MCN had a comparo with the BMW F800GS a few months back. As I recall, it was kind of a draw with the GS preferred off road due to its riding position and the Tiger preferred on pavement due to its handling and brakes. Triumph's motor was well liked. Triumph has BMW in its sights and seems to be firing bull's eyes. Looking forward to seeing a 1200 Tiger -- and a 1200 Trophy!
OK, so I didn't recall too well. The MCN Tiger/GS comparo was in the August issue. In short, the Tiger won 6 out of 9 categories and tied with the GS for the other 3, and won overall. Here's what Dave Searle and Scott Rousseau concluded:
Choosing a winner here is difficult. Prospective adventure riders considering either of these two machines are going to have to stare into the mirror and decide what kind of riders they are to determine which of these two machines will best suit them. If you enjoy marathon rides on long--and preferably twisty--stretches of open road, and you want to throw in more than a few dirt fireroads for fun, then the Triumph Tiger 800XC is a clear winner. For others, whose riding style emphasizes prowling the untamed wilderness, the BMW F800GS may be worth a good, hard look.
Even so, at the end of the day there's no denying that the Tiger 800XC is the more polished machine here. In their first try, Triumph engineers went to school on the class leader, did their homework and produced a bike that offers a better compromise. Bravo, Truimph!
Also this about the standard Tiger 800:
With the same motor, same awesome brakes and slick transmission, the standard Tiger 800 is a twisty road terror. Its comfy upright riding position, excellent torque and traction feel when both accelerating and braking make it a spectacular sportbike for asphalt addicts.
Looking forward to a Tiger 1200 Explorer/R1200GS comparo...maybe the water-cooled boxer will be introduced in Milan?
