The bike is amazing. Its a must see in person. Much better looking in person. The blue is a fantastic color. Again, a must see in person. Handling is amazing light and agile. You think for being a larger bike handling may be affected. I could flick the bike back and forth easily. Cant wait for some warm temps and sticky tires in the curves. Definitely sports touring handling! Brakes are fantastic. Linked of course. Engine sounds like a triumph 3 cylinder....... Fit and finish is A+. Body panels meet perfectly. Paint is also excellent! Black frame is a must see in person.... way cool I love the paint finish on the rims even! Does not feel large when sitting or riding it. Tanks looks big in pictures, but shaped nicely for the knees and position. Side bags seal tight and no way water is getting in there by their design. Power will be no issue. Ready and responsive. Radio, cruise etc. It will take some getting used to for all the controls for sure! The windshield and it shape is a home run! Whether its in the down position, midway or fully up, NO buffeting! I wear a Shoei RF1100 and Im 6'3 with a 35 inseam. So impressed with the windshield and no buffeting!!!!!! When I test road the BMW K1600 that was the deal killer.... horrible buffeting and windshield. Im one happy sport touring owner!!!
posted more pictures here on the last page of the thread http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20588577#post20588577
Rather than merge this thread with the Trophy thread, now that the bike is available, I changed the title to invite Trophy owners and wannabe's to post here with their new bikes or questions to owners.. Congrats!
No buffetting is great, but the ST1300 has been pretty much buffet free for 10 years. Unfortunately, the ST1300 has nasty back pressure instead. Does the Trophy give you that wonderful hand between the shoulders pushing your face into the clocks that's a benefit of a fully raised shield on the ST1300?
Ok, so I'm a longtime rider of a comfortable and refined Gold Wing 1800 and the ST1300 from Honda. For a variety of reasons (work, health, family) I took a break from motorcycling 2 years ago. My biggest complaint with my last bike, the Honda ST1300, was how big and heavy it was, and the heat it put out on my legs. I ride alone 99% of the time, though have a 6-year old daughter who I hope to bring with me when she's older and ready. Being a father now I also try to be more conservative in the $$ I spend on motorcycling -- I make a decent living, but there are tons of other needs I am trying to honor. Have been dreaming about the Tiger 800XC since the day it was released and have enjoyed a few great demo rides. I am more than ready to get back into riding. I came upon a 2012 left over and committed to buying it, including applying for a loan and signing dmv paperwork, but have not yet picked up bike due to winter temps and dealer awaiting arrival of a couple of accessories. I have been incredibly excited and counting the days til I can bring it home. Soooo . . . yesterday I happened to be near another dealer and decided to drop in. They had 2 Trophys, including one that is available for demos. Wow. I looked at it, and said, "Oh shit. That bike looks amazing . . ." Sat on it, spent about a half an hour admiring it and looking it over. I didn't demo it but have a chance to next week. My Tiger should be ready early next week. I'm having second thoughts about going ahead with the sale. Maybe just nervousness about pulling the trigger on an actual motorcycle instead of having the freedom to fantasize about any one I'd like to fantasize about, and consider buying at some point in the future. I have LOVED the rides I took on the Tiger, and its lighter weight and simplicity make sense for most of the riding I will do. BUT the greater refinement and sophistication and comfort of the new Trophy cannot be denied. I don't want to screw over the dealer I've committed to. I also don't have to buy a brand new motorcycle I am having second thoughts about. (Maybe I need to swear off ever looking at other motorcycles! Hah!) Have considered talking with my wife about this. I fear she would laugh in my face or be pissed at me for being fickle. I'm about 50 years old, was hoping this bike would be the one I'd keep for 5-10 years, or more. The Trophy would easily be $7,000-8,000 more OTD, which I could pull off, but is a lot of money to me. Am also mindful of the frustrations I had with the ST1300, a bike which the Trophy has a lot in common with. I feel like my options are: Demo the Trophy early next week to see how it rides, then decide, and level with the dealer if I want to change which bike I buy Forgot about the Trophy and enjoy the heck out of the Tiger 800 Suggestions? Wisdom? Thanks.
If you are into 800 mile super slab days (BTDT and it really sucks) buy the Trophy. Any other type of riding, the Tiger wins hands down. I have owned a BMW K100LT, Kawi Concours 1000 and Honda ST1100. All were great Slab bikes. Last Feb I high sided the ST1100 and knocked the fairing off. Rebuilt it back naked with a Rifle Superbike cowl 12" windshield. I don't even look at full fairing bikes anymore. Back when I played Golf I never ever hit anyone's $500 driver. Afraid I would hit it good and have to buy one. Same with bikes
Haven't taken it home yet but, the S.O. and I went and sat on it today. I hate buying new bikes in February! Dealer's happy holding the "Sold" tag. :)
Demo the Trophy before you decide (if you can) You may hate, you may love it. Thats a lot of money and explaining to do,you want to make the right decision. You will know what to do after the test ride.
If weight is an issue you definitely want to ride the Trophy. I went from a Ducati 1198sp to a BMW R1200RT. To me the RT is a huge honking pig (slow speed and moving around the driveway - on the road its fine) and the Trophy is ~80lb more*. *Per Triumph USA the stock Trophy is 662 lbs, Per BMW USAs site the RT is 580 lbs
First, I'd say you need to honestly analyze what you plan to do with your new bike. Long rides or short? Touring, communting, day or weekend camping trips, etc? If you're only going to own one bike, I'd make it lean toward the riding I was going to be doing most. Mostly day or weekend trips plus commuting in traffic and general daily use, I'd buy the Tiger (I've owned a 800 Roadie). Mostly longer distance touring or freeway commuting, I'd pick the Trophy. I have a little reservation about the sheer width and bulk of the front portion of that machine, but overall it's a fantastic package. I'm older than you, my son is grown, I'm retired and have time to tour when I want. I also can afford more than one bike, so I have around town bikes and a dedicated touring bike. But when I was younger and felt that I could only justify the expense of one bike, it was always more of an all around machine like the Tiger. That type of bike was more useful to me since I rarely got to do much long distance touring. And the Tiger will do that too, just not as comfortably as the Trophy.
Is there any way to mount highway pegs on the Trophy? I have a set of Iliumworks on my RT which allows me to stretch out my legs on those longer rides. Otherwise I need to stop after a hundred miles or so to give my knees a break and then stop again every 20 or 30 miles for more relief. I'm not enamored with the boxer engine, so the triple in the Trophy has really caught my interest. I took a look recently at the Chicago motorcycle show but couldn't see very well inside the side fairing. If I can add some highway pegs and have the triple engine, then the Trophy will be my next bike.
How was the gruntiness of the engine? I've come close to pulling the trigger on the K1600 (see the other thread that I started) but I find the Trophy to be very interesting. David