Yamahauler said:
wow..was not aware of the oil pump or front end bolt issue, LOL. I did also hear of one guy's cruise control accelerating while trying to decelerate or something like that. Good god. No thanks
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How have the Tiger Explorers been holding up? I've also seen a few issues but I don't think anything this severe. I had and still have a triumph and they are pretty solid. More maintenance of course but reasonably reliable, imo. Just much more to maintain and require frequent attention to keep running in top condition.
Just check out ADVrider or any of the Triumph-brand forums...
Bad heads with out of spec tolerances, bad cam chain tensioners, electronic issues with their keys and immobilizer systems antenna, busted side stands, just to name a few I've issues I've heard and read about. Granted, Triumph has acknowledged the problems and taken steps to correct them, replacing cam chain tensioners and complete head assemblies, repeated replacement of the electronic antennas, etc., etc., as well as extended the warranties a year on the bikes affected - and all that's good. But the question is do you want to have to worry about that kind of thing while half-way across the country?
The 800's had the antenna issues, too, so you wonder what's the problem with correcting them. Many of those riders (I know one) got stuck with a bike that would not run away from home. Stopped to eat, shut the bike off, went inside, ate, came back out and *POOF*!!! No power. Nothing. Nada. And no amount of fiddling got it going. Onto a flatbed to the dealers. Days of diagnostic time, more wait for parts, and finally back on the the road. But he's heard of a number of other that have stranded riders the same way, a couple more than once even after parts were replaced. He doesn't trust it away from home now. He's got a Triumph dealer close by, but he's worried, as he should be, that there's not many Triumph dealers around... And he's looking at a Super Tenere despite the fact the weight bothers him.
It's a tough call. I've owned a lot of different brands over the years... Aprilia, ATK, Bultaco, BMW, Can-Am, CZ, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, KTM, Maico, Penton, Norton, Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha and maybe even one or two others I can't recall... Some have been good, some not so good. Some have been terrible. Oddly enough, my Aprilia and Ducati's have some of the most reliable bikes I have ever owned, with literally *NO* problems. OTOH, the BMW's and KTM's I have owned have been terrible, technicolor nightmares. Go figure.
Me, I'd love one of the current Triumph air-cooled twins, but the nearest dealer is over 150 miles away. He's a friend, but I just don't know if I wanna' risk it. Funny, I wouldn't think twice about getting an Italian brand - Aprilia, Ducati, or Moto Guzzi - and the nearest dealer for those are 170 to 210 miles away.
As for the Jap bikes... None, other than the first Suzuki I had, ever gave me any real problems, and my '09 Harley XR1200 I bought new in '08 was flawless until the fuel pump locked up just this last weekend.
Guess it just depends on the luck of the draw, but it sure does seem German and British bikes suffer more problems than others.
Dallara
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