RTW Tiger 2 Up... Honestly..

[Walkabout]

....maybe there will be some truth to it!

I'm referring to the 675cc triple engine and the current two models of bikes (Daytona and Street triple).
It is said that Triumph may, just may, produce a dual sport bike with this engine sometime - perhaps 2009?
Some dealers I have spoken with say they know nothing of this but it is a good rumour don't you think?

It would be a good replacement in dual sport terms for the Tiger -lighter, smaller all round, more manouverable, even better fuel economy etc etc

[mollydog]

Alan Cathcart broke this news three of four months ago....and BTW, most dealers are the last to know anything regards up coming products....and most don't care one way or the other. For most, its just a business.

Details are still absent on the so called Tiger Cub. I think, as you said, 2009 is probably correct. A lot will depend on over all dual sport/adventure bike sales,
which I'm sure Triumph are watching keenly. They also will be watching BMW's new F800GS as the Cub would likely be a direct competitor. The new GS should be out in '08. Did anyone see it at the Paris show? Was it there?

I'd like to see a very off road biased Tiger Cub with 21" front wheel, lots of travel/ground clearance and enough torque to allow 1st gear crawling in the dirt without frying the clutch. A very low 1st gear would be the way....with an overdrive sixth gear for touring. (a la Vstrom DL1000). Alu frame, cast tubeless wheels, strong rear subframe for metal panniers, minimal body work, big fat front forks, top shelf suspension front and rear.

Patrick
'95 Tiger (38K miles)
'99 Tiger (40K miles)
Both now sold

[Brett Dean]

Fletch, in case you are still considering the older Tiger’s. Me and a mate (1999 and 2001 Tigers) did London/ Morocco/ Iceland/ Central Asia/ Japan in 2003 (49K km if I recall) and Korea/ Russia/ Mongolia/ Russia/ Baltic’s/ Europe in 2006 (about 30km) OK on them.
Only beef was too heavy on the really rough areas (central Siberian mud or crossing over landsides in Tajikistan and the like).
Don’t expect any help or back up from Triumph Head Office (or even return any e-mails for that matter (although Triumph Japan was great).
Our conclusion, great bike, shit company with after sales care factor = 0.
BM on the other hand appear to bend over backwards for their overlanders, but then gain you pay for it up front!

[Tiger Mike]

