Hi everyone. I passed my test only 3 years ago and my first bike is a Royal Enfield Himalayan, which I love. My predicament is that the REH is perfect in many respects - easy to ride, light, forgiving and not too scary. I spend most of my time on local A- and B-roads but with the occasional trip to France - an hour on the A3 to Portsmouth, then a couple of hours on main roads across Normandy. So I think I need a bit more oomph as my motorway trips are quite tiring - the Himalayan does 75mph but that's about it! I don't want to go faster than that but I do want that speed to be more comfortable, both for me and for the bike! I quite fancy a Tiger 850 Sport (I don't go off road very much if at all) but would I be able to cope with the upgrade - I'm 5'9" and only 10.5 stone? I think the answer is that the bikes are similar weights so I should be fine but does anyone have experience of both these bikes or have an opinion on this? Many thanks.
A friend recently took delivery of a Tiger 660 and is chuffed to bits with it. If you look at the power and torque out put from the two machines the 850 would appear to be somewhat wanting.
That's interesting - I'll take a look at the 660. I'd written it off as not much better than my Himalayan but maybe...
Hi John I can't decide your bike for you as everyone is different when it comes to ergonomics and aesthetics but in terms of being able to cope with an upgrade I would say that after 3 years of riding you should be able to jump on any machine you fancy and ride it so get out there and get some test rides in. Good luck
I'd definitely get some test rides in to see what feels good for you. I passed my test six months ago and think I'd feel OK having a go on the Tiger 850 Sport in terms of size and weight at about 5ft 5 and 58ish kg when I have seen them in showrooms. Any larger physically I'd be intimidated by at this stage. In terms of the power difference; I would imagine you'd be more than capable of trying any bike you fancied after riding what sounds like pretty extensively for three years. I passed my test six months ago and am on a Street Triple R; I am mindful of it's power as a new rider but I am also mindful of my own abilities / experience (lack of!) and the power delivery of the engine is very friendly and progressive. I think I would actually feel safer on a larger bike than the Himalayan on A roads and motorways as you'll have a bit more physical size and plenty of oomph for overtakes etc.
There's no substitute for finding the bike, sitting on it in person, and if it feels good up to that point, test riding it. Any advice given from others about the bike is secondary to what you find yourself when you actually encounter and ride the machine itself.
As everyone says, test ride everything you can before putting your hard earned down. Good luck with the search.
Before mi Tiger 900 I had a vstrom 650. I went on a trip with other 3 riders, 2 had Himalayans, and 2 vstroms. The ride included B roads, and some offroad, and at some point a very muddy road. The vstroms had to be pushed to get out of the predicament, while the himalayans had no problem. On tarmac the vstrom is a much more comfortable ride, also faster. The Tiger is easier to ride than the vstrom on every situation , and faster than the vstrom. You mention you ride mostly on road, the Tiger 850 will be more comfortable and capable than the Himalayan , 99% of the time. Hope you can test it to make up your mind.
You are a couple of inches taller than me and about the same weight. Having just read through the Himalayan specs as well as the Tigers have a crack at a Street Triple. When compared to your current machine, 20 kg lighter, twice the torque, a lot more power, 6 speed box, rider modes e.g. rain. No centre stand, obviously not going to match the mpg you get on the Enfield but such an easy bike to ride and one with sufficient features and performance that you will be growing into it for a good few years.
Cheers. Hadn't considered that one. However, I also take my wife and a load of luggage - I'm sure the Street Triple could handle that but it may be less suited...?
Ah - a 'real world' comparison. Many thanks and yes, I'll definitely be test riding before I buy anything.
The pillion seat is pretty small and a bit of a perch. That said a lady that lives on our street rides pillion on her partner's Striple and she's about 5ft 9 and a large build and says it's comfortable....