Midlife Crisis: Suzuki V-Strom vs BMW GS vs Triumph Tiger – I’m Stuck!

all adventure bikes are brilliant I think ide go for the 800 have that bit more power if your having luggage on and your wife on the back at some point

I’m younger and going off looks I’d go with the tiger every time as I know nothing about any of them. So don’t pick the tiger! 😂😂 have you looked at the boneville t120?

Swap out the levers to OEM levers especially longer journeys on the triumph

V Strom, you'll get more for your money and it will do everything.

Lmao...Vstrom doesnt have cruise....its a dinosaur

What about the new tiger sport 800?

Unless you are going to ride it offroad don’t buy a bike with a 21” front wheel as at 80 or above the front end will be all over the place. They do make a tiger with a 19”front. If you are buying an adventure bike for me there is only one contender & it’s wears a BMW badge. They may be more expensive but just stick a bit of finance on it & start enjoying it. The 1250 gs is the best selling adventure bike out there for a reason. Try one before you buy anything else. You know where to go too as you have already been.

Much prefer this video, and the reduced back and forth chatter between you and Claire... The balance felt about right.

Anyway on the bike front, I am a little biased towards the Tiger as I owned a 2013 800XC. It was a superb bike and it is definitely a better fit for you. People will comment on its 21 inch front wheel and being less road focused, but it can definitely handle!

The engine is a super smooth, tried and tested triple, people telling you a 800 is too big for you do not know what they are talking about. It's not a powerful bike, it is smooth and favours torque over power. There is also a huge online Tiger community that is friendly and always willing to help.

Only criticisms are the slightly wooden brakes (on my 2013). Also the bike is designed to soak up bumps so the suspension can be a bit springy and the front will dive under heavy braking. Also check for rust and corrosion, especially on those spoked wheels and around the engine casing as the paint is known to blister.

Also the switchgear is backlit, you don't even get that on the latest BMW GS (which I'm planning to buy). If you can stretch your budget a bit more I'd recommend going for the latest 900 Tiger.

Go with your heart, don't over think it. You've been drawn to the Tiger for good reason.

Just buy the Triumph Andy

Go for the VStrom 1050 mate it’s the best truly all round bike among the lot if you want one bike that would easily keep up with motorway speeds with your missus and some luggage if you do a tour


I’m a 6’3”, 135kg rider and I can say most people will give you advise based on their body size/proportions. For your size, the V Strom 1050 is the best option

A 650 will feel like a 300 when you’re two up on it with luggage

Just my opinion though - you seem to like the Triumph more, so go for it

Omg u must be either A most in derisive person in tbe world .B its just get views make a descion i just brought 3 motorbikes granted there old since ur been looking i got a st 11000 a vfr 1000 and honda cbr 1100 xx blackbird .i recomend u get a vfr 750 or a st 1100 for few thousand quid .stop messing around

I have an f800gs from 2009 with 80,000 miles on it. Its a brilliant bike and did just over 2,000 miles from the south of the uk, through europe and back in 10 days. It is a fantastic bike, though i know that one is the 650. My partner has an 800 tiger xc and doesnt get as good fuel economy on hers which is a 2011, when she is riding more twisty sections, however on motorways her bike does a little better on fuel economy. Realistically i think adventure bikes are a good choice, having been through sports, naked street, semi fared and finally adventure bikes, i have found the adventure segment offers more comfort over all with less drawbacks. The v strom is a good bike, but i think the narrow seat and more firm feel may start to cause discomfort over time. I think the bmw is a really good bike and has a lot of torque, however the one you are looking at has conventional right way up forks, not a major issue but has more unsprung mass than upside down forks that the triumph offers, this means that the handling of the bmw may not be as goodas those with upside front forks. The triumph engine is a little more exciting to ride than the bmw, but the bmw is more simple, so potentially cheaper to fix. Whatever bike you choose has to be right for you and your style of riding. Looking at you sat on the bikes i think the bmw looks a little small, an f800gs with a 21inch front wheel, making the bike taller would be better or a newer bmw with 19inch front wheel would be a good compromise. The tiger 800, looks well suited to your height and is a nice bike with lots of festures. The v strom is reliable but as i say people have said the seat can be a little uncomfortable where as the 2014 era of v strom or even 2017 had a more plush seat. Happy hunting and sorry for the long message

The triumph is the best looking but Suzuki has the Japanese 4 reliability.

