Hello all.
I'm currently a lurker. At the moment ride a Triumph Explorer both for business and pleasure and i renew my bike every 3 years. I have another 15 months yet to run but i like to start early choosing my next bike.
I have had a few issues with my explorer but triumph have been great in sorting them out, but i wont buy a new model again due to teething problems etc.
I test rode a GTR prior to buying the Explorer and really liked it, so will be doing so again, nearer to the time. What i like about the GTR is the smooth ride, road presence, weather protection, styling and luggage capacity.
I have had a skim through the problems thread and all i can really see is the sticking shock adjuster, front brake disc issues and a bit of flaky paint. Did i miss anything, because compared to my Explorer and a beemer i had prior, the GTR seems pretty bombproof. Like i say i use my bike for getting to and from clients offices, so it has to be reliable. How are the servicing costs? i do 12k miles per year [including my tours]. Does it eat tyres like its ZZR partner? Any insights from owners would be gratefully received, as being a marketeer by trade, i dont believe a word of the glossy brochures! I would be looking to pick up a very low mileage used bike, say up to a year old.
Also, which would be the best dealer in the North West for sales and servicing, and which is to avoid?
Thanks in advance. :popcorn: :banana:
:185: on here Popeye Doyle...the GTR is a superb and very underrated machine, sure it has a few issues but non that I would call serious.
Its a bike that can mix it in any company, whether it be touring, cruising or scratching it can deal with almost anything.
As for servicing costs, there are occasional some criesof "HOW MUCH" but I don't think that the GTR is any more expensive than most other manufacturers
I'm sure you will enjoy this forum and it seesm to me that you've got plenty time to make up your mind about the GTR potentially being your next bike.
Afternoon & welcome to the forum. Sounds like in hindsight you should have gone for the GTR earlier. The main problems with the GTR are those which you have mentioned, apart from the flaky paint, yes that has happened, I've had it with my exhaust but I think that's few and far between.
Service costs, they could be described as steep at some dealers, different dealers have previously charged different rates for the same service so its worth shopping around. The service intervals at 4k miles seem excessive, however you always have a choice, service it yourself or just accept the inevitable costs.
Dealer wise, I cant really comment on this. Only guarantee is that you will pay top dollar for a GTR at a dealer, they all seem to significantly overprice their used stock. Personally I'd keep an eye on here and see if you can purchase one privately if that's an option.
As a guide, I purchased an 11 plate GTR in March 2012 which was 12 months old for £8995 from a dealer which had 7.5k miles. I thought that was an exceptionally good price especially from a dealer but in any case a significant saving on the normal £13500 new price tag.
Welcome to the forum PD.
I think you have captured the common issues on the bike. Only possible thing to add is that in my personal view, front brake pads and front wheel bearings tend to get consumed a little faster than I would expect at 15k and 20k miles respectively.
I captured all my running costs for the first 40k miles here, if you want to take a look - http://www.gtr1400.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,3121.msg42888.html#msg42888
Overall, I have been astoundingly happy with the bike, and now at three years old, see no reason at all to change it.
With the benefit of hindsight, I would have saved a fair chunk of cash by buying at a year old, and by instructing the dealer to not follow the service schedule to the letter (spark plugs and air filter gets changed too often in my view, and the interim 4/12/20k etc. service is just a safety check).
I am also very interested to hear your thoughts on the Explorer. The new Trophy is about the only thing I can imagine may ever tear me away from ole faithful GTR.
Martin.
Thanks for the replies so far, its very helpful, the service costs summary especially.
The numbers are quite high as i thought they might be. My Explorer [and the Trophy] have 10k service intervals, so cost a lot less for spannering.
I would like to do my own servicing, but am rubbish at it, and leaned long ago to pay someone to do what they're good at while i do the same to pay them.
However, its not all about costs so i'm still very interested. The Trophy looks like an RT rip off, but its still a great bike to ride. The GTR has by far the best styling in my opinion.
As regard the Explorer, its a fab bike. Very fast and comfy, is quite a handful and as a consequence tiring after a while. Im looking for better weather protection and a more refined ride, so i can ride further for longer and i reckon the GTR will give me that. Plus, ive never owned a big Japanese in line 4 and need to tick that box. Being a volunteer bloodbiker [hoofing Pans and RT's] the big tourer market suits me.
My first two bikes were Kawasaki, a KL125 and then a GPZ305 [with belt drive] so i'm no stranger to the brand.
Anyway, im staring to blather, more views would be welcome.
Heres Tex
:185: fellow lurker,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,time to come out and worship at the font of KHI :mfr_lol:
Have fun and enjoy the banter :punk:
Charlie747 :ninja:
Very welcome here:-)
Love the explorer, cool bike!
Now have 20 k kms with model 2010.
No issues at all here technically.
First tyres were original bt21 . Changed front tyre at 12k and rear at 18k kms.
Other and only issues for me : didn,t find the perfect solution qua screen <-> wind and
Maintenance is not cheap...
Good luck!
Hello PD you lurker .....
Nice to have you on board. ! It may seem strange coming from me ( recently had a "medical episode" and bought a Gs !!! :mfr_lol: ) but do not let a sticky shock thingy, some paint, and bendy discs get in the way of you buying a Gtr ... don't get me wrong I love my BM to bits but the Gtr is a fantastic bit of kit and I have no doubt like 99.9% of people here, you won,t regret buying one.... :yes: :yes: