Tiger 1050 as first big bike?

Howdy all,

I've been riding several years, mostly dirt. I've been on he road about a year with my DR650 and want to start considering a larger bike purchase around Jan -Mar in hopes of an adventure from TX to D.C. around Sep '12 with a buddy of mine. I was thinking the Tiger 1050 looks about perfect. My concerns are weight and power. I only have about 1500-2000 miles on the roads with the 650. I figure I can get another 1500 by January and then put about 4k on the tiger for familiarization prior to my trip. I've taken the basic rider course and will try to schedule the advanced before leaving, but with my work schedule it can be tough.

What are your thoughts?

I own a 1050 Tiger and have also had a Ulysses and a R1100GS. All good bikes, but they all provide me with the same irritation. I'm not a small guy at 6' and 210lbs with a 30" inseam, and I've been riding 50 years. But the combination of weight and height on the big dualies make them cumbersome for me to use around town. Trying to back a bike up on tiptoes in a parking lot or just moving it around in general is more of a chore than I like. I can do it, but it bothers me. My son is taller and has a 36" inseam. He rides the 1050 most of the time and has no problems at all, loves the bike in fact, but he can flat foot it with his knees still bent. My Tiger 800 is a better fit for me.

On the highway, they are great. Many people complain about wind management on the 1050, but it isn't a problem for me. Then again, the only bike I've ever owned that I felt had serious buffeting problems was the R1100GS, so maybe wind just doesn't bother me much after all my years in the saddle. The 1050 and Ulysses are both great touring bikes out of the box. Tiger has the best motor and decent comfort. Ulysses has a good motor that I liked a lot and is the lowest maintenance and most comfortable of the bunch. The GS was bottom of the heap in all respects.

As for the power, that is only a problem if you can't control your right hand. I love the Triumph triple motors and like the Uly as well. Both have plenty of power to get you in trouble if you let them, but are totally manageable and a joy to ride.

Used Tiger 1050s can be a great bargain. I found my '07 15 months ago with under 3000 miles for $5500. That price was the main reason I bought it, as I still had the Uly at the time. This is exceptional however, and any good low mileage example under $7k is probably a decent buy. And it will definitely do the job you're looking at.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the 1050 has truly crappy lights. If you plan to ride much after dark, it really needs some auxiliary lighting.

I own a 1050, I reckon it's a fine choice for a first big bike.
Stable, lots of torque, not highly strung or temperamental in any way.

Not really heavy, it's like a big DR in a few aspects.
Upright seating position, big, wide bars, motor tuned for torque over peak power.

I've done a couple of long days on it, it's a fine road bike. Comfy, powerful, I never had a problem with wind. I added GS hand protectors (Triumph's weren't on the market when I did) and heated grips to mine and can ride it in cool weather with light gloves no problem.

The only fault I have found with mine is low speed cornering, coming off fully closed throttle can be a bit abrupt. It's totally manageable, but that's nitpicking...

Thanks
CA Stu

PS Davevv did get an unbelievably, ridiculously good price on his 1050, most used ones start $2k+ higher than that.

I haven't seen a tiger for less than $9k so far which is the other reason I'm putting this off for a while.

Great comments from everyone, thank you! I was originally considering the v-strom for the last year, but after seeing them side by side at the dealer, I'm sad to say I'm swayed a little by the looks and the name. Plus, I already own a zuk.

The more and more I read up on them the more I like the tiger.


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Before my Tiger 1050 I rode a little 1999 Honda VTR250, which is a little ~34hp V-twin 250 heavily 'inspired' by the Ducati Monster 750 of the same era. What I mean by 'inspired' is that Honda grabbed the Monster, put it on a photocopier, hit the "75% reduction" button and called it a day. Even the instrument panel is copied.

So, from a 34bhp, 23Nm, 143kg 250cc bike to a 125rwhp, 105Nm, 199kg 1050cc bike.

The Tiger 1050's fairly sedate in its power delivery; from 3000rpm to redline the torque curve is more of a torque table, absurdly flat and predictable.

My initial response to the bike was that for slow maneuvering, say around 20-30kph, it took a lot more confidence, courage and commitment than the lil' 250 did. It does weigh about 60kg dry more than my VTR250 did and sit a bit higher up, mind you so that's not entirely unexpected. Above that speed (and below that speed, when slowriding in parking lots, filtering through stopped traffic) I found it very easy to handle.

