Time to move on to something to divert myself from the virus lockdown: some observations on my Triumph 2017 Tiger 800XRX pseudo adventure bike. There are many variations on the Tiger, but this version Tiger was biased toward the street, and I have the factory lowered version.
I am nearing the end of my motorcycling life due to arthritis and other problems, but I wanted one good bike before I quit. It was going to be the Yamaha FZ800. I modified it per most of the Cycle World recommendations, but there was one problem I couldn’t fix. On 100°F days, which are common where I live, the saddle became so hot I couldn’t sit on it. I investigated this as much as I could, but could see no ready remedy. I tried a new saddle and added insulation to it. I tried fans. Nothing worked, and I finally gave up. I checked forums and some other owners talked about this problem, only to be ridiculed by macho idiots. I especially remember a rider on the distaff side who wasn’t believed. I’ve ridden across the country, up to Alaska, and Newfoundland, so I think I know what I’m talking about and don’t have an abnormally soft butt. I put in about 250,000 miles on BMWs, plus more on a Suzuki V-Strom, and GSX-650F. It was time to sell the bike.
My biggest challenge when shopping for a bike is saddle height, and I want a centerstand. I compromised on the latter, and was almost ready to buy a Kawasaki Z900 which had a surprisingly low saddle. No centerstand and no room for luggage, but I knew the day of long trips was over. Almost ready to close the deal when the dealer said that the fork seals on my trade-in Yamaha were blown and they would ding me $600. They claimed that if I let it go the bike would ultimately collapse on its suspension, which was total nonsense. I killed the deal there. I checked and the seals were notblown; they just needed cleaning. I’d bought several bikes from that dealer and felt betrayed.
I ended up selling the Yamaha at Next, and went shopping. By chance I found that Triumph had a low version of their Tiger, and the local dealer had one. This bike had no centerstand, but it looked like one could be installed. At one time I would never have imagined buying a Triumph, but I remember asking a couple of Triumph riding Germans in Switzerland and they had said that everything had been going well with their bikes.
The Triumph was a year old and the dealer took my offer, maybe a little too quickly so I probably bid high. Initial impression was that the bike handled really well and was pretty user friendly. I could get my feet on the ground and the ergonomics were good for me. Handlebar position was right and the saddle was much better than most stock ones I’ve encountered. Ergonomics were about right for me (5’5”) and no problems reaching the ground since it’s a low version. The saddle was much better than most stock ones I’ve encountered. There are some nice touches such as braided steel covered brake lines.
As one should expect from a Triumph, the handling is good. However, the forks and shock could be better. Fortunately, aftermarket shocks don’t seem to exist, so I am safe, and I don’t feel like having the forks reworked, but I have to watch out for the suspension bottoming out. I made the mistake of looking up operating instructions online since I was too lazy to dig out he paper user manual. This was a bad idea since Triumph has drastically changed the user interface in the past while keeping the same display and controls.
The wind screen is small but performs better than it should, although I did add an extension eventually. I added Triumph crash guards and Givi saddlebag racks. These bolted directly on to tapped holes without the need for any clamps. Givi is not supposed to be the most robust solution for real adventure riding, but I’m not going to be doing any of that. I mounted repurposed Pelican bags that came from other bikes. One used a Caribou mount and the other the discontinued Twisted Throttle mount. The Caribou needed some spacers. I mounted a Givi trunk that dates back to my belt drive BMW. I repurposed a Caribou general purpose mounting plate with a lot of spacers (actually oversized nuts).
I made the jump and decided to mount a Triumph center stand on the bike. It bolted on except I had to make a bracket from strap aluminum to support the stop (rubber bumper) bracket. Unfortunately, I have become too frail to use the center stand even using a wooden ramp, although I may work on a better ramp. The center stand will only be used for major service. This meant lubing the chain would still be a problem. One solution was to use a hydraulic jack on the right side of the bike (using the center stand as the hard point) to get the rear wheel off the ground, as advertised by certain gimmicky (I’ve tried them) stands. This works fine if you get a short jack (Amazon) and I can even carry it in a saddlebag, weighing in at 9lbms. However, I decided finally to go with a Scott Oiler, sincethey have an electric one that can be adjusted with a remote display. I’ll have to see how that works out in the long run. Too bad I didn’t have that in my touring days.
Other small changes were replacing the headlight bulbs with LEDs. This took a couple of iterations until I found a recommendation in a Triumph forum online. They fit and work pretty well. I also repurposed my LED aux lights (SuperbrightLEDs.com) using a mounting bracket. from Twisted Throttle. This is where I found a mis-tapped hole on the Triumph. I didn’t feel like doing a lot of disassembling to get a tap in there, so I let it be. I had to rework the aux light housings with a Dreml tool to get the aux lights to depress far enough to be useful.
It became clear that the bike’s first gear is way too high even for the street. I’d had to think what it would be like off road. I did invest in a 1 tooth smaller countershaft sprocket which is a big improvement, but It could be even lower. This has not affected fuel mileage in any noticeable way. Another issue was that the front brakes lacked authority. I had the front pads replaced and this helped. The tiger received a major model update about a model later year later, and upgraded front brake calipers and a lower first gear were included.
I was stupid and dropped the bike, smashing the left turn signal and the clutch lever. I decided to get the fancy Triumph lever with click adjustments and I replaced the stock hand protectors with more robust Barkbusters. Barkbusters have a real aluminum bar for protection. Unfortunately, I got to test it, and verified they work. I learned that you have to order Triumph replacement parts by VIN, not by model year. I never did get quite the right replacement turn signal, but I did get one that had enough internal volume to swap in an LED. When locating a place to mount the ballast for the LED, I found the lower inboard portions of the fairing were missing a couple of fasteners. I was able to order these online.
At least the bike doesn’t leak oil from the engine cases, and the electrics work. However, if you let it sit for a while, it is hard to start. I’ve had good luck with Li+ batteries on my GSX-650F and FZ-800, so I got one for the Triumph. To be safe, I still store the bike on trickle charge. The taillight is anemic, so I transferred the big LED assembly I got for the GSX from Twisted Throttle to the Triumph. Now, drivers at night have a nice, bright target to aim for.
Ride reviews note that a lot of heat can come up from the engine, although nothing like the FZ800. The heat is tolerable even on 100°F days. I don’t notice the handlebars buzzing while I’m riding, but sometimes after a longer ride, I do notice a tingling in my hands, so there is some kind of high frequency shake coming through. I do have extra foam sleeves over the stock grips.
Haven’t managed to go a full day trip, yet, but the bike feels like it is capable of touring. Just wish I had it when I was younger.
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