2021 GT Updates

[micah2074]

12 minutes ago, keithu said:

The UK still uses miles for speed and distance measurement. 

So they get the bigger gallons and use the superior distance and speed measurements? 
Those lucky b******s. 

[betoney]

1 hour ago, Merse2 said:

I have a 2019 GT and love the bike apart from some really annoying niggles, which I assumed bothered many ie:

Thumbwheel on throttle grip

Daft location of ignition barrel

Fuel gauge segmented from full to half

Heated grips not having a dedicated button

Buttons not backlit

Forward sloping seat

Wind buffet from screen

I was REALLY looking forward to the new Tracer and assumed that most if not all of those flaws would be fixed.  I won't know until i ride it about the seat and screen but the fact that the other points haven't been addressed is seriously disappointing.  I will back to back test ride it against the Tiger 900 but at the moment, despite the Tigers' engine not being anywhere near as exciting as the Tracers', I suspect that my next bike will have a Triumph badge on it

I have yet to ride a bike that is perfect for me from the factory, - I have never kept stock handlebars, seat or screens.  I just factor in having to reshape the seat or modify/replace the screen and handlebars to fit ME as part of bike ownership.

The rest of the 'niggles' I personally wouldn't consider a show stopper but if the Triumph checks all of the boxes for you, go for it, life is too short to compromise.

55 minutes ago, mellow said:

I've been looking at the new Tiger 900 GT reviews and it sounds like they added some more character and grunt to it but gonna be hard to over come the Bleh factor... and since 100% of the time you're on the bike, you're ON the bike... that 'wow' factor is pretty important, to me anyway.

Agreed, if the bike is bleh or boring, all of the fancy gadgets or 'gee-whiz' features mean nothing.

[Merse2]

1 hour ago, mellow said:

Daft location of ignition barrel

flip the top part of your handlebar clamps, makes it easier to get a hand in that area.

 

I test rode the Tiger 800 XRt in between 2 tracer 900 test rides... my impressions of the Tracer was 'wow'.. the Tiger was 'Bleh'... I've been looking at the new Tiger 900 GT reviews and it sounds like they added some more character and grunt to it but gonna be hard to over come the Bleh factor... and since 100% of the time you're on the bike, you're ON the bike... that 'wow' factor is pretty important, to me anyway.  Looks like the tiger gets a bit better range... probably by replacing 'wow' with 'bleh'... I love how the Tiger looks and has a nice big dash but have seen reviews where folks can't find a dash theme that is all that great and sounds like the dash 'wow' factor quickly turns into 'Bleh'.. However, if the Tiger does it for you then that's all that matters... it's actually none of anyone's business what YOU want in a bike and what makes you smile...

Thanks for the tip with the handlebar clamps.  I took a new 900 GT Pro for a ride a couple of months ago.  It is probably the easiest bike to gel with I have ever ridden and feels very sorted but ..... I came away thinking 'if only it had the Tracer engine'.  I really hoped that Yamaha was going to make the new bike feel as polished as the tiger while keeping the devilment of the engine.  It appears that it is real missed opportunity for me but I hope a test ride proves me wrong

[mellow]

Yeah, the tracer engine on the tiger would be cool.. but then, it would be the yamaha tiger . lol

[roy826]

I owned a 2016 Tiger 800 XC, motor was just ok. It made a lot of mechanical noises. The fuel tank came rusted up and became an ordeal to get replaced. Triumph was no help. I didn’t keep it long. Sold it to a friend and he had all sorts of issues with rear wheel spokes breaking. 
 

Compared to the triple Yamaha engine there is no comparison from the Triumph. The Yamaha engine has a lot more motor without all the mechanical noises. The WP suspension on the Tiger was not any better than what’s on my GT. Braided steel brake lines were nicer on the Triumph. Build quality goes to the Yamaha. 

[whisperquiet]

2 hours ago, mellow said:

Daft location of ignition barrel

flip the top part of your handlebar clamps, makes it easier to get a hand in that area.

I looked at that solution last night for my Tracer GT and found the clamps are directional like most.  The forward portion of the clamp is longer and bottoms to the fork top tree and the rear clamps the handlebars.

 

[mellow]

6 minutes ago, whisperquiet said:

 

You just flip the top halves...

[Ride365]

Triumph still doesn't have electronics sorted out, pretty much like all Euro bikes. I really wanted a Multistrada S before I bought my GT, loved most things about it except for being a Ducati and all that goes along with owning one. LOL

[whisperquiet]

46 minutes ago, mellow said:

You just flip the top halves...

Yes, I looked at the top halves and they looked directional to me.  I will pull one off shortly and look again.

Edited November 25, 2020 by whisperquiet

[whisperquiet]

Picture of directional handlebar top clamps.

[mellow]

18 minutes ago, whisperquiet said:

Picture of directional handlebar top clamps.

Doesn't matter, flip them and that gives you more room to get to your key.

 

[whisperquiet]

Yes, I know they can be flipped and will probably never cause a problem....I was just pointing out that they are directional like most clamps.  I will flip mine also as i don't plan on riding any super cross events with the Tracer fearing my handlebars will rotate when the clamps are reversed. 

Edited November 25, 2020 by whisperquiet

[daboo]

4 hours ago, Merse2 said:

II will back to back test ride it against the Tiger 900 but at the moment, despite the Tigers' engine not being anywhere near as exciting as the Tracers', I suspect that my next bike will have a Triumph badge on it

I was hoping that we'd see some comparison reviews from one of the remaining motorcycle magazines about the bikes in this category.  The Tracer GT obviously.  But add in the BMW F900XR, the Triumph, the Multistrada 950, and the Versys 1000.  Didn't happen. 

Chris

[Dodgy Knees]

https://www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk/motorcycles/adventure/tiger-850-sport

 

Still prefer my 2018 tracer though.  👍

[HGP61]

5 hours ago, mellow said:

I test rode the Tiger 800 XRt in between 2 tracer 900 test rides... my impressions of the Tracer was 'wow'.. the Tiger was 'Bleh'... I've been looking at the new Tiger 900 GT reviews and it sounds like they added some more character and grunt to it but gonna be hard to over come the Bleh factor... and since 100% of the time you're on the bike, you're ON the bike... that 'wow' factor is pretty important, to me anyway.  Looks like the tiger gets a bit better range... probably by replacing 'wow' with 'bleh'... I love how the Tiger looks and has a nice big dash but have seen reviews where folks can't find a dash theme that is all that great and sounds like the dash 'wow' factor quickly turns into 'Bleh'.. However, if the Tiger does it for you then that's all that matters... it's actually none of anyone's business what YOU want in a bike and what makes you smile

Agree with every point you are making, I had booked a test ride on both the Tracer gt and the Tiger 800 The Tracer test came first and WoW the difference between that and the Honda CBF 1000 I had was unbelievable. I came back from that test ride and cancelled the Tiger test my short list was now very short .         (1. Tracer 900)

Straight on to the internet after cancelling the tiger test and found several pre-used bikes and was happy to spend big to upgrade.

But always go for what makes you happy. Life is too short to settle for something that feels second best for you.

To get back on topic some of the improvements on the new Tracer 9 sound very good but the cost for me to trade up I would guess would be up at around £6,000 to £7,000. It would take an awful lot of WOW to make me do that. the difference now is not nearly enough.

Edited November 25, 2020 by HGP61