Hi, I found your channel quite interesting. The way you are showing your progress is amazing. You didn't ask me but because the humble way your are sharing your experience with us I will say it to you. Money can buy many things but it doesn't buy experience,. Motorcycling is an amazing activity and it can bring tons of joy but you can loose all this joy in one second not only if you make a mistake but for the mistake made by other people. Please don't hurry, don't cut corners take time to learn more about motorcycles , learn about different engines, ( Square, oversquare, undersquare) and enjoy your bike , ride it until you find it "small " for you, it will mean that you have fully control over the bike, Don't cut corners on your learning progress and don't be worried about dual carriage way and motorways for now enjoy the back roads ride as much as you can. And more important have fun. Ps,: My intention is not to upset or disrespect. Cheers.

Do not go off road!!, just because the bike can doesn't mean you can. It's a completely different riding skill.
Honestly please don't do it unless you know how too.

Get the Suzuki. Triumph run very hot and you can never re sell them. No one buys them. The GS is way overpriced. Suzuki will run forever. Just maintain it.

V-Strom. Pretty much bullet proof.

I'm going to throw a spanner in the works. I ride both adventure bikes and vespa. Guess what. Vespas everyday for touring. More comfortable, more storage and can carry a pillion easily. Adventure bikes have their place but Vespa everyday for me. And you can't drop it. Unless you do something really stupid. There will be haters out there but try one. You don't even have to tell anyone! Lol

Sounds like you got a good happy wife 😊

Another option to consuder is maybe a kawasaki versys 650 or 1000. Very good bikes and not bad on price or fuel economy. The versys 650 is pretty good all round. I had a 2013 model and only part ex 2 weeks ago for another bmw r1200rt. In all honesty as a motorbike instructor, i traded my versys for a bmw for work purposes, but the versys is a brilliant bike and well worth a look. With ache joints go for a model around 2015 and onwards, the older ones are more vibrational. Insurance is also often based on the style of bike as well.

I like the Triumph but the BMW is cool too. But I like the Triumph the most.

That triumph fits you like a glove. Get the tiger mate.

Don't buy a bike and spend the money on holidays with the missus

I too, sat on 100’s of bikes at NEC. Versys fitted me the best, no bits of frame getting in the way, nothing snagging my big feet. Comfy riding position. Bought 1000gt and love it. (40k miles in 4 yrs)
Thinking of getting the new versys 1100, but 650 will be fine.

800 v strom, no contest..........owned and ridden all the bikes mentioned and the 800 strom wins hands down. I have other bikes but as a do it all bike it's right up there.

You cant go wrong with either the Tiger of the VStrom ..The Tiger will be more comfortable for your size ..The Tiger is a triple and has less low end power so you will want to be a little more careful with your pull aways (Not to stall it ) .All bikes have personality's . For your size you might enjoy the Triumph Scrambler 1200 as a left over .It is extremely comfortable, a twin and that engine has a polite character for the newer rider though the 1200 is peppy .. For what you were looking at I would go with the Tiger .All the best ,Guy

vstrom all the other crap you have to pay dealers high fees to service and reset service light---vstrom all done in your own garage

The thing about not going to a bike bigger than 600 straight away is a hangover from years past when bikes didn't have traction control and engine size and power were very tightly correlated.

These days you can buy a 750 that produces 45hp or a 600 that makes over 120hp.

Being that bit older and calmer, having plenty of experience driving under your belt and advances like abs, traction control and better tyres on bikes these days there is no reason to let the size of the engine dictate your choice of bike.

I'm a classic and cruiser guy myself. I can't say I even look at the power output figures when deciding on a bike.

If I had just passed my test at your age and wanted a do it all single bike to include commuting to get the first couple of years under my belt I'd struggle to look further than a second hand Honda NC750x. It isn't the most exciting bike in the world but it does everything and is simply amazing value. 3k gets a decent one with a few miles, 4-5k for a good low mileage one. 6k gets you a nearly new one. And being a honda they are as reliable as anything on the road and hold their value well.

Finger protectors! And here I just thought they were to break the wind chill from freezing your hands solid. I guess that’s still protection. Just not the sort of protection that immediately comes to mind

If you want to spend the least on Maintenance and have the most reliability... V-strom.
But in saying that, I was out riding my V-strom today, and wishing I had a DR-Z400 instead... it just would have been better for the particular conditions (loose gravel road) but getting to and from the scenic & fun part of the day wouldn't have been as enjoyable.
the lower it is the easier it is to control the weight when stationary. when moving it's not such an issue, but it's when stationary or moving very slowly is when people dump them on their sides

Passengers... you'll be a way off wanting to try it a second time. 25kg of luggage makes a difference, and it doesn't move... increase that to the weight of a person that looks around and moves their weight while doing so... and you'll want to get a lot more experience before you take a passenger again. start off by slowly increasing the luggage weight and get used to the things the bike does differently.