The transition from off-throttle to on-throttle is a little snatchy which can be awkward or off-putting when gradually feeding the power in mid-corner (is it "bad"? Not sure. But it's not really enjoyable)

But for the most part the Tiger never gave me any real surprises. It does have a fairly generous peak power, especially with the TOR exhaust and TOR tune (e.g. 125rwhp!) but as others have alluded to that's more of a "right wrist" and rider behaviour issue than a behavioural problem with the bike. The torque curve's incredibly flat and the power delivery quite smooth, so there's no unwanted surprises in that department. It's.... flexible. If you ask it to, it can hustle like a sportsbike (though rapid transitions in S-curves are a weak point) and show clean heels to people on far more focussed machinery, especially when the road surface becomes choppy. Or it can putter around town and cruise on the freeways like a cushy upright-seating touring bike. The Tiger's pretty amenable to all sorts of roles. :)

Three years on, I'm pretty happy with it as a sports tourer for tall bastards. (Though my mountainbiking background is making me contemplate testriding a Tiger 800 or 800XC in order to get back into trail exploration...)

I have a 1050 Tiger and a DR650. The 1050 is a great bike but not ideal for a rider new to high HP, high performance bikes. The Tiger is EXTREMELY fast. Like 1/4 mile times in the high 10 second range. The brakes are SUPER powerful and will get a novice into trouble if not careful.

If I were you, I would give the new Tiger 800 a test ride. A fantastic bike ... and a better "big bike" to start off on. The new Tiger 800 comes in two versions, the T800 road version and the T800XC, dual sport which can do dirt roads. Very smooth and easy bike to ride, not such instant power or crazy power ful brakes. But you won't find a used one cheap .... the 800's are brand new.

If shopping for a Tiger 1050 look to getting a nice '07 or '08. The 1050 has not changed since '07, so just find a nice clean one with bags that hasn't been beat on. Get an ABS one if you can. Love it!

I've seen several on Craig's list in the $6500 to $7500 range, very low miles. But even a high mileage one would be FINE. They are solid and reliable bikes. A bit pricey to have a full dealer service done, but much of it you can do yourself if you are mechanical. Good travel bike. A bit tall and heavy ... try one out, then try the 800.

Take your DR650 into the City and practice riding in aggressive city traffic. Your dirt riding experience will always serve you well. Be a super defensive driver and use those eyes in the back of your head. You have them, right?
You'll need 'em.

Be careful out there.


My 1050 in S. Oregon.

IMHO, I'd say go for the Big Cat. The fact you have some off road experience under your belt gives you a big advantage over others. When I was 13, I went from a YZ80 to a YZ250. It was a little intimidating at first, but turned out to be the best thing for me. Best advice I can give ya for street riding is to pretend everyone is out to get you and that everyone in cages are blind....cause it seems like it. GO FOR IT!

I have had various bikes over the years, mostly Harleys and BMW's. I would consider this my first high HP bike and I took to it right away, no problem. And without a doubt my favorite to date, I think this is number 7. Choose wisely and do not settle, buy what you want. That is a lesson I had to learn the hard way more than once, and I wasted a lot of time and thousands of dollars. I wish I bought this years ago.


My very first ride on this bike was just about 400 miles, and I loved every freezing cold mile of it. I would not give a second thought to riding this coast to coast pretty much bone stock. For me its very comfortable, I have a gel seat and am about 5' 10", I cant flat foot it but can get plenty of boot on the ground. I have no issues with the wind either, it may become bothersome after a few long distance days in a row though. I came off a Road King to this, no way am I going to complain about weight or performance.


Grifter, that is about the tallest tail bag I have ever seen! I think I am going to pick one up after seeing it on your bike.

I've never heard of having good brakes being a negative characteristic?

Grabby brakes are bad, but the Tiger's brakes are not that. They are just smooth, powerful, and excellent.

Just because the throttle will twist to WFO doesn't mean you have to do it, right?

And I'm sorry, but the Tiger is no sport bike.
It's fairly quick, but any decent rider on a focused sport bike will be able to pass you like you're going backwards anywhere except a bumpy ass road.

One of my friends has an R1 and only a couple of years of street riding experience, once that thing hits 9 grand it's adios.

And once again, I'm sorry, but the 1050 runs high 11s at the best in the real world.
I've got a $100 bill says you can't get into the 10s in the 1/4 on a stock 1050 Tiger.
140 lb. professional test riders for bike magazines may be able to run an 11.3, but 10 seconds? $100 says no way.

I once rode a ZX9-R that would do 100 mph in a driveway :eek1, that was too much bike for a mere mortal like me, the Tiger suits me fine.

It's no GSXR 1000 / ZX10-R, believe me, not even on its best day.

Thanks
CA Stu

Fortunately (and not many people know this) the state of Tasmania was created specifically to allow big goofy bikes like the Tiger 1050 and TDM 900 et al a whole selection of bumpy-ass roads upon which to strut their thing.

Edit: Except Lake Leake Road, that one's a bit too fast and smooth.

