Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Adventure-Touring Impression Triump'h Tiger 955i Suzuki DL1000 v-Strom Being more a rider of dirt than street, I'll admit to feeling a bit wary of the Triumph Tiger 955i at first. After all, how can a three-cylinder, 500-pound machine with what amounts to slicks even pretend to harbor even basic dirtworthiness? The answer: It can't. But that doesn't mean it isn't kind of fun in its own way. Truth be told, I was kind of disappointed to leam that I'd be on the Triumph most of the time during our ride. The KTM 640 LC4 Adventure - now there's a bike that can live up to the name, and it has an unmistakable dirt heritage. My first walk around the British machine, on the other hand, set off all sorts of mental alarms. First of all, there was that rather garish metallic-green paint, though Joe Bonnello liked it. (Of course, he's always had an eye for colors that are out of the ordinary.) Then there was the issue of its rounded lines and decidedly street-bike bias. A cross-braced, relatively tall handlebar does not a dirt bike make, I correctly reasoned. But then I rode it for three days. I've ridden a few Triumphs in the past. and the one thing that I've always liked is the sound of that triple, from the Tridents of the '70s to the current, much more modem, liquid-cooled versions. Even with the standard I can't imagine an adventure ride , . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , without dirt, and neither can Chris, Joe, Andrew or Mark - that's why we just had to include some of the loose stuff. But I could hear the uneasiness in the voice and could visualize the beads of sweat forming on the face of the Suzuki rep who loaned us the Y-Strom when I told him over the phone that his ""'-"-..;:;;=-.;::... bike would be getting dirty on this particular ride. Even he agreed, however, that adventure rides should include at least some dirt, though he couldn't help but stress the point that the V,Strom wasn't meant to be ridden off-road. You know, he was right. The V-Strom was by far the most street-orientated bike of this group, and that would be just fine with me, since 90 percent of nur ride would take place on the hard stuff, and I would be spending the most time on the 'Strom. Actually, the Suzuki would not have been so much of a handful on the dirt had the tires had anything that even remotely resembled a knobby on them (but the Suzuki wasn't the only bike that had "slicks"). This is why we ended up seeking out dirt roads that were just one step less civilized than paved, like the one we took up to Chimney Peak in the Sequoia National Forest. Had I been on a "true" touring bike, like the new Honda ST1300 for instance, I would not have even considered exploring this road and would've missed out on one of adventure-touring's finest experiences. At around 8000 feet, Chimney Peak was literally the highlight of the ride for me. Okay, so the Y-Strom might not be designed to go on dirt roads, but at least it can - albeit gingerly. Leaving Chimney Peak, we traversed back down the other side of the mountain, where the dirt road eventually turned paved and carried us to the desert floor. Talk about twistiesl We pretty much went from 8000 feet in elevation to 100 feet in what could not have been much more that a few miles horizontally, and the 'Strom was truly in its element, I was just as comfortable negotiating the -switchbacks on the 'Strom as I would've been on any sport bike. (In fact, probably more so.) The Suzuki is just plain fun on the curves, even when fully loaded. I had the V-Strom packed to the hilt for our trip. The rack in the back was large enough to haul my tent, sleeping bag, cushion, and a small gear bag (strapped down by a couple of bungee cords), and my backpack and tank bag were stuffed with odds and ends, which certainly hindered my ability to lean backward and forward in the tums, but I was still able to command the 'Zook through the tight stuff just fine. In Death Yalley, we gave in to being tourists a few times, making a couple of short side trips to special viewing points, some of which are reached via bumpy and/or rocky