It mostly will come done to which you like to ride the best but... cost to buy and maintain the Tiger will be higher. Maintenance costs, parts and sometimes labor, are higher on Triumphs than on Suzukis. That seems to be the trend on any European vs Japanese make. Tiger valve clearance interval 12,000 miles vs 15,000 miles on the V-Strom. If you know how or are willing to learn how to do all the maintenance yourself, the maintenance cost issue no longer applies. The Suzuki's simplicity makes it a little easier to repair and maintain yourself.

The Tiger on paper has more power 94HP - 58 ft-lb torque vs the V-Strom 650's 70HP - 46 ft-lbs. That being said, acceleration times from 0-60 and the 1/4 mile are very close. The Tiger will feel like it has more grunt due to the torque but not by much. I have ridden Tiger 800's and own a 2020 V-Strom 650 by the way. They are both comfortable rides on long days. Costs to own are one of the reasons I got a 2020 V-Strom 650XT instead of a 2020 Tiger 900. The Tigers are really fun to ride but the V-Strom 650 is too.

The Tiger 800 XRT has all the options you could want but with the savings you could add those you need to the V-Strom 650. That Tiger has a higher alternator output than the V-Strom 650 too. (650W vs 400W) The Tiger is slightly lighter maybe 10lbs? One big con with the Tiger 800's is that the passenger footpeg mounts are welded to the frame instead of bolted on like most bikes. I have heard of people dropping Tigers and bending that. Not a good design by triumph there. Very costly to fix over just bolting on a new one if it gets damaged.

Both are great bikes and neither would be a bad choice. You're lucky to be able ride them both and then consider all the pros and cons before making a decision.

 

Get a 1000 Strom.....best of both worlds.

 

I'm interested in lighter weight bikes. Thats why I haven't looked at the bigger Vstroms. Thats why I'm even considering the Tiger seems to fit in-between them in power but as light as the 650. I was quoted $1,000 by the triumph dealership to do the 12Kmile repair.

 

If I were in your shoes and had the money I would go for the triumph. I own a wee, have ridden an 800 triumph and used to own an 885cc triumph tiger. my tiger was very good, hard to work on and my wee is also hard to work on.

 

The cost of servicing European bikes ALWAYS comes up. Problem is a vast majority making these statements are just regurgitating what they've read on the internet taking it as gospel.

Call you local Suzuki shop and ask the what is the average cost of checking/adjusting the valves on a DL then call the Triumph shop and ask them. I'd bet there is not as big a disparity as some would lead you to believe.

Even IF the Triumph is more to service there are still things like better brakes, suspension, fit/finish, more power and better fit/finish that should be taken into consideration.

 

$1000 every 12K miles adds up. How much do you plan to ride each year? I easily average at least 12K miles per year, usually more, up to 20K or so between two bikes. Same service on my most recent Honda was a little over $500 and the intervals were 16K miles. The dealer I bought the V-Strom said the 15K service was around $600. I have paid around $900 on my 2010 Triumph Bonneville for each 12K service that includes valve clearance. As you can see the cost for the Triumphs is higher than my Japanese bikes. Actual experience, not regurgitated from what I read on forums.

Does that make Triumphs or other European models bad bikes? Hell no! Just something to consider in making a decision. For all we know you are loaded and money does not matter.

 

If you think about it, a valve adjustment on a dl V engine requires removal of 2 cam covers against 1 for the triumph, the removal and replacing 4 cams against 2 cams for the triumph and 2 cam chain tensioners to deal with instead of 1 for the triumph. I would bet the v strom would cost more for a valve adjustment than the triumph.
On my 885 tiger the carbs were hard to work on. the engine designer and the frame designer didn't like each other. what is a carb you say? in this age of fuel injection you have less to work on.

 

If I was a dealer, with a bike pushing the 12K service ceiling, I would have my people perform it ASAP and use that as a selling tool. Costs me little to keep the back room busy during downtime on that project.
Sooo, have you floated the idea that they should have performed the service to prep the bike for sale and you are not interested in paying them for that?

 

Yes I have. They are considering it over the weekend. I am trying to find out if the aggregate cost is good value for the bike or not(the cost of the service has given be a bit of heart burn). Thats why I reached out to the forum. I simply don't have enough experience to have insight on this.

 

How wonderful of the dealer to fold another $1,000 into the loan. I'd have the dealer fold the cost of the service into the $8,800 OTD price or leave it set ont he floor.

