Triumph Tiger and Daytona 675
 

So I did a demo day at the local dealership, tried 2 bikes, the Tiger and the daytona 675. (I walked away from the day with a water bottle and 4 free t-shirts too)

Tiger 1050.

Cool bike, a little too tall for me, but it just needs to be dropped an inch or so and I could get the balls of my feet down with the stock seat, not bad for my short ass 31" inseam. I had to start the bike twice because they were having a hard time getting the two bikes in front of me started. The second time I tried to start it it took longer than expected (maybe 7-10 seconds), very surprising for a fuel injected bike. Slow speed riding I didnt feel the weight, but the heat from the radiator blew right out on my legs, a problem that sorted itself out over 10mph. At speed the bike feels more like a standard than a dual sport and is more composed as a street bike than any other dual sport I have ever ridden, more on that later. The wide bars feel great and there is almost no vibration from the engine, even at the top of the rpm range. The bike does have plenty of front end brake dive, but they feel solid and ABS is an option. I think the dive can be fixed by adjusting the suspension. Oh did I mention that the suspension is fully adjustable? The bike is very composed on the road and like I said earlier feels like a standard more than a dual sport, in fact I got the feeling that the bike was designed to be a street bike but look like a dual sport. Having ridden the older tiger model I really think that the 1050 was never meant to go on anything but pavement. I do like the bike and would consider buying one except for one fact, the Vstrom 650 is 5k less and the Vstrom 1000 is 2k less, also the BMW's are pretty close in price, much more dual sport oriented, just as comfortable, more reliable and proven do anything bikes.

Overall, a great STREET bike that is $2k too expensive.

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Daytona 675

The brits have made a japanese bike. The Daytona 675 is the most composed SS bike the brits have ever made. This bike feels great, has plenty of power on hand, and is fairly comfortable for a 600cc super sport. The suspension of the demo bike was set pretty stiff, stiffer than my 145lb frame would ever consider. Overall the bike definately felt like I was riding a 600cc Honda, very straightforward and to the point, no real compromises anywhere. The brakes were powerful and could stop an 18 wheeler if they wanted to. In the corners the bike was pretty composed, and again, felt very japanese. I almost wonder if Triumph had spies in the Jap big 4 design studios. The ride was pretty crappy, mostly because I was stuck behind a cruiser that would slam on his brakes for every corner (on a rocket III no less!). The only thing I can really say about the daytona is that even the headlights are slanted it feels japanese, which is a good thing, because in addition to being an all around good riding bike, it has good looks to match, and at a starting price bellow 10k it should be considedered for anyone looking for a 600 sport bike. My only concern is their dealer network and parts. if my bike goes down a quick search on the internet and a weeks worth of waiting for the UPS guy and it can be fixed, I cant really say that for sure about the Daytona.

I think the Tiger is a good bike for crappy pavement... the thing I love about the DRZ and why it'd be hard to go back to a sport bike or a pure street bike is that I don't have to worry about shitty pavement, the suspension just soaks it up.

The Tiger seems along those lines, but not something I'd want to take off road except on a gravel driveway. course I've never ridden one... but judging from your experience, my thoughts were about right.

I want to test ride both the Vstrom 650 and 1000... but they're in hot commodity down here... my local shop has been searching for the 650... calling around because he has two people lined up to buy them.

I don't get it, why would this bike be any less capable off-road than a Vstrom?

Suspension travel, or lack of it, wheel size which affects your ability to buy a quality on/off road tire. I think the tiger has a 180 rear tire which is pretty hard to find a dirt or dual sport tire in that size. Overall I could just tell that it was oriented towards street

Looks pretty tall to me :shrug:

As for the wheel, what size is it compared to the Vstrom? Forget the tire.

a lot IMO has to do with aftermarket. the Vstrom has lots of companies that make engine guards, fender raisers (for knobbies), ect...

haven't seen much for the Tiger.

but though I haven't ridden it... I have looked closely at it in person. it seems very much a street bike. Many of the parts used in various locations weren't planned well for off road use.

even Triumph doesn't boast about it's dual sport capabilities... look
and for the SE

A japanese SS with a triple? haha

How did you like that intake howl??? :rockwoot:

Thanks for the write up Derf. How was the torque deliverd on the 675?

good write up

I really can't say with too much authority, I didnt get to play on the bike too much. Other than it pulls pretty good and evenly, although there is a small surge in power right about 8k, the bike just sorta jumps forward a bit. The bike is definately up on Tq than the big 4's 600 offering, but not by much, probably attributed to the larger cylinder side of the three piston engine.

Overall I really got the impression that the Daytona is a solid competitor to the japanese 600 i4 class