Tale of a Tiger

[Skunkape]

Dave you better check that chain. It's so dry there are sparks coming off of it.

 

[dduelin]

I completed the 12,000 mile service last weekend. Tiger has 13,001 miles on it now. This is a major service for Triumph like a 16,000 mile on the ST. Valve check is somewhat difficult because access to the camshaft lobes is very restricted and the exhaust clearances are .013 to .015 so the feeler blades were stiff and difficult to bend into a shape that easily makes the necessary curve to swipe between cam and lifter. I was glad all valves were in spec though 5 of the 6 exhaust valves were at minimum spec but spec is spec and camshafts and shims were left alone to the next check at 24,000. Valve train access on the Tiger makes the ST1300 valve check stupid easy to do. At initial purchase of the Tiger I purchased an electronic tool from England that lets me adjust throttle body balance and open the ABS modulator solenoids for system bleeding and these were quick and easy compared to the ST. This time I changed brake fluid due to 24 month age from manufacture not yet to mile. Amazing how a good lever and pedal feels even better with new fluid and a bleed. I had been dreading this service so very glad to have it behind! Owners report this is a fairly expensive dealer service so I am glad to do it at home. Filters and fluids were less than $80 and about 7 hours of my time going very slowly.

 

[okckeith]

Enjoyed reading this entire thread. I just traded in my BMW G650GS on a 2015 800 XCX on the 25th of Aug. I've only had a couple of days off work since. 12 hr shifts can cut into riding time. I will have worked 147 hrs in 12 nights when I get off Thursday morning. But then I have 21 days off. My 600 mile service was done on my last day off. I rode it 150 miles that day after the service. I am headed to ArkanSTOC Thursday. So my break in period will be over by the time I get to Arkansas. I can't wait to see what it will do.
I have added the new Sargent Performance Plus seat and a Puig wind screen. They came in the other day. I took a 20 mile ride after work to see how they worked. So much better. I am going to add a set of Bumot panniers soon.
So far I am very happy with the bike. It is very easy to ride. Very smooth motor. The cruise is wonderful. You have to remember that if you bump the throttle forward at all, it shuts off the cruise. Kind of a pain at first. And I sure like the way it handles.

 

[dduelin]

This tale took a turn today. I took a NC700X DCT for a long demo ride today and ended up buying it in a trade deal. The Tiger is a great bike that is very smooth and capable but I kept missing the NC700X that was before the Tiger. I kept thinking I'd get over it but after the new of the Tiger wore off I kept missing the 700.

I will have a bunch of Tiger 800 farkles to sell. Givi quick release side case racks, a SW Moto Alu luggage rack with Givi adapter, Rox 2" risers, Sargent seat, Madstad Explorer windscreen system, Triumph factory service manual, Ducatiguy service manual, a DealerTool service computer. Other stuff I can't remember.

 

[Ashley]

Wow. Didn't see that coming. Curious to hear your opinion on the DCT after a few miles.


Ashley

 

[Skunkape]

I guess you're just a Honda man at heart. Would be kind like me buying anything but a Ford. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Enjoy

 

[v8-7]

Just a summer romance with a Brit ..

Congrats on your new ride !

 

[okckeith]

Let me know about the dealer tool and the manual. My Tiger is here to stay. I just got back from ArkanSTOC on it. What a bike!

 

[playinatwork]

Now maybe the Honda shop will let me demo a Tiger if yours is still there. Congrats on the new bike.

 

[dduelin]

Oh it's there all right. I need to remove my upgrades and return the bike to stock and I have a couple days to go in there and do it.

 

[Rick Gibson]

Looks good Dave.

 

[bmcdonau]

Congrats on the new bike, can you expound on what you like better about the Honda? I can't imagine the performance is close to the Tiger's.

 

[dduelin]

Performance isn't just numbers - acceleration, top speed, etc. I missed the Honda's compact "all of one piece" feel and that is very hard to define and convey. Even though my DCT version weighs 30 lbs more than a Roadie it feels much lighter due to location of CG. I didn't buy the Tiger to really ride off road and on the street the NC700X is better handling, better braked, and more stable at supra legal speeds. The last weekend I owned the Honda I rode the same type of hard gravel roads in NC mountains that I did occasionally did on the Tiger so I realized wasn't using the off pavement potential of the Tiger and when on pavement I missed much about the 700X. After the new of the Tiger wore off I continued to miss the Honda. I thought that would pass but it never did. Finally, I never felt the Tiger was a bike that I would own a long time and run up a lot of miles like my Hondas. Triumph dealers are fewer, the parts support network isn't that great, and the stories of Triumph owners like you weighed on me. That's about the best I can do to explain. We all like to say life's too short to ride the wrong motorcycle.

 

[bmcdonau]

Performance isn't just numbers - acceleration, top speed, etc. I missed the Honda's compact "all of one piece" feel and that is very hard to define and convey. Even though my DCT version weighs 30 lbs more than a Roadie it feels much lighter due to location of CG. I didn't buy the Tiger to really ride off road and on the street the NC700X is better handling, better braked, and more stable at supra legal speeds. The last weekend I owned the Honda I rode the same type of hard gravel roads in NC mountains that I did occasionally did on the Tiger so I realized wasn't using the off pavement potential of the Tiger and when on pavement I missed much about the 700X. After the new of the Tiger wore off I continued to miss the Honda. I thought that would pass but it never did. Finally, I never felt the Tiger was a bike that I would own a long time and run up a lot of miles like my Hondas. Triumph dealers are fewer, the parts support network isn't that great, and the stories of Triumph owners like you weighed on me. That's about the best I can do to explain. We all like to say life's too short to ride the wrong motorcycle.

I hear you. My Triumph experience hasn't been stellar for sure and the parts supply is bad. They get them to you pretty quickly, but quick from England is two weeks. Your thinking mirrored mine. When I decided one of the bikes had to go, it was the Tiger because I wasn't using it's full potential either. I'd ride it on a gravel road every now and then, but that was it.

 

[dduelin]

I don't want to make a swipe at the Tiger - it wasn't the bike for me. Lots of happy owners and the 800 Tigers seem to be very reliable but I never bonded with it like other bikes.

 

[bmcdonau]

I don't want to make a swipe at the Tiger - it wasn't the bike for me. Lots of happy owners and the 800 Tigers seem to be very reliable but I never bonded with it like other bikes.

All good, I hope you have many happy miles on your new ride.

 

[Skunkape]

Well thanks to Dave trading it in my Harley riding buddy got a whole lot faster. Gonna have to step up my game. He couldn't believe the differce in performance just on the120 mile ride home. He also bought some of Dave's Farkles. Can't wait to go for a ride with him. Got a little healing to do first.

 

[dduelin]

Well thanks to Dave trading it in my Harley riding buddy got a whole lot faster. Gonna have to step up my game. He couldn't believe the differce in performance just on the120 mile ride home. He also bought some of Dave's Farkles. Can't wait to go for a ride with him. Got a little healing to do first.

Great to read this from you! Get well soon Chuck. Yes, it worked out great. The bike went to a good home, I've sold all the farkles except the Givi racks.

 

[okckeith]

And thank you very much for the ones I got from you Dave! Worked out good for me. I love that Alu rack I got from you.
I dropped one of the Allen head mounting bolts when I went to install it. Took me forever to find it. It landed on top of the chain I finally spun the tire and there it was stuck to the chain. I dropped it on the other side.

 

[dduelin]

Yes, the SW Motech Alu Rack with the Givi plate is a nice piece of kit on a Tiger. I went that way with the new NC700 and just mounted it Sunday.