Well,I've been looking for a bigger bike for my daily commute to work. 38 miles one way. 2 miles of gravel,with creek crossing, 3 miles of one lane rural, the rest 2 lane secondary highway.Takes about an hour.Half of this is always in the dark,usually around 4am.So headlight power is a hugh factor in the decision process.I'm not doing very well but have the choices down to these final four.

bmw 1200gs adv
ktm 900s adv
triumph 1050 tiger
suzuki 650vstrom

Hugh money gap from top to bottom,but,I have seen bmws with 370,000 miles on them.Hi output electrical system,plenty of power,and enough weight for comfort on the really long hauls.I average about 1000 miles a month,with the exception of nov thru feb due mostly to ice.Reliability is playing a big part in decision making.The ktm network is kinda limited,but good quality.Although the 990 is not released to the states yet,it is gonna be here shortly.they are having fi problems at low speeds,but should have this worked out shortly.The 640 is uncomfortable,but ktm has reworked the seats on the 990 to more of a touring seat.Always have after market selections.The difference in price between the 1200 and 990 is around two grand.They have totally reworked the tiger to more of a street oriented machine,and am almost not considering this bike any longer.I haven't even been able to find a dealer within a couple hundred miles.The strom is an option,but to be honest,the peg to seat ratio is a little to far back for me.I haven't rode a strom yet,but have a few freinds who have and own them.I'm not sure the weight is there that I'm looking for.All in all,I'm looking for a bike I can take to Labrador or Mexico comfortably,while still maintaining off road capabilities.I love my klr,and will always have one in the stable.I'll keep it for my more adventurous rides here at home.It's a comfotable bike for a couple hundred miles at a clip,but for interstate and high speed rodes,well,you guys know the answer to that,it's just to light to handle heavy truck traffic on the interstates.The thought comes to mind,well you can't work on them like a klr.But these are a different creature.They are ,imho,like buying a car .You just can't by a car with thoughts of working on them anymore.You by a car and never question if it will get you where you are going,you just go.All that is left for us shade tree mechs is the basics,everything else is a chip.Well,now that I have rambled on for a bit,how about your opions on these bikes.come this spring,one of these guys is gonna be in the stables.

Thanks for any input or past expierence with any of these machines

Mike

similar to my shopping list a year ago.

my reasons for writing off certain machines.

1150/1200 gs:major reliability issues. final drives,clutches,trans input shaft splines,abs failures,wheels falling off,final drives starting on fire,canbus electrical problems,throttle body sync maint,alternator belt replacement is a pain..i could go on.

950 adv/s: major reliabilty issues. fuel tank leaks,water pump/cooling system problems,major hassles for minor service. the bike is too similar to the klr,i would have sold the klr if i had bought the ktm..and i came close.

tiger:no known problems that i've found. i didn't like the exposed engine and it didn't "speak" to me.

stroms:i can't get over the tupperware look. +'s:you can put tkc's on them stock,ultra reliable. the looks did them in for me.

aprilia capo:very top heavy,the bike i rode had warped front rotors and this seems to be very common.

multistrada's:too far to the street side of things. big $$ for repair parts.

i rode the 1150,1200 and the capo. wrote them off after riding them. the rest i was able to write off by looking at them.

this left me one choice in the class. i bought the uly without a test ride. it hasn't been perfect. many first year little issues,nothing that would leave me stranded. i would recommend staying away from the '06 and looking at the '07,they did a ton of really nice updates.

The Tiger 1050 is gonna be sweet. Dollar for dollar you can't beat the V-strom for commuting and other ridng.