Winter time killer Tiger 800

karl said:

Going to take a peek at this today http://www.marksmotorsports.biz/new_vehicle_detail.asp?veh=327790&pov=3667869 Just looking mind you...

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I looked really hard at those before going with the Super Tenere... really like the single sided swingarm and the tripple sounds great, I'm sure I would have been just as happy with that as I am with the SupTen. Let us know what you think.

Took a ride and took a look. Very pretty blue bike it was next to a more farkeled one so I asked how much to upspec the machine... They also have a "gray" Trophy SE on the floor and as is is about the same as the dressed Explorer. I needed to hop up on the peg to get my bum leg over the Explorer but was flatfooted in the saddle. Minimal weather protection felt nice in the show room add the things to make it mine about 3K bucks tax title license and insurance and we are taking real money here. The Trophy SE comes with Electronic suspension sound system with bluetooth and usb TPMS Yada yada yada. Twist the key the handle on the bag pops up twist a bit more and it unlatches from the bike. Snowing right now but it is forecast to rain Sunday. May have to ride down and...

Hey at twice the money and HP it should have some of the things we find less than perfect about our NT's. Today was the first time I gave a serious thought to trading My NT. Believe they will have to offer stupid money to make me part with it.

karl said:

Going to take a peek at this today http://www.marksmotorsports.biz/new_vehicle_detail.asp?veh=327790&pov=3667869 Just looking mind you...

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Famous last words! I hope you didn't take a test ride. Probably no ride as it's dang cold here in New England.

Hope all is well!

karl said:

Going to take a peek at this today http://www.marksmotorsports.biz/new_vehicle_detail.asp?veh=327790&pov=3667869 Just looking mind you...

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Gotta be careful.....once you get the fever! Stuff happens!

No Dan I didn't ride either one. There is ice in some of the trees at the moment and raining with a forecast temp of 30 tonight.

junglejim said:

Anyone else looking at this Tiger?

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I didn't even know about this bike until you posted this. Since I originally read this I HAVE been checking out this bike. It seems to be the right combination for me. I told myself I wouldn't buy a new bike until spring riding weather rolls around so I have a couple months to decide. I am seriously intrigued.

artemedes said:

I didn't even know about this bike until you posted this. Since I originally read this I HAVE been checking out this bike. It seems to be the right combination for me. I told myself I wouldn't buy a new bike until spring riding weather rolls around so I have a couple months to decide. I am seriously intrigued.

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Finally, someone bit.
Now I can collect my reward from Triumph
Thanks Kevin

Just kidding.
Like the posts indicate it is the competition for the FJ9, but looks a little better most everywhere.
My friend loves his Tiger. It was THE bike that made him sell his old R65 which he rode for over 20 years.

Kevin, sum up your experience with living with a chain while traveling on your DR650. That's one of the big things (along with its height) that would keep me from considering the Tiger 800.

TIA.

Phil Tarman said:

Kevin, sum up your experience with living with a chain while traveling on your DR650. That's one of the big things (along with its height) that would keep me from considering the Tiger 800.

TIA.

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I don't find it a big deal. The DR650 is my second bike with a chain. The key for me was finding out about the teflon stuff in a blue can. I tried "chain wax" and other stuff. It was messy and had to be applied more often. The Teflon stuff dries fast, doesn't seem to attract dirt, and repels water. When Close to home I clean the chain with kerosene, let it dry, then put the teflon blue stuff on about once every 1000 miles. If I stay off the dirt/gravel roads I only need to add a little teflon after 500 miles and do the full cleaning routine every 1000 miles.

On my 5300 mile 3 week trip I only cleaned the chain 4 times, and the Spearfish honda dealer cleaned it for me when they changed the oil. I just eyeballed the chain and cleaned it when it looked liked it needed. In Utah it got dirty faster on my short off-road trip, so I cleaned it afterward. It did not need much attendance on the asphalt portions. I also added some teflon lube after I riding a couple hours in the rain. I only took the can of teflon on the trip so cleaning consisted of saturating it with the teflon stuff, cleaning it off with rags i brought, then a second light coat of teflon.

It really wasn't a big deal and a year and half later the chain still looks great.