The triumph fits you perfectly,800 cc is not too much for that style of bike ,whereas 600 cc in a sports bike probably would be too much for a first big bike .

I really like the Triumph!

Suzuki also looks great, but the Triumph suits you better, visually. You look like Action Man on it

Are your arms shorter than average ?
You seemed stretched on the tiger …and Suzuki Vstrom
Or you lean back , which suggests a stiff back?
Make sure the bike fits ?
You can rotate handlebars I think to compensate.
Watched you on Tiger again at end of..watch your own video you lean back which is suggestive the seat on the Tiger is not right for you perhaps?

My bike has 180 ponies, just because you have the power don't mean yr gonna use it all, if you had a Lambo, would you drive flat out everywhere, I doubt it, same thing with bikes.

Don't go thinking that a windshield will shield you from wind. it will for a shorter person, but most of us find the way the wind comes off it, it hits our helmets from all directions and is quite annoying, where standing up to get out of the buffeting, the wind becomes a constant pressure and easier to tolerate. the two solutions are either a clip on for the top of it to send the wind even higher, drop it to below the helmet, or put a shorter windscreen on it

All are good enough bikes for sure...Triumph is the only one that would concern me with the price of servicing and parts....

I'd throw the Kawasaki Versys 650 into the hat, definitely fits the one size fits all category. Look at the reviews on YT, fantastic bikes.

i was 35 when i did my test. and 75kg. 5 foot 11. And my first big bike was the triumph tiger 800. Don't worry about engine size. Go for the bike u love most. if i was to choose from them 3 it be a hard choice. i know the v strom is also a awesome bike. and very well balanced. no matter which bike u choose u cant go wrong with any of them. Good luck.

I had the BMW F650GS (800cc) which I liked, good on fuel, weight low down (fuel tank under seat) but 3 lots of steering head bearings in 12k miles from new so never touching a BMW again. Swapped it for the V-Strom 1000 when the new version had only just come out, loved it, that was a do it all bike with loads of power even two up fully loaded. The suspension was the best suspension I've ever had on a bike, returned around 50mpg. Only sold it has it got too heavy for me. Went down to the CB500X which was great but not quite enough humph, so now have the NC750X DCT which I absolutely adore, low down weight (fuel tank under seat) and amazing fuel economy.

Never tried the Triumph but it certainly hasn't got the grunt and suspension of the V-Strom, out of the three I would go for the V-Strom every time.

I came back to biking at 55 after 22 years out of it. After 37 years of plastering I'm too broken to be crunched up on a sporty bike so I got a Tiger 1200. What an awesome machine. 2 years down the road I've not regretted a second. And despite my knackered knees, I've not dropped it. Triumph Tiger for the win. Also...I think you're over thinking things. Whatever you get, you can always swap it for something else in a years time or whatever. Many bikers change their bikes a lot. I didn't even test ride mine coz it was in a dealership in Scotland and I'm in the east Midlands. Just take the plunge and start riding. On the engine size/ power debate...bikes are only as dangerous as you make them.

Easy. Get a Versys and never look back.

Hi Andy, Thanks for another interesting video, my top 2 for those 3 in the triumph and the V-strom. My pick would be the v-strom, mainly because the service intervals are further apart that the triumph. They also are quite popular with my riding instructors here in NZ . One of my instructors takes his bike of track days and he can do faster lap times 2 up, than alot of B and C class riders

Hi for me the 1050cc sounds abit big to me when you have some amazing performances with a 650 ,but at the end of the day it’s you that turns the throttle so will only go as fast as you want 🤷‍♂️can’t do more than 70mph on English roads and most countries so the biggest isn’t needed I know a guy who did over 50k on a 250 ninja without any issues 50% was motorway driving 70mph 🤷‍♂️just an example of how bikes can be ,good luck at making a sensible decision at the end of the day it’s your bike you will get tons of advice !!

V strom all day, but look for a used 650 , cheaper to insure, more than adequate power especially while your still learning the trade , and as you said you may well drop it. Look for one with lots of extras , crash bars , boxes extra. The triumph can be expensive to service . The BMW is too old and overpriced

V Strom but dam the triumph as well

I got my bike because it will make me unhappy of I wasn't able to go down a dirt bike. That's why I didn't buy a road bike

V-strom, it'll cost a lot less to service, repair. It'll run forever 😊

BMW servicing & parts are expensive. The V strom has one of the best motors to come out of Japan. Beautiful flexible V twin. Before you decide on any bike, check how much servicing & parts are going to cost. What ever bike you decide on, get a workshop manual. Haynes makes good ones. Save yourself some money & do your own servicing.