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RTW Tiger 2 Up... Honestly..
Hi Folks.. :biggrin3:
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 :helpsmilie: Thanx |
Motorcycle Sport!
Hi Fletch,
Get a copy of Motorcyle Sport&Leisure! They've got a series of articles in their On The Road section by a couple who have done a RTW on a Tiger. Don't give up on the Africa Twin either, Damn fine Bike(I'm of RTW on mine next year!) Good Luck with your trip. cheers Derek. |
Both great options two-up I reckon. I wish I had your problems. :)
Simon |
Hey Fletch,
I think I've seen some other posts by you. Anyway, the Tiger is a fine RTW bike IMO. I would hook up with as many Tiger forums as you can. Used to be a good one at Yahoo. (yahoogroups.com or something like that) I've owned two Tigers. A 1995 and a 1999. Also ridden the 955 extensively as a good buddy has one. I bought my '99 in the UK in 2001. Great deal, great bike. At 30K miles mine was like new. Not one problem. I'd be very careful about crash bars, some attach to the engine cases. NOT GOOD. In Mexico my buddy fell and the lower bolts began leaking oil. Get an updated list of Triumph dealers worldwide. They actually have pretty wide ranging coverage. I think the bikes are fine, very reliable, good fuel economy, very comfortable, decent weather protection, good luggage carrying ability, long service intervals. If you get a used one, check to see what "Tune" is programed in. A few years ago they were constantly updating Tunes to remove FI glitches. Some use a lot more fuel. I would go with a lean tune for travel to stretch your range and budget. A good Tiger can do 45 mpg, even two up and loaded. Solo I got 50 mph from time to time. The biggest draw back on the pre 2005 Tigers is the spoked wheels which use tubes. Tire repair on the side of the road is a major pain. Some have done a Tubeless conversion. There is a S.African guy on HU who knows about this. Johann, I think. He used to rent out Triumphs in S.A. Now rents KLR's and such. Triumph expert. The bikes hold together well, crash pretty well even and can do the big miles if reasonable care is given. Best of luck in your planning. Also see Vstrom, Capo Nord, Varadero, and Cagiva Navigator. All good alternatives. Patrick My Tiger in France....with "homemade" windscreen! :blushing: http://patricksphotos.smugmug.com/photos/967055-M.jpg |
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Top Box : Ugly but practical
Yea, pretty goofy looking I guess. But it came with the bike.
I had soft throwovers at my hotel, not pictued on the bike. But that top box was great in town. I'd leave my crap in my hotel and I could buy anything and it usually fit in the top box, helmet too. I ended up loving it. Patrick:scooter: |
Tiger in Africa
Hi mollydog. Just to correct you: Johann is not involved in Le Cap any more since i took over more than five years ago but he still has the yellow Tiger 900i (same as you) and a green 900 which I still hire out.
Not sure if he's still around here on HU? On the green 900 the chain slider underneath the drive chain fell apart yesterday. Luckily in the workshop. Drilled through the slide (the steel bracket already has a conveniently located hole) and bolted everything together with a 6mm bolt. |
LeCap = Johann?
Ah, I thought maybe LeCap and Johann are the same person. Sorry.
Johann and I knew each other years ago from the Tiger list. He was the first person I'd heard of to convert his wheels to tubeless. You mentioned in your other post you still rent out Tigers. Do those Tigers have the "sealed" wheels? Any problems with this at all? I'm amazed more Tiger owners don't do this. I hope you have listed your shop here on HU for those riders who need a good mechanic in S.A., well at least those riding DR650, KLR or Tigers. :thumbup1: But I get the feeling you could probably fix anything from an Abhrams tank to a Limo if you had to. Do you have a web site for the rental business? Cheers! Patrick :scooter: |
Tubeless Tiger & Cape Town
As far as I know it is only Johann's 900i that was modified to tubeless tires. I am not quite sure if it's still like that. I saw it once tires off and it looked a bit crude to me. A lot of silicone for that poor wheel. I remember Johann mentioning the tires never to be 100% gas tight. There was always a slight leakage like you would have it from a cheapshit tube (= Kings). I also wonder how the silicone in the rim stands up to the stress of changing tires.
Big advantage is obviously the possibility to fix punctures (nailholes only!) with the readily available tubeless tire puncture kits without pulling the tire off the rim. The green Tiger 900 is on tube type wheels. In general I have very little problems with punctures. The standard on the 650's is a locally made Kings Claw Action KT 966 which is virtually indestructable. The big bikes are on Trail Wings or Anakees and they also last well. Just stay away from carpentries and furniture factories. I have been working on bikes for 20 years now. 11 years with my own shop. Had my hands on pretty much everything from 1929 600cc FN (nice!) via Ural, BMW & all Japs to Bimota DB2 (six hours to set four valves!) I updated my profile. Incl. ULR. |
Ta
Thanx People :o)
Decisions Desisions |
I just bought a tiger and didnt ride it much already so i cant speak by experience, but from what i read on the net, this is more a tour bike than a trail bike.
Very confy on the motoways, but on mud, just forget it, the low front wheel protector will stock up the mud and you wont be able to budge anymore. I m surprised no tuning was offered to change this to a more dual purpose friendly bike since at the beginning it was meant to compete with the dakar bikes. The bike is also pretty high so you need to be tall to have your feet on the ground, and it s gravity center is accordingly high, which makes it difficult to manipulate at low speed... On another hand, as mentioned, a confortable bike with good rear springs that will swallow road bumps and give you some thrills on the high speed roads....:scooter: Ps : i bought mine, a 98 model with 38,000 km, for 3,300 Euros, so yes they are good value for money.. |
...don't give up on the AT Fletch! With a good rear shock, she'll carry you, a pillion and a sack of clothes / shoes over anything.