Edit edit: Flippancy aside, you're right, the Tiger isn't a hard-edged race-replica sportsbike, and won't be. But on the same token, it's not exactly a slow-poke when it comes to twisty roads; I've never had trouble keeping up with friends and a few riders on everything from GSXRs to Street Triples have expressed their disbelief that it corners as well as it does.

True, not grabby ... but the guy is coming off a DR650 ... so I was thinking muscle memory might get him into trouble? Just a thought. Seeing as how the bumper cars at Disneyland have better brakes than the DR650.

I go back and forth from Tiger to DR all the time ...I beg to differ ... a non ABS Tiger could easily put a novice rider right on their ass. Been there, seen it in person. (power brake BMW's) I figure if he gets a Tiger ... at least he'll be a bit conservative to start off until he gets the measure of what really good brakes are like.

Perhaps I was erring on the conservative side for the new rider? ... once again ... coming off the mighty 37 HP DR650 ... The Tiger seems quite the monster for the first 20 minutes or so. Since it'll do zero to 60 in just over 3 seconds ... Could be he'd wick it up and then see that sign ahead that says: Slow to 15 mph :eek1

As an X MC shop employee, I have to admit seeing dozens of stories play out this exact way. Big Balls, Lotas HP, Too Little Skill.

Are there any other kind of road? Our best Norcal MC roads are quite beat up and tight. A good local rider on a sport bike can easily outpace the Tiger, it's true. I believe the Tiger is more a "sporty" bike, but not a Supersport bike. But guys from out of the area on sport bikes are sometimes caught out and end up in the barbed wire. (Dairy Cow country) But re-do the suspension on the Tiger ... and it's transformed. Really needs it.

I think I said high 10's? I thought Don Canet put one in the 10's?
Maybe that was the S3 ?
I don't save magazines so not positive. You're probably right, a total street newbie could never, ever get into trouble on a measly 11 sec. 1/4 mile Tiger. And Newbies never crash bikes due to too much power, do they?

Very helpful comments from everyone! What I lack in street experience I make up for with caution. My parents called me "safety cat" growing up, I don't do things with unmitigated risk (my job is dangerous enough).

I'm definitely feeling much better about the idea of jumping from the DR to the Tiger. I'm keeping my DR and my CR250, all have different purposes and I've never really had problems switching back and forth... 'cept maybe once from an '92 XR250 to my '02 CR... oh, right, powerband.... I knew that was there.

I live in a fairly isolated part of the country, so I should be able to practice without much interference from the jetta wielding texty-textertons.

Thanks for all the input! I think I'm going to schedule a test drive the next chance I get!

I'm a Motoref and i find the 1050 perfect for the job, slow speed maneuvers have been help by putting on a 190/50Zr-17 on the rear it's much more flickable.
I'v had days where i'm sat on the bike for 16 hours and an average speed of 12mph and i can still walk.
I know your not going to be doing this but as a first big bike i would highly recommend the 1050.

Feh. Worst he'll end up with is a rear wheel lock up (DR and dirt experience = no big deal) or a small stoppie.

Note: Not only is the Tiger not a GSXR, it's also not a BMW (with "power brakes").

The Versys is essentially a 7/8 scale Tiger with half the power (still double what your DR650 puts out) and might be a more logical next step.

First bike not your last, slow bike fast / fast bike slow, blah blah blah

In my opinion you cant go wrong with this bike but choose wisely young safety cat. Buy what you want, buy the bike that speaks to you, do not settle, you can get used to and adjust to anything. I made this mistake a couple times and wasted a lot of time and thousands of dollars because I settled and later regretted it. I wish I bought a Tiger a LONG time ago.

I've done the "settle" thing a few times with jeeps and guns. You're right, a year later I sell it for a loss and buy what I originally wanted. I'll test drive the v-strom, kawi and maybe even the 800 if I can find one, then I'll either KNOW I want the 1050 or I'll keep shopping. Either way, I want to test bikes a few months before I'm ready to keep from rushing in to anything.

...you're right about that rear wheel lock up too! I've been there a few times. Fortunately, it's only embarrassing when accompanied by a stall... on a loose dirt hill... in the woods... with a low side kick starter... followed by a fall... into a creek... with friends watching. Ugh, that was cold!

Oh god, yeah. I'm not surprised the Tiger 800 went for oldskool reflector headlights, 'cause the projector lights on the Tiger 1050 are useless for cornering at nighttime. They don't spill nearly enough light "upwards".

True on the Tiger lights. Very poor. I did an HID kit and PIAA bulb for the high beam. Much better ... but could still use small driving lights for corners. (and to see Deer standing on the side of the road! :eek1 )

Just drove drom DFW to Lubbock in my Tunda... Scared s***less br the number of deer we saw! Wish I was in my stand with my bow! Can't imagine that on a bike, at night, on a new bike!!!

Will certainly be equipping new bike with aftermarket lighting!

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