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800 or 1200?

  • 800

    Votes: 33 84.6%
  • 1200

    Votes: 6 15.4%

Tiger 800 vs Tiger 1200

15K views 38 replies 21 participants last post by  cavman 69 
#1 ·
Which one would you rather have and why? I want to get a commuting/ fun bike and I am torn between the 800 and 1200.
 
#2 ·
I've only rode the 800 but from every review of the Explorer, the general opinion seems to be that the Tiger 800 is such a fantastic bike that the Explorer is really an answer to a question no one asked.
 
#3 ·
They are both great bikes. I plan on getting the 800 in the future. I tried them both, and found the 1200 explorer to be way too tall. I'm 6' and could barley touch my tip toes to the ground. also my wife claimed she felt she was sitting to high up on the passenger seat. In the smaller tigers. There is the 800, and the 800xc. again I found the xc to be a little tall. and really are you going to to be riding off road? I found the 800 to be just right. Plenty of power, handles great, and was comfortable. Try them all and pick the one that suits you. Me, I don't feel secure if I can't flat foot.
 
#5 ·
I figured the 1200 was tall but I didn't think it was that tall! I will have to get the 800 then because I am fine with all sportbikes but getting higher then that would start to bring issues.

Yea I would do tons of off road riding, there are so many trails that run from state to state that ATV's, dirtbikes and ect use so it would be fun to be able to go off road and not have to bring a trailer and drive to a place just to ride.

I just wish you could find them used because I could get myself one mean race bike for the cost of a brand new 800 lol.
 
#4 ·
If you want a commuting and all around fun bike the 800 would be the answer. If you want a mile pounder touring machine that can go down gravel roads then the 1200 is the machine. One is a touring bike that can do gravel the other is a sort of long travel standard/do everything. Personally however if you are use to a 675 the 800 feels slow.
 
#7 ·
having bought a tiger 800 in march last year thinking it would be a great ride boy was i mistaken it got sold earlier this year because 94hp and 210kilos of bike make for a slugish bike that only had at best avarage gas milage. i traded it in for a 2008 speed triple with arrows that returns better economy than the tiger ever did and puts a big smile on my face every time i ride it where as the tiger was just a bike all be it a triumph
 
#15 ·
Yea that is a cool video though lol is the 800 on the road really that sluggish? My worry for off road is having too much power to control or a taller bike that wouldn't allow me to get out of a thick patch of mud or something such as the 1200.

This isn't a bike I would be hitting twisties on or riding around with a group of sportbikes. I would use it for casual rides and off road trails. To me the coolest thing would be able to throw some boxes on the back, take the street to a trail and then take the off road trail to a camping site. I think that would be the most ideal use for me.

Now with the weight of the gear on the back I could see the 1200 power coming in handy no doubt. The closest triumph dealer to me is over an hour away so I can't even sit on one to say which fits me better.
 
#16 ·
A buddy of mine bought the 800. I took it for a long test drive, I'm just not a fan. Maybe too much time spent on my 675? Keep in mind I have owned two multistradas in the past. It reminded me of the 1100s a bit, but the 800 seemed super tall and there wasn't that much great to say about it. Definitely a very good bike, most people think. Can't put my finger on it. Thought I would fall in love with it, maybe too heavy? Anemic engine? Fueling seemed a bit off to me too. Pretty comfy though.

My advice, take a good long test ride before purchase. Think I would take the beemer over the Triumph.

Mark
 
#17 ·
A buddy of mine bought the 800. I took it for a long test drive, I'm just not a fan. Maybe too much time spent on my 675? Keep in mind I have owned two multistradas in the past. It reminded me of the 1100s a bit, but the 800 seemed super tall and there wasn't that much great to say about it. Definitely a very good bike, most people think. Can't put my finger on it. Thought I would fall in love with it, maybe too heavy? Anemic engine? Fueling seemed a bit off to me too. Pretty comfy though.

My advice, take a good long test ride before purchase. Think I would take the beemer over the Triumph.