A $1,000 service does not cost the dealership a $1,000. They are going to make a lot of profit. The bike will take about $100 in fluids, filters and several hours of shop labor dead cost. The dealership will pocket at least 1/2 of the 1 large.

To me its their responsibility and an overhead cost of doing business to get the bike ready to sell. Being 500 miles shy of a big service it going to take a sucker to bite on their deal o buy the bike then pay me another $1,000 to get it ready to ride.

This is like buying a bike with bald tires and the dealership say don't worry I got your back. Pick any tires you like at full retail and well install them so you are ready to go. To help you out we are not discounting anything but will "fold" this cost into you loan so you can pay for these tires for years to come.

 

The dealer almost certainly took into account the Tiger needs a major service when they determined its trade in or auction value. Now they want to double dip so to speak angld get the buyer to pay for that service.

 

AS they say you don't get what you don't ask for!

I have no doubt some rube would walk in and make that deal. Then they can tell all their buddies they got the bike for less than KBB book value. As long as they left out the part about also paying and additional $1,000 for a service. Kind of like the gambler that always brags about how much he won but never tell you how much he lost.

The dealership really has nothing to lose and will most likely get the buyer to bite on "splitting" the cost with them. Which is still a win for the dealer. They buyer feels he beat $500 out of the dealership and the dealership still makes more money because they will not have $500 in dead cost to perform the service.

 

Even the price for Tiger seems better than for V Strom I would think twice. IMHO any Japanese bike is more reliable than one from Europe. In this case higher price, higher maintenance, higher cost of eventual repairs. Higher cost of running (gas). Definitely V Strom 650 had less issues in the past than Tiger 800. In your position I would definitely checked Yamaha FJ09. Cheaper than Tiger, better than Tiger, more power, better on gas, better reliability, lighter than either V Strom or Tiger.

 

Regarding the valves, from reading this site the consensus seems to be that they rarely go out of spec on the 650, so you can probably get away with checking them much less often than Suzuki suggests. YMMV, I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, etc.

If the Tiger has goodies you need that the Vstrom doesn't, that might make up some of the price difference. You probably don't need switchable ABS for the kind of riding you're talking about, but the different rider modes, etc. might be nice. I'd say if money is tight stick with the Vstrom, it's a solid bet. If you don't mind spending a little more, including the upkeep, and the Tiger tickles your fancy, see what the dealer can do on the price.

 

But this is true for a lot of motorcycles. After the first 5 or 10,000 miles the valve assembled typically bed in and do not change much under normal driving/riding conditions. To all you Ricky racers who run your bike hard and need to check things more frequently daily spirited riding or doing 80 on a stretch of highway is not running your bike hard. Its just normal. Sorry to bust you ego bubble.

You can easily skip valve service intervals on any motorcycle not jus the DL as they are all conservative. The catch is IF a valve/valves are out of spec you will not know it. Only you can determine if the risk is worth the reward.

 

Very few people buy motorbikes for sensible reasons , well that's not true the majority of buyers do, that's why scooter sales swamp motorbike sales world wide, since you aren't buying a scooter that puts you in the mad bastard category with the rest of us.

Just buy whatever floats your boat.

 

I have ridden an 800 Triumph Triple and despite liking triples (had two1200's) it left me unimpressed. I currently own a 1000 Strom and love it.

I would struggle between the two bikes that You specify and as such I believe the choice can only be made by You after as long a ride on each as You can get away with.

 

I rode a friend's Triumph 800 last year, and the instant I got home I started a slowly (oh so slowly) growing savings account labeled "Triumph Fund". I hope to deploy this account sometime next year for a 2015-2019 XR (road) model.

Obviously, I think it's a fantastic bike, I love the triple, and much as I love Suzuki, it leapfrogs the DL in a lot of ways. The engine and suspension are far superior.

I also think that dealer is smoking some of the really good reality-bending stuff in trying to stick you for a grand for a valve check. As mentioned above, they absolutely stuck the former owner for this on the trade and now they're trying to stick it in you as well.

And if you do negotiate including the valve check, make sure you verify that they actually do it instead of performing the "yep, sounds OK from here" sort of "valve check" many dealers have been caught at. The first valve check is the most crucial; it MUST be done correctly. Make sure you receive the sheet documenting the clearances and changes, and see evidence (small nicks on the bolts, etc.) that the valve cover was removed.

A DL650 is a far wiser financial decision. But riding motorcycles makes absolutely no sense financially or in any other way. We ride only because we love to ride, so as long as you're not starving yourself or your family, you have to ride what blows yer dress up the most, not the bike that makes the most "sense".

