I've been the proud owner of two Tigers. I bought my first XC in 2011 when they were first available then, after 5 years and 26,000 miles, I traded that in for an XCx on which I covered another 24,000 miles. Early on I bought a pair of Metal Mule panniers which were later topped off with a Krauser top box. Both bikes had heated grips (Triumph on the XC and Oxford on the XCx) but otherwise remained relatively standard throughout my ownership. Some have complained about turbulence from the screen and that the seat is uncomfortable, however, I have suffered from neither of these issues... or perhaps I'm just more tolerant than others.

My original purchase in March 2011 of a brand new Tiger 800 XC was for a planned overland trip to China which never happened because life got in the way! I did, however, complete several tours around Europe and I took my first tentative steps into trail riding. For me, as a first-time trail bike, the Tiger is too big and too top-heavy as I found out nearly every time I ventured off-piste.



In 2013 and friend on a BMW R1200GS and I rode down through France and Andorra to the MotoGP in Barcelona. My friend was amazed at how the Tiger had no trouble keeping up with his larger BMW and that we were averaging similar fuel economy figures throughout the journey. I found that I could get an average of around 50 mpg with mixed riding (town/country/motorway). A year later, the Tiger took my girlfriend and me around Belgium and Northern France with a full load of luggage with no issues at all.

By the beginning of 2016, I was ready to move on to the XCx. Triumph said that, as well as the WP suspension, rider modes and cruise control, they had made many changes to the 800 cc engine. The most noticeable for me was the increased fuel economy as I was regularly getting over 200 miles from a tank of fuel. The changes to the suspension were like night and day with the WP units improving the ride in all conditions. Cruise control was a revelation as it gave me the chance to relax my right hand during long motorway runs but it also helped when trundling along at 30 mph through town or a village.



I loved the XCx more than the XC and I never thought I'd love a bike as much as I did the XC! In August of 2016, I rode up to Nordkapp on the northern tip of Norway: this was a mammoth 5,000-mile, two-week trip that encompassed 10 countries heading up the west coast of the Baltic Sea and back down the east coast. The bike performed incredibly well, averaging 55 mpg and taking every road in its stride.



The following year, the XCx and I completed a Four Corners Tour of the UK mainland, a 2,500 trip that visited Land's End, St. Davids in Wales, John o'Groats in Scotland and finishing in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

As well as my two Tigers, I have also ridden the original 19" wheel version (before it was called the XR) and a 2018 XCA with the taller screen and colour display. The only time I have not felt comfortable on one of the Tigers is when I have just come from riding another bike: I test rode the Honda CRF1000 Africa Twin Adventure Sports which has a wonderful engine and made the XCx seem a little bland and then I bought a CRF250 Rally which made the XCx feel so heavy! The fact is that it is neither bland nor heavy: the Triumph Tiger 800 is just a really good all-round bike.