A bike for all occasions?

You must be Dave Pierce the man who ran 2 stroke sidecars at club level in the eighties I used to race against you! you may also remember Derek Plummer.

 

Barely had my Speed Triple long enough to judge. Only done a thousand miles on it but its taken me that long to bond with it. I've never had a triple before and I've had to work out how to ride it properly, that is how to use the engine. Now the penny has dropped its a much faster bike than I thought it was when I first rode it and I'm really starting to love it.
The only niggles I can think of are the on/off throttle response is not as smooth as it might be - though its silky everywhere else and there are plenty of bikes which are much worse. I guess this is down Euro emissions restrictions which want dialling out of the mapping, something I may consider doing when I know the bike better.
The rear shock, though much improved after a professional set-up, is still a little harsh and threatens to get out of shape on less than perfect surfaces. But I'm reserving judgement till I've changed the tyres.
And there's not as much comfort or gel about the seat as I'd hoped and I'm inclined to slowly slide into the tank. Happily though, this is easily solved by accelerating as hard as possible as often as possible...:biggrin:

 

I hate to say it, having sold one and buying a speed triple R, ( which I love by the way ) but after riding loads of different bikes, doing track days, being able to wheelie just about anything, getting my boot as well as knee down, by far the best alround bike is the BMW R1200GS, from 2010 on and the new one is a step ahead. I get bored very easily and after liking v twins thought I' d try a Triumph and for what I want it for, letting off steam, it's brilliant

 

Actually a lot of GS riders are not very happy with the new bike and there is also the Kevin Ash incident that still has not been explained yet. Biggest problem with BMW if you are the first to buy a new model then you are more or less a test rider for them.

The other thing I think hinders the 1200 GS is it size and weight, the 800 model is better option at the moment and then the Tiger XC is a far better bike than the 800 GS.

Saying that if you really wanted a bike to do everything (including leaving a very large hole in you wallet and possibly being unreliable) Then the Multistrada is the closest thing to it. (On paper that is)

 

I would certainly never be a new adopter of a new model again. Learned my lesson with the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S; all the bike papers raved about it when it first came out and I was seduced into buying an early model. 17 months and 7 returns to the dealer under warranty later I had had enough!! Way too much new technology on that bike, way too much to go wrong when it's out of warranty. The bike when it ran was like a sports bike on stilts, wheelied off the throttle first and second gear, looked great and was a fun ride but I would never buy another and I would never buy a new model of any manufacturer.

I changed the Ducati for a Speed Triple thinking power and speed was more important than comfort and enjoyed riding it but after 18 months I decided my knees could take no more of the cramped riding position and have now bought the bike I should have bought in the beginning: a Tiger 800 XC, like Steve says I think it is the ideal weight, height and comfort for me. The GS and Explorer are very big bikes and low speed they are very easy to topple over on. I know the Explorer early models has had recalls for top engine issues and I bet the new GS will have teething problems (are they still covering something up over the Kevin Ash incident??)

After my experience with the Ducati I have decided I don't want a bike with all the electronic aids, its just stuff to go wrong. I like the fact my Tiger has no 'Modes', power settings or fancy gadgets...... Just ABS. I believe its tried and tested and so far has been trouble free.

 

I think you are being a bit unfair on the Explorers Richard as I know several owners who are really happy with Triumph with regards to the recall and not only the bikes came back to their owners cleaned and I have heard nothing but good things about what they did to fix the problem, fair play to them they have identified the problem and resolved it well.

I had the Speed Triple for almost three years and really enjoyed it but i'm not as tall as you so never had any issues with comfort even after riding 1200 miles over 4 days I was still keen to get back on the bike the next day, which i would have never been able to do on my 09 Fireblade.

I rode the Ducati Multistrada and really enjoyed it, but it was a test ride only and it's a bit different than having to own and live with one.

I also rode the BMW S100rr and found it to be very fast but also bland and characterless and couldn't wait to get back on the Speed Triple quick enough.

If I could I would still have kept my Speed Triple If I had the money but at the time I had to sell it and with what I have had left over I have got two very good first generation Hinckley Triumphs that are very enjoyable to ride and work on, and a project bike.

At the end of the day really there is really no such thing as the prefect bike as we all have different ideas on what that bike should be, but it is fun trying to find it though :biggrin:

 

As the original question was about Triumph twins....

First of all I think most of them look pretty good which I suppose is a start.

I've had an America for nearly a year now. For me it's a bit like the Ford Escort of bikes. It does everything you'd want it to do but is not the most exciting bike in the world (it's also one of the most uncomfortable I've ever ridden but that's another story). I tested a Bonny before getting the America and the Bonny was even more bland. A perfectly acceptable motorcycle. Handled OK, performance was fine, comfort was Ok, looked good but it didn't stir the heart (or at least not mine).

I quite enjoyed the Scrambler when I had it for a day while mine was being serviced as it had a bit of attitude. Difficult to explain why it was any different to the Bonny as it was the same engine but I'm guessing it was about a slightly more aggressive riding position. Unfortunately a little too tall for me.

I test rode a Thunderbird LT on Monday. Now that's a proper bike! I loved it, gobbets of torque, excellent ergos, easy to ride, handles amazingly well for something that big and looks great imo. Bloody expensive though. It's also very heavy which rather rules out a bike for all purposes I think as it's not exactly a scratcher.

A bike for all occasions? I'm not sure there is one. Somewhere along the line you'd have to compromise some aspect whether it be weight, comfort, practicality, performance etc.

The nearest I've ever had was my GS1150 that I had for 10 years and 60,000 miles. A brilliant bike that did everything I ever wanted but was always too big for me and I dropped it several times at a standstill. Not a bike I'd use on a quick trip into town as I was worried I'd drop it in a bike parking area and take out a line of bikes :wink: A Tiger 1050 replaced the GS and although I managed 17,000 miles in two years I never really liked the bike. Probably one of the most underrated bikes on the market. Did everything you'd want from a bike like that but never got my boat floating.

In the end each to his own and I hope you find yours :smile: