Tale of a Tiger

dduelin said:

The Tiger doesn't come with an air temperature gauge so I added this one today.

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I know this sounds weird but I nylon wire tied a meat thermometer to the CRF handle bar cross beam. Works great but don't tell the wife.

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Thermometer-Commercial-Includes-Delicious/dp/B00E0W8EMA/ref=sr_1_47?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1418136898&sr=1-47&keywords=best+meat+thermometer

Just saw this about a recallhttp://www.asphaltandrubber.com/recall/triumph-motorcyle-ecu-fuel-injector-recall/

My Tiger is not affected by this recall but thanks for the notice.

I've been considering aftermarket screens, but haven't really seen one I'm willing to take a gamble on. The three I've really considered are the Parabellum, Madstadt and National Cycle. The thing that has really stopped me is not only do you have to decide on the brand, you have to decide what size. On the Tiger a little difference in size changes the performance dramatically.

Performance??? My 1200 tiger does not lack in performance at all with the madstad I have installed. If anything, I get no more helmet buffetting so it is a smoother ride and sometimes faster ride.....

DaveM said:

Performance??? My 1200 tiger does not lack in performance at all with the madstad I have installed. If anything, I get no more helmet buffetting so it is a smoother ride and sometimes faster ride.....

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I think the intent of post #69 was that small changes in windshield size or shape change the performance of the windshield system dramatically. The Tiger has 4 or 5 Madstad templates plus all the adjustability of the brackets and winglets leading to paralysis of analysis.

Many Tiger 800 owners praise the Madstad as did many NC700X owners but I think they might block too much wind for those of us in warmer climates or those those that like a fair amount of wind just not noisy turbulent wind. I'm in that camp at least for now. I got a good buy on a Triumph adjustable touring shield so I am going to try it.

dduelin said:

I think the intent of post #69 was that small changes in windshield size or shape change the performance of the windshield system dramatically. The Tiger has 4 or 5 Madstad templates plus all the adjustability of the brackets and winglets leading to paralysis of analysis.

Many Tiger 800 owners praise the Madstad as did many NC700X owners but I think they might block too much wind for those of us in warmer climates or those those that like a fair amount of wind just not noisy turbulent wind. I'm in that camp at least for now. I got a good buy on a Triumph adjustable touring shield so I am going to try it.

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Exactly, performance of the shield, not the bike.

Update. The bike has 5000 miles on it now and I like it a lot but will like it more when it gets a little warmer. It's Florida but we have had cool weather for bikes with minimal wind protection.

I have the bike ready for 2015 events with the latest addition - Givi quick release racks and cases. I only had to buy the racks and the left side 45 liter case as the 36 and E460 top case did duty on the NC700X. The 45 left and 36 right panniers are symmetrical in width across the bike at 41". The Triumph adjustable windshield isn't perfect but it does OK in the lowest position. I did a SaddleSore 1000 on it for a tuneup. Ready to ride to the mountains and beyond!

Lookin good. Probably doesn't look as wide from the back with the top box on. Your boxes are probably more aerodynamic than mine. Never too much storage.

Looks good Dave!! Enjoy!

Very nice. Enjoy Dave.

What mpg and range are you getting? Looking hard at an xcx!

MSchroeder said:

What mpg and range are you getting? Looking hard at an xcx!

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The Tiger has a little over 5,000 miles on the odometer now and I'm averaging 46 mpg overall after 2,2xx miles tracking mpg on Fuelly. On a 1000 mile ride on the interstate the average was 45 mpg running 70-75 mph. The tank holds 5 gallons and the low fuel light comes on about 160-170 miles. Despite knowing there is at least a gallon left I hate staring at the yellow low fuel light and usually fuel up by 190 miles and put in about 4 to 4.2 gallons of regular - Triumph recommends 87 octane.

The new 2015 Tigers are supposed to be about 15% better on fuel. I rode both an XC and the Roadie and chose the Roadie for it's street focus and tubeless tires. 99.5% of my riding is on pavement and the other .5% is on hard packed dirt or gravel that you could ride almost any street bike on. I seem to attract foreign objects to my tires and did not want to being changing tubes on the side of the road.

Good luck with your choice. The Tiger is a really playful bike to ride. It handles very well and the triple puts out plenty of tractable usable power along with a fantastic sound track.

Looks like you could use a wide load sign

Booger Man said:

Looks like you could use a wide load sign

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?

41" about average for ADV bike with aftermarket cases..... 1.6" wider than K1600GT......1200 GS with 45L Touratech cases is 40"....... WeeStrom with factory cases is 44" wide.

Nice !

I sold the Tiger. I really liked the bike, but I looked around the garage and couldn't justify that many bikes and a new car. I liked the Trophy better so the Tiger went to a new home in Lubbock.

I missed this thread Dave but not too much to add. The MRA shield with the integral spoiler is magic on Donna's Tiger. You can aim a direct windblast at your chest for summer riding without causing helmet turbulence while more typical adjustments give a well protected, turbulence free ride.

We will hit 43K this weekend and the bike has been rock solid. The stock chain still looks great and is quiet and smooth operating but it is less than a 1/16 of an inch from its max allowable 20 link length so I will be replacing it at 45K. I could probably go to 60K but not hardly worth the risk. Still chuckle when I realize the ST shaft drive uses more oil than the Tiger's chain has.

kebrider said:

I missed this thread Dave but not too much to add. The MRA shield with the integral spoiler is magic on Donna's Tiger. You can aim a direct windblast at your chest for summer riding without causing helmet turbulence while more typical adjustments give a well protected, turbulence free ride.

We will hit 43K this weekend and the bike has been rock solid. The stock chain still looks great and is quiet and smooth operating but it is less than a 1/16 of an inch from its max allowable 20 link length so I will be replacing it at 45K. I could probably go to 60K but not hardly worth the risk. Still chuckle when I realize the ST shaft drive uses more oil than the Tiger's chain has.

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I'm at 9500 miles now. Lovely bike, lots of fun and very versatile. I went with a 17" Madstad windscreen a few months ago. It's not a looker but it really works well and with the adjustable brackets I change it for different conditions just like the ST1300's screen. It's good enough wind management now for cold wet weather and distance. I've adjusted the chain only once since new and using your method of clean and lube it should also last a very long time. I changed the OEM Pirellis for a set of Michelin Anakee 3s at 7700 miles though the OEM tire rear had about 20% left. The A3s are good handling, not squishy like Pilot Roads, but are very noisy. With the Madstad bubble of clean air the tires are audible after 35-40 mph. I was up in the mountains last weekend and on the Dragon late in the day of Saturday. I looked for you but did not see you or The Girl. There was an accident just before the overlook that stopped traffic apparently a couple hours. A trike went down the side of the mountain but luckily the rider broke only an arm and got shook up. I was heading to Tellico Plains to take 68/60 back down to Porter Springs where I was staying at Vinny's but after 30 minutes or so I doubled back to Robbinsville and went down through Blairsville.

We will try the new Bridgestone T-40s whenever the latest set of T-30s wear out. The Girl is getting between 4.5 and 8.5 K out of a rear T-30 and over 8 out of a front. Hard to beat the price and reliable wet/dry performance of the T-30s but always fun to test the new stuff. I am developing a sense of loyalty to Bridgestone and Triumph because of the high quality of their products.

You ever Google translate the German Motorrad Magazine? They do the 50,000 KM durability tests and here is one of the latest lists (added some translation help for the column data); looks we own/owned a couple of well built bikes: