"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
05/05/2019 at 16:53 • Filed to: None
1
0|
"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
05/05/2019 at 16:53 • Filed to: None | 1
| 0 |
I know everyone wants more Fiero updates, but for the 2-wheels-good crowd, I also have two bikes. My KLR 650 (a.k.a. the lawn tractor) and this triumph trophy 1200 I got at the end of last year. Well it’s been a while since I said much about it so here we go!
First things first, the bike’s controls are all way too stiff and at odd angles. All of them are getting adjusted or replaced this year. It is a highly uncomfortable bike at low speeds when the rear brake requires you to nearly snap your ankle and the clutch lever needs 40lbs of force to actuate. That being said, the engine is in great shape with no leaks (yet) and will easily cross 70mph in second gear. Brakes are spongy and inconsistent compared to the consistently average brakes on the KLR. I know they’ve got bite, there’s just no way to use that bite when front and rear brake take well over 50% pressure to get anything.
This is also a heavy bike. The KLR is heavy for a dual sport at over 400lbs but the trophy is over 500. I’ll see how it handles long trips once I get it sorted but there’s a very good chance I sell/trade/swap this for something like an SV650 or maybe a VFR. Yes, in motion it is very surefooted and the bike handles turns well, but so do most sport tourers.
I’m rambling a bit, but this is also my first “big” bike in terms of engine and power. I like it, but I also don’t think I’m cut out for heavy motorcycles. I spent today hopping back and forth between the KLR and the Trophy, making adjustments to things and checking fluid levels on the trophy after changing the oil yesterday. ANd the KLR is just so much lighter in feel all around. They both are so wildly different bikes tht I can’t imagine replacing one for the other, but I can see the KLR sticking around and the trophy might become trade-value in the future. We shall see.
I do want to spend some time to customize it and clean it up a bit and see how that improves it. Because this bike is just begging for some custom touches in addition to what I’ve already done.