Mark
Oh no I can't stand to be an owner of a BMW lol.....I would rather get the multistrada.
 
#18 ·
FxCK that! I need a supermoto :whistle:

I'm the Husqvarna SMS125 type of guy (yes, the two-stroke) :coolgleamA:

However, I think I'd enjoy a Streety for touring over the Tiger 800. Wouldn't hurt to test ride one, though :grin:
 
#22 ·
True, although the mud i was involved with on the CR250 and the 430 usually had half a weekends worth of enduro riders through it already, and snuck up on you over a small crest. Then devoured your front tire, then snacked on your back tire for twenty minutes while you are up to your knees in muck wrestling with a flooded ...

Ya know, I'm just going to stop there.
 
#23 · (Edited)
The 800 is a blast to ride...we have 2 and have done all kinds of riding on them. Daily commutes, weekend trips, offroad, and week long fully loaded camping trips. It is not a daytona or a street triple in terms of power but it has plenty of get up and go. Realize what it is, what its' purpose is and what it can do that other bikes can't do. The ergos are fun and the bike handles amazing...after suspension upgrades it handles even better. The general misunderstanding is that since the power delivery is so linear that people feel it is under powered.

Certainly if you want more power go for the 1200 but the 800 is a whole lot of fun to toss around, take on the occassional trail or unmaintained road that pops up, or load up for the long haul. you can check out this thread for a whole lot more opinions on this...

http://www.tiger800.co.uk/index.php/topic,6915.0.html
 
#26 ·
No problem...good site for the 800 with lots of info for you...seems to be similar in feel to the 675.net crowd (mostly UK based, but more and more people from the US are showing up as the 800 grows in popularity).

If you have any questions on the 800 shoot us an pm...Youngblood has 20,000 miles on his since December and I'm at about 9000 since June. We have done a fair amount of suspension work as well to make them even better...Traxxion cartridges in the forks and Penske shocks.
 
#28 ·
I shopped around and ended up with a tiger 1050. The introduction of the 800 helped drop the price of the 1050s. It has plenty of power and rides great.... with a few suspension tweaks it will be even better.

If your off road riding is going to be extreme, you don't want either.
 
#29 ·
Well that Icon movie with the Triumph bikes would be pretty cool to do but even if I could that wouldn't be something I would do on a regular basis. I would hope what I plan to do with it, the bike could handle it without too much drama other then regular cleaning/maintenance.
 
#33 ·
Neither, BMW F700GS :p

I was looking at the Tigers until I noticed that they're just as expensive as a GS, and the rear subframe is welded on.
I'm also slightly too short for the Tigers and for the F800GS

So anyone who owns a Tiger, I hope you don't let it fall over too much!
 
#34 ·
While I agree the BMWs really are the better option for mid size adventure bikes I don't agree about the sub-frame even being part of the equation. The only bikes I see bend rear subframes regularly are heavy touring bikes and sport bikes with aluminum subframes. The Tiger has a very heavy duty steel subframe. If you bend it you were either rear ended by a car or you threw it off a cliff. In any case the rear subframe is going to be the least of your worries.
 
#35 ·
I Demo rode the 1200 a few weeks back didn't like the bigger tire in the front and would put more of a street tire on and change out those foot pegs on the 800 when the wife gives me the o.k. to pull the trigger. Honey I love you more then you know...She is a keeper.:bowdown:
 
#37 ·
I have a tiger 2013 800xc along with a 13 street triple, and a 13 bmw k1600gtl. They are all purpose built for different things and they all in my opinion do them very well.

I sold my klr650 for the tiger. If anyone has ridden a klr you know how much power it doesnt have. So the step up to the tiger is awesome. I just did an 800 mile trip to my property in ga. I hauled 50lb bags of corn on it out to my shooting lanes. Tore up the back roads. And road the trails on my property. For me the tiger 800xc is everything I could ask for. Its a great fun bike that is very comfortable on the long haul.

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