Explorer vs GS- another view
Hi, this is my first post !
As a long term triumph owner ( 2 x 1050 sprint, 1x 1050 speed triple) I looked very hard at the explorer. Being proud of the triumph brand, and loving the smooth creamy triple engine power, I thought an explorer would be my natural step.However after 3 seperate and lengthy test rides,plus rides on a vfr1200, tiger 800, Sprint GT... I ended up buying the very last bike I test rode( which I booked just on a whim) - yes you guessed it , a new GS. Why fer christs sake ?
Cos to me it is just so great a package, and the bike fitted both me and the role/ use I intend to give it.BMW also gave me a fantastic deal, a whopping £700 better trade in for a start on my 13k 09 speed triple, then tickled my taste buds with the incredible £1700 of free luggage silencer and screen goodies, all topped off by attentive but not pushy sales team. Contrast to the head up their backsides triumph dealers ( I tried two seperate dealers ) who smugly and quite grudgingly gave me a derisory trade in, and expected me to buy their outrageously expensive PCP deal ( over 2k interest! ). TBH I am even thinking of writing to JB...in my mind the dealers are pushing away loyal triumph fans.
Why did nt I like/ fit the explorer?- its a very tall, heavy bike for a start. I could not get on without using rider peg to otch on. The low seat option is Ok for getting feet on ground, but it is a bulky machine. Second is the godawful screen buffetting. Its like nobody has actually ridden the thing. It is terrible at anything over 50 mph.No amount of screen adjustment makes any diffrence.The new ride by wire throttle is ridiculous. Just why bother with such a twitchy throttle ? This type of bike is surely more roll on than surge on ? The throttle response is more like the speed triple- all on or all off. Crazy IMO on a tourer. yes I love the snarl of the triple as it kicks in, but a bit less would suit the bike better.The switchgear looks like an afterthought - bits tacked on all over the place.And no heated grips available, and most accessories high priced and not available. I just could not get on with it as a bike...lovely engine but just so many other issues...then I rode the GS!
Look chaps,I last rode one back in 05, after getting well trounced in the pyrenees by a pair of low flying GS's displaying incredible roadholding. I tested the new 1200 back then,hated the bike, full stop. I just couldnt gel with it ...and that was my opinion until 3 weeks ago when I took a 4 hr test ride, on a saturday pm, just to see what the GS was like...had no intention of actually buying one, thought I would hate it , especially after the frustrating explorer tests.
Firstly I could get aboard without whacking my ankle on the rear carrier. It was very light , very easy to steer....and once out onto B roads, feck I was in heaven. Incredible ride quality ( compared to explorer) and fantastic roadholding. I was scraping pegs after just 20 miles in.I was very impressed with the ESA ...The boxer engine is quirky, I still dont know if I do like it , but it does seem to suit the bikes character.Not as low down grunty as I was expecting , but does really shift when you rev it hard, 130 on the clock was not that hard to get.Maybe not quite as rorty as the explorer , but I dont reckon there is really that much diffrence on the road. The extra power of the triumph will be matched by the GS 's superior handling and steering. And then on top of all this good news, is the bad news...but there aint any !I couldnt find anything I really didnt like.... I ended up agreeing with the latest Ride mag test of the explorer and crosstourer vs Gs. Both have cracking engines, but both somehow miss the mark as a package, none are as developed or as complete as a GS....and so I ended up buying one, a very good deal, and on paper when I compared explorer cost vs GS ,like for like with all the bmw extras they are identical...but I get a bmw with better residuals....
So for me, I reckon triumph have missed a trick.
I also think they could have tried the 1050 engine rather than that tall 1200 unit ...in speed triple tune its better than both explorer and boxer engines IMO. Plus they could have made a smaller , lighter chassis.Myself I reckon the 1200 engine was designed mostly for the big dress tourer Trophy , and the explorer is a revenue chaser, a possible modular offshoot , rather than as Triumph claim, a bespoke unit for the explorer.I have test ridden the Tiger 800, and that bike is way better than the explorer for steering and handling...couldnt help feeling what that could do with a more grunty /powerful engine.I would have bought one on the chassis/ value alone , but just not enuff grunt for me.
Maybe I will change me opinion after a year or so of ownership, but like a previous poster , I do reckon the explorer is unfinished, actually needs more development , and address the issues above.A potentially great bike let down by many details.
I will be keen to see just what the 1050 Tiger sport will be like...