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Bonneville America to Tiger?

1K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  cwdrifter 
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#1 ·
I am a new member here. I have a Bonneville America which love but I am thinking about trading it for Tiger.
Have any of you Tigers done the same? What comments do you have for me?
thanks in advance
Dan
 
#2 ·
Dan,

The obvious difference will be the scale. The Tiger is a BIG bike, in just about every dimension. They do take a bit of getting used to. But i guess that is true with every bike?

They are an awesome bike, with that wonderful triple engine. The power is sublime but there is plenty of it. Most new tiger riders will almost all comment on this.

They are what you want it to be. Commuter one minute, mile munching tourer the next, then twisty eating hooning bike the next :razz:

One thing is for certain, they have presence on the road. Drivers tend to see you more than perhaps on any other bike?

Have you had a test ride yet ?, try and do that and see for yourself

Keep us posted...........
 
#3 ·
...no one in the Tiger group will tell if you cross-over...

...seriously, the view from a Tiger is relaxing but with a twist of the wrist you are out in front of the rest.

A wonderful engine, compliant suspension and able to swallow big roads in a single leap...or as least as long as your butt will hang in there.
 
#6 ·
I've just switched from a CB500s (similar size etc to a Bonnie) to a Tiger 900 EFI.

At first I was concerned on the power jump; but the power deliverly is very very smooth with no nasty leaps or spikes. I'm only 5'8" and manage the Tiger quite welll. Its low speed handling is perfect and it'll filter through traffic like a hot knife through butter. On fast roads it excels and at first it has you thinking "A Bike this big and heavy should'nt be able to handle like this... oh I can really lean this thing over"

It is heavy and pushing it around is not for wimps. All in all its a top bike and folk just stand and stare at it when its parked up. :-D



Knarf
 
#7 ·
I changed my Bonnie for a Tiger. Quite a difference, but not too much of a leap if you know what I mean. The engine will be the biggest difference, and the difference in seat height was noticeable - especially the first time I cranked it right over :-D

Both handle impeccably well around town, despite the weight, height and size of the Tiger. I even prefer the Tiger for town work, thanks to the visibility from that tall seat and the far superior road presence.

The Tiger is also a superior beast for long distance work. Great engine that copes effortlessly with two up riding with luggage, more space for rider, pillion and hard luggage. There's also the handy tank range - it'll exceed 200 miles easily ridden smoothly and sensibly, but mine will only get around 150 miles with the town riding I do most of the time. Fuel consumption is about the same as the Bonnie. The weather protection is doubtlessly superior, and the seat comfort is the best I have ever experienced on a bike - 500+ miles a day without aches or numb bits. That's even without the gel seat.

On the con side, it is a bigger beast and sometimes I miss the lighter weight and smaller size of the Bonnie when just popping out. It also doesn't handle as well as the Bonnie, even with the Bonnie's decidedly budget stock suspension. I think things would be better on the newer Tigers, or with more road biased tyres. The Tiger is also a more complex beastie when it comes to servicing, so is a little more costly and is the sort of bike that I would rather leave to a dealer to service.

Ultimately it depends on what you look for in a bike, and it happens that the Tiger fills my needs at the moment more than a Bonnie could. Try a test ride, you may well find yourself hooked :)
 
G
#8 ·
thanks for the good comments. I am really interested. I guess even more so that they seem to be no new bikes in California. I have called the local San Diego dealer and they have non (he says they are not very popular so he has none ordered)
I called a San Bernadino Dealer and he has two on order and says they are promised in October. I guess that gives me a liittle more time to save up the cash.
Dan
 
#9 ·
Sorry to hear about the delay, Dan. The Tiger's popularity seems to vary by region, but it seems to have been picking up quite a bit lately.

In addition to the differences folks have mentioned thus far, there is one other I'd like to add which may take a little getting used to. During low speed maneuvering, you are probably accustomed to subconsciously using the position of the front wheel, the windscreen, and/or the instruments to provide visual cues about your turns. That doesn't work with the Tiger! You can't see much of the front end of the bike, and the cockpit moves with the frame, not the steering head.

Nobody warned me about this before my test ride--I had only ridden standards and other naked bikes previously--and it was a bit disconcerting at first. My dealer said I'd get used to it in about three days, and he was exactly right. I hadn't thought about it since, and from lack of mention in this forum, I'll bet nobody else thinks about it any more either. I shift back and forth between the Tiger and the Bonneville without any conscious effort. It's just something to be aware of when you first take it out in the real world.

There are some other ways in which the Tiger will teach you how to ride again. For one thing, you will develop an acute awareness of where you plan to come to a stop, each and every time you stop. The beast has a marvelous sense of balance, and you can handle it at extremely slow speeds to correct a minor miscalculation and roll to a better spot, but when you absolutely have to come to a full stop there's simply no substitute for being able to touch the pavement. There are other things as well, all of which a person gets used to in short order. Maybe other folks here would care to add some that come to mind for them.
 
#10 ·
i know this is really old thread 04, but i was curious of your history now with El Tigre...I bought a 2006 (last year of girlie) and loved that bike...woulda been my last but circumstances had me sell her early...did end up with 2000 triumph trophy 900 and 86,000 miles later sold her....
now reshopping for new bike (Bonneville or find a nice slightly used 06 Tiger)....love fuel injection over my three carbs on Trohy...
 
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