifts, deflects wind or sounds by sitting on a static display and making "Vroom Vroom " ::26:: noises while your buddy holds the bike upright!

 

[RED CAT]

The Explorer is too much a Road Bike. The S10 at least is good on gravel roads and made for that. The Explorer is not. Whats the use in having an Adventure Bike that isn't very good on gravel at least.

 

[SisuTen]

Should be an interesting project for Woody to build some spoked tubeless wheels for this bike.

I like the Triumph triples a lot and they "claim" good torque from 2500 RPM. Change out the wheels and it might be a contender. A bit pricey though and I know nothing about maintenance complexity or expense. I'm also a bit leery about single sided shafty swingarms off road. I think Yam's approach to a dual sided swingarm shafty will prove to be more durable in rough conditions. We all know the "rumors" about BMW's shaft drive and nothing yet about the Multistrada's (Has anyone actually ridden one off road? ::025:

I think the big problem will be making what seems to be a street bike with adventure appearances into a versatile machine. The cost will be very high. You shouldn't have to modify right out of the box (particularly at the asking price) to get the necessary fundamentals, you should have gotten them in the initial price of the bike.

Not to hammer the Explorer right out of the box, but it does seem as if Yamaha got a lot right with the Tenere and Triumph didn't.

However, if you get an Explorer, don't put Bridgestones on it or you may have the same problems as that "other" Explorer had with Firestones.

 

[justbob]

<<<<<<However, if you get an Explorer, don't put Bridgestones on it or you may have the same problems as that "other" Explorer had with Firestones.>>>>>>


That aint funny....... ok maybe it is in a sick sort of way.
Bob from Louisville , home of the Ford Explorer.

 

[markjenn]

The Explorer is too much a Road Bike. The S10 at least is good on gravel roads and made for that. The Explorer is not. Whats the use in having an Adventure Bike that isn't very good on gravel at least.

I don't see any reason that Explorer shouldn't be "very good on gravel". All the big adventure bikes (except for the KTM) are more or less cut from the some cloth when it comes to what they'll do off pavement.

- Mark

 

[Spider]

The Explorer is too much a Road Bike. The S10 at least is good on gravel roads and made for that. The Explorer is not. Whats the use in having an Adventure Bike that isn't very good on gravel at least.

Well, if it's any comparison, my Triumph Thunderbird spent a good bit of time on dirt and gravel roads in the mountains around here before I bought my Tenere. And it did OK. Except for that time I tried to jump it out of a ditch and broke my ankle. But that's another story.

G

 

[Rasher]

I don't see any reason that Explorer shouldn't be "very good on gravel". All the big adventure bikes (except for the KTM) are more or less cut from the some cloth when it comes to what they'll do off pavement.

MCN in the UK tested all the Adventure bikes a couple of weeks back and got an experienced off-road rider (Enduro chap) to try the Explorer Vs KTM Vs GS (No idea why the excluded the Tenere from this part of the test) on some loose ground (Woods, gravel tracks) and he rated the Triumph very good and better than a GS. They did rate the Yamaha as decent off-road though, pity they did not include it against the others as I would expect it to be second to the KTM.

Overall they rated the bikes:-

1. Explorer
2. Honda Cross-Tourer
3. Ducati MTS
4. BMW GS
5. Yamaha tenere
6. KTM
7. Kawasaki Versys
8. Moto Guzzi Stelvio

The test was mainly on UK roads and most of it on Motorway (Typical of UK bike mags, a romp up and down the M1 is an "Adventure" to them - much further than the normal 50 laps of the nearest race track they base all their opinions on)

 

[Boostedxt]

I just buy the bike i want. I stopped caring what magazines say because its all driven by $. I absolutely hate reading a review then the winning bike company has a full page spread advertisement on the next page. USA magazines contradict, euro magazines, and euro magazines contradict australian magazines. Its all BS in the.

Joe

 

[GrahamD]

MCN in the UK tested all the Adventure bikes a couple of weeks back and got an experienced off-road rider (Enduro chap) to try the Explorer Vs KTM Vs GS (No idea why the excluded the Tenere from this part of the test) on some loose ground (Woods, gravel tracks) and he rated the Triumph very good and better than a GS. They did rate the Yamaha as decent off-road though, pity they did not include it against the others as I would expect it to be second to the KTM.

Overall they rated the bikes:-

1. Explorer
2. Honda Cross-Tourer
3. Ducati MTS
4. BMW GS
5. Yamaha tenere
6. KTM
7. Kawasaki Versys
8. Moto Guzzi Stelvio

The test was mainly on UK roads and most of it on Motorway (Typical of UK bike mags, a romp up and down the M1 is an "Adventure" to them - much further than the normal 50 laps of the nearest race track they base all their opinions on)

The italians didn't exclude the S10 in that part of the test and they came up with...

GS 7 reviewers
S10 1
Xtourer. 1

The explorer they classified as a great GT bike but no one picked it as one they would take home. So just as with the S10 the reviews are all over the place in Rankings.

Yes the poms are scared of dirt, yes the S10 does better when back to back dirt riding is included. (out of the 2). Yes they will all cope with dirt roads. It's just that the KTM will handle the worst best. then the S10 then the GS etc. But if you never leave the tarmac then the S10 is not going to be top of the pops. (as with the KTM)

The KTM is THE bike for big haul crap conditions. I would say that the Honda is going to be the bees knees on tarmac. The rest will fall in between there some where.

It's a pity seeing the KTM low in the rankings all the time as it is a very "targeted" bike. Yes it is way too dirty for most people but it really deserves a bit more respect than the rankings would suggest.

Just as with the 4WD market. In Australia it's pretty much Patrols and Land Cruisers in the Arid regions. By the time you get to the city it's Subaru's and Pradas etc.

Then in the exclusive suburbs it's Porche, BMW, Land Rover. (Land Rover is for the Horsey people).

That's why I hate the rankings system. It is pretty clueless.

 

[eemsreno]

 

[ThatsLife]

::022::

 

[la-motor]

Is it just me, or does the Explorer look really small in comparison the the Tenere?

 

[eemsreno]

Is it just me, or does the Explorer look really small in comparison the the Tenere?

I'd say you see it the way it is.

 

[coastie]

Wow the Explorer looks tiny, interesting.

 

[markjenn]

Wow the Explorer looks tiny, interesting.

Camera angles can be deceiving. Don't the wheels/tires on the S10 look a lot bigger than the Triumph's? They're exactly the same size.

- Mark