dirt roads. No problem on the 'Strom (or the other bikes, fnr that matter), though. I must admit, of all the different types of motorcycling there are to choose from, adventure-touring like this has to be my favorite. Covering long distances, exploring remote roads - dirt or paved - visiting small-town cafes, sleeping outdoors (or even in nice hotels), and being able to just get away for multiple days at a time is, to me, the ultimate in stress-free motorcycling fun. And the Suzuki V-Strom is an ideal way to experience this, thanks to its torquey (not to mention powerful) TL1000-based V-twin motor, longrange fuel tank, comfy seating position (though a little on the low side for tall riders) and decent wind protection; plus, the 'Strom looks adventurous, especially when it's covered in dust and muck after a long ride. Your neighbors will surely be impressed when you ride back into town. Mine were. -KIt Palmer exhaust system, it's music. Too, ~he Tiger felt like it ran strong in th.is group. (Riding the others briefly throughout the ensUIng days confirmed that the Triumph was probably the top dog in the power department, at least to me.) It pulled strongly off the bottom and dished out more as the revs climbed, all in a very predictable, controllable manner - as expected. Hours on the asphalt showed the Tiger to purr along as smoothly as the proverbial kitten, too, though there was enough buzzing to make the mirrors next to useless. I enjoyed the effortless shifting and clutch action, though I wasn't particularly thrilled with the shape of the levers on either side of the handlebar. They're throwbacks to a time when doors of castles were about 5-foot-8, and I don't have large paws. I guess the Triumph engineers have never ridden a CR or XR, or even an Interceptor. While the Tiger didn't feel as long as expected, it's not nervous, either. For zipping along mountain roads with occasional, tentative and careful forays into the dirt, it's probably got good compromised geometry. Once you do get in the dirt, you're again reminded that it's not very happy there. The standing position is awkward, making sitting the only way togo. The more I rode the Triumph, however, the more it grew on me. I enjoyed having three decent-sized pieces of luggage to store the multitude of things I like to take for ovemight trips, and the Tiger was fun to strafe curvy roads with. I eventually got to thinking of It as a two-wheeled version of something like an saV. Few of them ever venture off the pavement, but that doesn't keep them from being enjoyable. The Triumph Tiger 955i may not be a dirt bike, but true dirt bikes aren't going to be very good for covering the miles of road that we did in something resembling comfort. -Mark Karlya @[jJ@@D(!D@ff)71D@[JD $10,999 997.62<:<: Uquid-cooled, twln-cvlinder four-stroke 97 x 67.5rnm BORE x SlROKE 10.4:1 COMPRESSION RATIO CARBURETJOl'l Fuel Injection w/ 47mm throttle bodies DiaitaJ Electronic IGNITJON Six-speed TRANSMISSION STARTING SYSTEM Electronic FUEL CAPACITY 6.5 aaL WHEELBASE 62.4 in. 27.9°/129mm RAKE/TRAIL SEAT HEIGHT 32.8 in. FRONT TIRE 100/80VR19 REAR TIRE 150/70VR17 FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 7.4 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 7.4 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual Disc REARBRAKE Disc FINAL DRIVE Chain C1.A1MED DRY WEIGHT 4731bs. 48 JULv31, 2002' cue. _ KTM 640 LC4 Adventure R DLl000 v-Strom TRIUMPH Tiger 955i S8198 625cc Uquid-cooled, sinale-evlinder four-stroke 101 x 78rnm NIA Mikuni CK-59 $8899 996cc Uquid-cooled, four-stroke, 90° V-twin, twin-cvlinder, DOHC, TSCC 98x66mm 11.3:1 M1kuni/Denso fuel injection $10,899 955cc Uquid-cooled, in-line three-cylinder 79 x 65mm 11.65:1 (3) Multipoint sequential EFJ Bosch Motronic Six-speed Electric 5.5 aaL 59.4 in. 27.l o/114mm 33.1/33.8 in. 110/80-19 150/70·17 7.5 in 7.9 in. Antilock dual disc Antilock disc USTPRJCE DISPLACEMENT ENGINE TYPE BMW RII50GSABS $14,500-$14,800 1130cc AJr/oil-<:ooled, horizontally ODoosed twin 101 x 70.5rnm 10.3:1 Electronic fuel injection APRWA ETV 1000 Capo Nord Diaital Five-=-

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