adjuststherearpreloadbasedonthecurrentload,it is uptothegsriderto
selectsolo,withpillionorpillion+ luggagesettingsviaa buttonontheleft
switchgeartoensurethecorrectrideheight.theBMwalsodoesn’tgiveyou
asmuchfreedomasthetriumphwhenit comestomakingquickdamping
adjustments,asthegermansystemkeepsthedampingsettingstiedinwith
theridingmodes.dynamicmodegetsthestiffest,sportiestsetting,roadis a
comfortablemiddleground,andtheoff-roadridingmodegetsthemost
absorbentandpliantsuspensionset-up.dampingsettingsonthetigercan
be set up independently, meaningthatyouhavetheflexibilitytorefine
suspensionresponsewithouthavingtochangetheridingmodeandyoucan
dothisontheflyviathefive-wayjoystickontheleft-handswitchgear.
satisfied with what both thesemachinescandoonthetarmac,it wastime
toswallowmyfearandheadoff-road.Boththesebikesweigharound 270 kg
fuelledupandreadytorideand,consideringmyrudimentaryskillsinthe
dirt,iwasquiteapprehensiveabouthandlingthesebeastsonloosesurfaces.
headingdowna narrowtrailonthebiggs,iwasamazedat the
surefootednessofthismammothmotorcycleandthewayinwhichallthat
weightvanishedonceonthemove.thelowcentreofgravitymeantthati
wasabletoexecutetightmanoeuvresat walkingpacewithoutfeelingonebit
unsteady,andallthattorquemeantthatididn’tevenneedtoopenthethrottle
tokeepmoving.theBMwlumbersforwardasyouletouttheclutchand
willkeepgoingoverorthroughanythinginitspathat about 10 to 12 km/hat
idleinfirstgear.all youneedtoworryaboutis steeringaroundrocks,
properlytransferringyourweightaround,andmodulatingthesurprisingly
lightclutch—andthebiggstakescareof
everythingelse.
it’snowtimetoseewhatthetriumph
candooff-road,andhoppingaboardthe
Britishtripleiamimmediatelyrelieved
thatthegroundis nowwithinreach.the
momenti start moving, though,i realize
thatthetigerdoesn’tembodytherock-steadystabilitythatcomesso
effortlesslytothegermanmachine.thatthree-cylinderengineis quite
tall,consequentlyraisingthecentreofgravityconsiderably;theresultis
thatthetigerpersistentlyfeltclosetotippingoverduringslow-speed
manoeuvres,whichwasquiteunnerving.theenginealsolacksthegrunt
offidletokeepmovingthroughthedirt,soa smallamountofthrottleis
constantlyneededtokeepfromstalling.triumph have incorporated a
system that automatically feeds in revs when letting out the clutch to help
getmoving;thissystemworkswellontheroadbut,onthetrail,it caused
therevstokeepfluctuatingunpredictably,makingslow-speedclutch
modulationwitha steadythrottlethatmuchmoredifficult.sure,it hasthe
groundclearance,suspension,andwheelsforoff-roadriding,butit lacks
thefinesseandeffortlessnatureofthegsandis hencemoreworkforthe
rideroncethegoinggetstough.whileridingthegsoff-roadwasa
revelationtome,thetigerstillfeelslikea tall,capablestreetbikeinadV
clothes.
so, afterspendinga dayandseveralhundredkilometresonbothbikes,it is
cleartomethattheBMwr 1250 gsadventureis themorecapableand
betterpackagedadventuretourerforexploringlandsunknown.sure,the
tiger 1200 makesa compellingcaseforitselfandis definitelya worthypick
forlong-distancetouring,withitspowerfulengineandmoreaccessibleprice
tag.it cancovergreatdistancesat triple-digitspeedsandwilldevourbad
roads,potholes,andspeed-breakerswithoutquestion.however,thatthe
BMw carries its weight so wellandfeltsoeasytorideintheroughstuff,
evenforanoff-roadnovicelikeme,bears
testimonytothemarque’sadV lineage
andthebrilliantgermanengineeringthat
goesintobuildingeachofthebrand’sgs-
badgedmotorcycles.ifiwereheaded
aroundtheworldontwowheels,i’d surely
pick the BMw.70 Bike India August 2019 http://www.bikeindia.in
BMW R 1250 GS AdventuRe v TriuMphtiGeR 1200 XCx
GearCheCk
Rider: Harket Suchde
Helmet: Axor Street Beyond
Jacket: Leiidor Grandstand
Pants: Kaza
Gloves: Zeus Highway RiderGearCheCk
Rider: Anosh Khumbatta
Helmet: Scorpion EXO-R410
Jacket: XDI Hooligan
Pants: Richa Navara
Gloves: Richa Basalt II