I bought a used 1999 Tiger 900 with 8000 miles on it in June of 2003. I don't know why I was interested in that bike but it seemed right at the time. It was relatively cheap compared to the other bikes I saw on the sale sites and it was less than 10 miles from my house. The deal was completed and I took it home to take a closer look at it. I changed the fluids checked nuts and bolts etc.. The only thing that seemed out of place was some gray stuff that came out with the coolant change. I rode the bike the rest of the summer and into the fall. As the weather got cooler I started to notice a drip of coolant here and there under the bike after it was parked for a spell. The colder it got the bigger the puddle. Eventually I could see that it was coming from the head gasket. On most bikes that wouldn't be a really big deal but with the Triumphs they have a wet sleeve for a cylinder liner. In order to replace the head gasket you need to pull the sleeves from the block and reseal them every time you pull the head.
I know that I would need some help from the dealer to complete this repair unless I bought all the tools which I didn't want to do. When I asked the dealer about this situation they told me that this was a common problem with these bikes. The sleeves were machined wrong (too tall) which caused the head to not seal around the perimeter of the cylinder block. The head would have to be removed and the sleeves would have to be machined down to a smaller crush height in order to properly seal all the way around. They called Triumph and they offered to cover most of the repair under warranty. They would pay for the parts and half the labor. I jumped at that deal and had the bike worked on over the winter. In hindsight I realized that the gray stuff in the coolant was some kind of radiator sealer like Bars-Leak. The previous owner probably knew of the problem and passed it on to me. Oh well that's what happens sometimes when you buy a used bike. Luckily I had bought it at a good price so I wasn't too miffed.
I picked it up in the spring. It ended up costing me around $400 for the repair. They also put a new set of rings in it and did some recalls and updated the tune. I rode it all of the season with no problems except for 2 bolts that broke off 1 of the cam towers. I suppose the mechanic overtightened them upon reassembly. I wasn't far from home when it happened so other than an oil leak no harm was done and I had it fixed in a couple of hours.
In 2005 I was going to ride from my home in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Alaska with another rider. As often happens the other guy changed his mind but I decided to go anyway by myself. I outfitted the bike with adventure touring stuff. I also replaced tyres, chain and sprockets, brakes, battery etc... I left in August, went to Sturgis (1st time) Glacier, Banmff, Jasper, up the Cassier, Anchorage, Homer, McCarthy and back home. 8000 miles in 16 days and the only trouble I had was that the rear tyre had to be replaced in Anchorage. It used no oil and got between 40-50 mpg.
I adjusted the valves when I got home, changed the oil and replaced the front tyre. I took a 3600 mile 10 day trip out west the next year and the bike again performed flawlessly. The only modification that I did was graft on a Harley police seat to replace the stock one. It's ugly but it feel soooo much better and it was fairly cheap to boot. Late that year I did have to replace the steering head bearings as they had gotten notched.
In 2007 I went on another trip to Alaska, this time with a guy that didn't back out. Just before we left on June 1st my idle speed started to fluctuate and sometime just stay around 2000 rpm. I replaced the stepper motor as per the shop manual and had it reset at the dealer for $110. I also replaced the tyres and the front brake pads. We did some dirt roads on the way up and hit alot of rain. By the time we got to Whitehorse my rear brakes were down to the metal. Luckily Yukon Honda had a set in stock (the pads are the same as many late model Honda pads). We went up the Dempster Highway 300 miles when my riding buddy crashed, he was banged up but we made it back to Dawson that same day. My bike was still working really well on all the various roads we were taking. We did The Top of The World Highway in the rain and got to Glenallen. My bike was starting to act up especially when cold from startup. It would chug and seem to run rich until it got up to temperature. I did the Denali Highway from Paxson to Cantwell. It had rained 3+ inches the night before and turned it into 100 miles of mud and rocks. I should have turned around but I didn't. I can't believe that I didn't crash but it did take a toll on the bike.
I headed home the next day by myself. The first gas fill up I discovered that the front brake pads were down to the metal. The Denali must have finished them off. The chain was now stretching at an alarming rate,I was lubing it every 100 miles just to keep it from snatching when on the highway. The running problem was getting worse, anytime it was under 2000 rpm it was hard to keep running. To top it off my rear tyre was getting bald pretty fast.
Needless to say it was an adventure getting home. I replaced the tyre in Whitehorse but it was expensive at $340. I didn't have any front brakes until Watson Lake when I rigged it up so I had 1 caliper working. I managed to nurse the chain home with 2 cans of chain lube. The running problem never went away even with a visit to a dealer in Edmonton. He reset the stepper motor again but something else was going on. In an attempt to replace the spark plugs in Dawson Creek the plastic fuel quick connects on the tank sheared off and I had to replace them with brass fittings.
At home I replaced the front pads but the discs are warped and will have to be replaced at about $400. The chain and both sprockets were replaced with the same units I had before, they had about 23000 miles on them. I went to adjust the valves and had a surprise when 10 of the 12 valves were off spec. The exhausts were loose but the intakes were tight, really tight. I got them back into spec and after synching the injectors the bike ran really good again. I took the bike out to Sturgis but on the way back it started to act up again like it had before. I checked the valves again and a couple of the intakes had closed up clearances again. I also did a compression test and found that the right 2 cylinders are at 180psi but only 120psi on the left one. I'll need to remove the head this winter and have the valves looked at and probably have a few replaced. I don't know if the weak cylinder is a valve problem or a piston/ring problem but seeing that you have to pull the sleeves anyway I can check it then. I'll probably pull the head myself and have it sent out for repair. I'll try to fabricate my own sleeve puller or else I'll take the bike to the dealer when I get the head back and have them pull the sleeves, check out the pistons and then reinstall the sleeves and head and I'll do the rest of the reassembly. The speedometer sensor on the front wheel went south. I was able to get a used one from Baxter Cycle for $90.
I'm figuring about $600 for the head work depending on the number of valves needing replacement. I still need the rotors replaced, $400. I might as well replace the clutch plates too as long as the cover is off and the bike has 38000 miles on it.
I've been riding and working on motorcycles for 35 years. The stuff that this bike needs to be fixed at 38000 miles seems a little bit excessive but then again I haven't put 2 Alaska trips on any of my other rides either. I really like the bike and I will fix it up but I don't think I can trust it for another long trip to The Great White North. I would consider another Tiger but only a newer one with the tubless tyres or maybe a GS BMW but I know they have their issues too. I know this post is a little bit long winded but I didn't know how to make it any shorter without saying what I wanted to say. Thanks for listening.