Also, I'll point out that you'd need to spend a fair amount on the DL to get crash bars, luggage, heated grips, etc. to equal the most important upgraded bits already found on the Triumph. So they're closer together than you might think.

Although it seems odd (if I'm reading this correctly) that the Triumph includes luggage racks but no luggage? What happened to it? How much will replacement luggage cost?

And as far as the seat, it's unlikely that you'd actually need to buy a new one; if you're a little bit patient, it's likely that you could get on ADVrider.com or a Triumph forum and arrange a trade with a short person somewhere. Or, buy the new seat and sell the low seat, and you'd get some cash back.

 

The Vstrom makes more sense and has a larger dealer network but the Triumph is just so cool. Easy choice for me but I am not you. kfh000

 

Mega dealer here wanted $900 for my 650 Strom to do the valves, another dealer "smaller" said would do them for $600. Suprised that the 800/900 Triumph triples are every 12k mile intervals, when the Yamaha triples are 24k miles. Get whatever bike makes you smile, they want too much for the 17 Strom however, the Triumph is loaded and has more top shelf suspension and brakes, but the Strom arguably should be cheaper to own........does that matter to you?

 

Thanks for you thoughts. How did you come to the opinion that this is to high a price for a 17 strom 650, and what price should I be looking for? I do like understanding approximately what the cost for the bike is for the life of ownership, so yes cheaper to own does matter some. I am just trying to make sure that I don't end up with buyers remorse and that is a pretty subjective thing.

 

I to have been attracted to the Triumph, but because I like to ride more and wrench less staying at the V strom table is for me. Between my wife and I we have owned 4 stroms.

 

I will quote member WingVetteStrom from this thread:

650 XT Long Distance 2up and Loaded

Hi Guys, have spent the last 6 years touring around the world and currently on a 1200 ADV bike. It is time for something new and a downgrade to something smaller and lighter is what I am looking at, with a 2020 XT in mind. I would be very interested in advice and opinions of those with...

www.stromtrooper.com

“For whatever it's worth, and that's probably not much: In 2018 I bought a new Triumph Tiger 800, rode it to the Arctic Ocean in terrible conditions in the NW Territories, came home, promptly sold it, and bought a 2018 650XT. Took the Wee to Central America and Mexico in Jan - March 2020 and loved it. So why did I sell the Triumph? Some reasons in hindsight I should have thought of before the purchase, some not.
1. Driving thru terrible mud and slime on the Dempster Highway the bike felt top heavy, Ms. Wee doesn't.
2. I do lots of riding in Latin America, and the thought of something going wrong with a Canbus down there unsettles me.
3. The Wee XT has tubeless spokes. Try prying off a heavy sidewall Heidenau (or other 50/50 ADV tire), tire in the Andes or the Sierra Madres, or the Rockies for that matter late in the day by yourself. Good luck with that now. Have a nice day.....not. And how about all the extra weight of tire irons, rim protectors, bead breaker, etc., compared to a plug kit?
4. The Wee is very cheap, and a very basic simple bike. Just an ECU and not much else. Build it like you want it like I did. In remote areas and countries, simple is better. And it's 25 pounds lighter that the Tiger and has plenty of power.
5. Google Triumph dealers in Latin America (or the US for that matter), compared to Suzuki dealers and look at the pin locations on a map, nuff said.

I'm 65 years old, have been riding since I was 16. I now have my three favorite vehicles of all time. 2018 650 VStrom, 2018 Honda Goldwing, and a 2015 Corvette Z51 Stingray.”

 

BTW... In January, I bought a new leftover 2019 DL650 (with 0.2 on the odometer) for $7500 out the door -bike, tax, tag, title. Fantastic bike

 

Have a 650 and have demo'd the Triumph 800 several times. The 800 is a nice bike, similar weight but has similar power to the Strom 1000 (about 93 hp if I remember correctly). I really like the 800, just not enough to trade.

If I were without a bike, and deciding between the 2, wow it would be difficult. I would probably come down on the side of Japanese reliability, familiarity with the brand, etc. but I think the Triumphs are reliable bikes too. My riding buddy has the 1200 version and worked in dealer service dept. Not much negative to say.

One thing to consider is dealer network near you if you ever did need them.

 

Not sure where you live, but local Triumph dealer has an active owner's group. Nice bunch of folks, I even rode my Yamaha XT225 on one of their adventure rides.