M. |
Heavy!
Coming back from a South American tour, I left my XT 600 there for more adventure in the future and found my new old Tiger 98 waiting for me at home. My gf had some evil desire...for sun white sand beaches and light blue waters, so up we go to Corsica on the Tiger.
The feline bike devored the highway in Italy and loved to compete with the latin sense of speed limits (driving under 150 km/h is dangerous). But Corsica doesnt seem to be her best hunting ground... On the 12 km track that leads to the paradise beach of Saleccia, i had a warning. The bike was getting seriously hot. The rear sprinds were doing ok at 2 on the bike, not like the XT that swallowed them eagerly but still confy. This is my first bike with water cooling and I cant say i m found of it... But the worst is really those incredibly sharp curves sometimes on this island. I lost control of the bike twice at zero speed because the bike was getting too much inclinaison. I m reasonably built but the 250 kg of the bike + 75 of GF+ 30 kg of luggage was too much for me. I guess if i had side hard luggage i would have damaged them each time. And unless you ve been squatting all year at gym, it s fairly impossible to get the bike back on wheels alone (unlike the XT). The Tiger, once lying on its side, looses all sorts of liquids, and especially the cooling water...with an empty radiator, the Tiger transforms into a dragon and your boots start to melt. You d better find some liquid very soon!! I wouldnt take that motorcycle for a RTW tour. Too complicated already, too much electronics (checking engine temperature to activate the cooling even when stopped), too heavy, too much plastics (the board vibrates like a mirage passing the sound barrier on off road). For my careless way of riding, my freedom of route choice, I ll stick to the simple and reliable XT 600 for continents like South America or Africa...even Australia, even tho finding repairshops there would be easier. My two cents... Philippe |
Oooh Vorteks - I think your're being a little harsh on the poor old Tiger .... but then we all have our own experiences and opinions.
I've had my 955 Tiger for a couple of years now and, after some initial doubts, have come to love it. My main concerns before getting the bike were it's height and weight - I'm a 5'8" girlie! Sure it's tall and carries it's weight fairly high, so too much lean and over she goes. To be honest this is the same problem I would have with any 'big traillie' and is the price to pay for touring at reasonable speeds for longer distances in comfort .... which the Tiger does superbly well. Low speed handling is excellent and gives oodles of confidence when manouvering through manic Italian rush hour traffic! In Slovenia last year our minor road was closed and the detour was a recent, unmade track of loose stones, very steeply downhill with 180 deg off camber hairpins. I wouldn't choose to do serious off road, particularly mud, on the Tiger but it coped with this fine (glad to be one up though!). It has also looked after me well on gravel tracks and unmade roads through the Balkans and Baltics. The screen (aftermarket Vario) does rattle alot on corrugated tracks but provides bags of protection when the weather turns nasty. I've dropped mine twice on each side now - basically trying to get up kerbs at the wrong angle/speed! The (aftermarket) engine bars worked fantastically well, no fluids were lost and my plastic Triumph panniers (which I thought would shatter!) have suffered only light scratches. There is no way I can pick it up on my own - but then I couldn't pick up a loaded XT600/Africa Twin etc. either! Cruising at 60/70mph I have got about 270 miles to a tank. The fuel gauge is rubbish so I tend to fill up at around 200m intervals or when the reserve light comes on. Unless I'm motorway bashing I usually need a 'comfort break' before the Tiger needs a fill up. The suspension is softish but soaks up the bumps really well. A Tiger owning friend went two up with camping gear to Poland recently but found the handling odd. It looked as though the rear shock was pretty much fully compressed so maybe a change of spring rate would be a good mod for long term two up. The bike is fantastic fun in the mountain twisties, covers ground with ease, copes well with rough roads and inspires confidence in the wet. Would I go RTW on it? YES - as long as someone was there to help me pick it up!! |
I'm with you on this one mermaid!
I had a Tiger some years ago, and the points raised here about it's unsuitability for a RTW trip are very valid.........for some people. Sure, there are the issues of weight etc. but every bike is going to have it's drawbacks. The Tiger has some fabulous strengths as well, and an XT is a pretty handy bike too but it really is all about personal opinion and what you're happy with and what you want.
For me the weight was always a good thing, simply because I like big and heavy bikes. I now have a Trophy 1200 which is bigger and heavier than the Tiger, but I bought it because that's what I like. When you are used to a lighter bike it's unrealistic to jump onto a heavier machine and expect it to have the same handling characteristics because it just isn't going to deliver. Similarly, get off a heavy bike and onto a lighter one and you're just as likely to fall over too, because you are anticipating corners in manner that is suited to big bikes and the lighter machine isn't going to deliver either. Chris |
Its a rumour but....
....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 |
Tiger Cub is for real
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 |
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! |
Travels and troubles with 1999 Tiger.
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. |
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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 :innocent: |
Tiger cub
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Is that Summer '08 or Summer '09? Cheers, |
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.:funmeteryes:
Maybe it could be a contender against the new bmw gs800? Personally i cant wait, the 675cc engine is an absolute peach. |
Tiger Cub
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.
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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:scooter: |
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