Maybe I have been lucky, but I think if the chain is adjusted right and you get in the habit of eyeballing it....no big deal.


http://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Multi-Use-Lubricant-oz-aerosol-D00110101-C/dp/B0009LSXOA/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1420582019&sr=8-17&keywords=teflon+chain

I found that the teflon lube works well in dry conditions but I never had it hold up in wet conditions. The petroleum products worked better in wet conditions but attracted dirt more. My solution was to put teflon on a clean dry chain and top it with a rain coat of Pedros or some petroleum product. Then I'd leave it alone for quite a while depending on conditions. A center stand makes chain maintenance much easier and I'd never have (another) chain drive without one. Maybe they have better teflon products now. I don't know.

On a trip long where cleaning was more difficult I'd just carry a can of chain lube (like PJs) and shoot the chain once a day usually after a 10 to 50 mile warm up. It gets good penetration and lubes the chain well, but makes a mess after a week or two of that. That mess just makes it look like you are a real road warrior instead of a weekend bar hopper. It is fun to park a greasy, but splattered touring bike next to a bunch of Harley chrome.

I don't think chain drives a big deal breaker at all. And they make it easy to get a little taller top gear for highway travel with a sprocket change if desired. That's actually an advantage.

The advantages of shaft drive tend to be grossly overstated as do the disadvantages of chains...:wink:

oh karl, i had no idea you had an interest in the tiger explorer - i would have let you ride mine at any of the previous events we've met up at. the blue ones sure are pretty.

I can get the blue one dressed (I install all the bits other than wheel sensors for TPMS) for $16758.90 plus tax title license and insurance...

JungleJim,

I didn't even know they had updated this tiger 800 until I first clicked on this thread. Yesterday we had a very unusual warm January day. Work was slow and I managed to get the afternoon off. I called the closest triumph dealer and verified they had one in stock. I will spare the details of bike haggling, but ended up coming home with the Tiger. The more I read about it the less I wanted the SuperTenere.

My legs are more comfortable, I love the suspension. I really, really love the suspension. I already love the triple engine. The ride-by-wire took was an adjustment, but after I felt comfortable with it I noticed I could be very precise with it. I felt like i had more control over the throttle. On my 100 mile trip home, I averaged 56mpg which is in the same ballpark as the NT for this route (maybe even a touch better).

I could gush more, but will wait until I can provide a better review. Here are my crappy cell phone pics right before I left the dealership. The rest of winter is going to be long when the cold returns.

Kevin, great looking bike enjoy. jim

Thanks Jim. I missed Spearfish 2014 because of work, but already requested time off for this year. Hope to see you there.

Congratulations, Kevin! Looks like the best of your DR650 and NT700 combined in one bike. Did you sell the DR, or keep it? Hope to meet up again this summer at Spearfish to get a closer look.

Thanks Rich. You got the idea. Combining the two into one. However, I don't think i can part with the DR650. It might look similar to the tiger, but they are kind of at opposite ends of the dual sport spectrum. Where the tiger is EFI, ABS, traction control, cruise control, and has a computer readout, the DR is mechanical, simple, and rugged. I can work on the DR, but will probably let the Triumph dealer work on the complicated bits for awhile.

What surprised me the most about my ride home on the Tiger was first gear. It is taller than I expected. The Dr will cruise all day at 70 but at 75 everything starts to feel busy. I still spent many miles at 75 on the DR. It does it fine, but it doesn't feel like motorcycle nirvana. The tiger was smooth and effortless at 80 . So even in the gearing the DR and T800 are different. I can see myself picking the DR for shorter trips. I also want to get the DR back on the local trails again, but see the tiger being more of long-trip road bike that has the option of getting of the pavement. I didn't get to ride much in 2014, but plan on enjoying both immensely in 2015.

Kevin, I'm going to have to miss Spearfish this year. Will be in Alaska, as this was my wife's idea and only the second time in 36 years that she wanted to go along I had to jump at the opportunity.

Kevin, I look forward to seeing you in Spearfish (on the Tiger, I hope). Jim, I'll miss you. Let me know in a month or two how the roads are up in your part of the world. I've got more free time now that I'm semi-retired, and I need to make my Nebraska run.

Kevin, are you keeping the NT?