Hey John! Nice to hear from you. Hope Seattle suits you!!

I agree with Paul. Pick the bike you want and customize the seat. If you like
the KTM, then get it. You ride a lot and keep your bikes a long time. It's
something you and Ann enjoy together and you'll probably be doing a lot of
riding and trips exploring your new location.

Get the one that makes your heart go pitter pat. It's not something you're going
to regret.

~ d



--- In MN-Sportbike@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Kolbo" <pakolbo@...> wrote:
>
> Why not consider a custom aftermarket seat? A Vstrom with an aftermarket
> seat is still probably cheaper than a Tiger.
>
> PK
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Gateley" <tiger@...>
> To: <MN-Sportbike@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2009 12:12 AM
> Subject: [MN-Sportbike] New motorcycle help
>
>
> > Hi Y'all from Sunny(!) Seattle
> >
> > I checked out the new Tiger as a replacement for my '01 955.
> > It's not going to work. The main problem is the seat. The
> > pillion seat is 2 or 3 inches higher than my seat. Ann
> > and I like riding "at the same level", it feels better.
> > Apart from that, the shocks are not so bouncy and I get
> > the feeling that it's not any better at dirt/fire roads
> > than Kyle's pair of ZX's.
> >
> > So... what do I get? The V-Strom is a strong contender,
> > except the pillion is an inch or two higher. The KTM
> > would be a wonderful bike, except it's almost as expensive
> > as a damn BMW (hi Raf).
> >
> > So, here's what I'm looking for:
> > 1) Long days of riding - we're not iron butts, but
> > we will do 600 mile days.
> > 2) pillion seat is same height as rider's. (and it
> > may be that this together with #1 calls for a custom
> > seat).
> > 3) More than 80 horse. I like the power, Ann like it
> > that I can accelerate out of trouble situations.
> > 4) Dirt road/pot hole capable suspension.
> > 5) Tall (I'm 6'1")
> >
> > Any suggestions?
> >
> > j
> >
>