I've just got back from a two hour test ride of a Triumph Tiger and a Suzuki V-Strom (DL1000) I'd put together a list of bikes that I'd be interested in trying out before a possible new/used bike purchase next year and the Tiger had come out top on paper for everything I wanted. After a quick phone call to Robinson's Foundry in Canterbury I was booked in for the test rides and I made my way on the ER-5 hoping for a dry afternoon. I got on an '02 Tiger (orange, unfortunatly) and pissed off through Canterbury city centre and on to the B2068 until the old Stonegate Farm area and then back through Stelling Minnis. The Tiger was the right size for me but the ride was uneventful and if I'd used it for much more than an hour I'd have become bored. I arrived back at the Foundry and swapped it for the V-Strom, which was always an outsider and after 10 minutes of going through the city I was almost ready to turn back because I hated it. It seemed under powered and unstable. It seemed unfair to not give it a good go so I slowly made my way to the outskirts and then on to the B2068 and then kicked it down into 2nd gear and bombed it past a load of cars, threw it round a few bends and really let the engine go. It's lovely at high revs and the two OEM exhausts sounded quite fruity. Oh, the noise is lovely. The Tiger performs well at low revs and seems to be a more upright ride - I wasn't confident of throwing it around bends as it seemed to dive at the front. The V-Strom is very fond of the higher revving stuff. The 'Strom seems like my kind of bike, I never expected it to be. It's more compatible with my more revvy preferred style and with its willingness to be thrown around corners it is now my fave on the list. I will get another test ride of both of them and some other hopefuls next year, but does anyone have any observations relating to the Tiger or 'Strom that I've missed? Thanks.