[adrian74]

Originally Posted by Fletch

Hi Folks..

Planning RTW Trip for 2 years next summer... Had a anticipated taking an Africa Twin but really worried 2 up with all the Luggage she won't handle it and or be at all comfy...

I'm not a Beamer fan so the obvious solution would be a Tiger, which seem readily available used at reasponable prices over here in Blighty...

So just some quick Q's to all u Tiger Men/Women out there...

What Model? Strengths? Weaknesses? What breaks? What doens't? What RTW Prep? Links to Forums? Links to 'Goodies' supplies?

Your Help would be appreciated greatly

Thanx

Hi Fletch, if your unsure about using a tiger for a rtw trip just have a look at travellers stories on this website and click on Richard lindley, a tiger may not be the lightest bike in the world but the engine is bullet proof.
I personally would prefer the last of the 955 models, just before they went to 1050cc, just make sure they valves are adjusted,its got metal fuel connectors (was a recall on the plastic ones) its got an up to date tune in the e.c.u,( a dealer will check this f.o.c. usually), throttle bodies are balanced (very important) and the f.i. system has been adapted to current conditions, if all this is done properly the bike will run sweet, but if not then it will run snatchy at low r.p.m.
Apart from this its just a usual check of consumables (brake pads, chain etc.), you can also fit 2 extra relays so as both headlights work on dip and main beam.
As for a 675cc tiger cub.....id hold onto my money untill July/August

[Walkabout]

Originally Posted by adrian74

As for a 675cc tiger cub.....id hold onto my money untill July/August

Hi Adrian,
Is that Summer '08 or Summer '09?

Cheers,

[adrian74]

Allegedly July/August 08 has been suggested as the date for Triumphs next model release, among the new models being suggested on the grape vine are a smaller twin cyl. rocket, a high performance hot rod rocket, and a 675cc tiger cub.
Maybe it could be a contender against the new bmw gs800?
Personally i cant wait, the 675cc engine is an absolute peach.

[Walkabout]

Makes sense to me, hopefully it will arrive in 2008. The Street Triple came out around Aug/Sept of this year; Triumph seem to release new bikes a bit earlier in the year than anyone else, even though the Street Trip is at the current bike show as a 2008 model - I 've seen a few on the roads over the past few months and they are good value at around £5300.

[DawnBreaker]

Fletch:

I recently bought a 2006 Tiger. I plan on riding it to Ushuaia. My plan is to leave in December 2008. I've been reading a lot of the treads on ADVrider.com. There's a ton of Tiger treads. This is a good one to start with:

Why should i buy a 2005 Tiger - ADVrider

I think the Tiger is a very capable bike. I've heard a lot of good things about it's dependability. However, there are always problems with any bike. Best of luck with your decision.

Wayne