Triumphrat

FifeTiger

Was just reading this review of the 2006 Tiger, deciding I wanted to trade up next year..

Motor Cyclist

it starts by calling the Tiger a "totally tarmac GT adventure tourer " then I came upon the section which says

"But, it's hard to see the point of continuing to fit that 19-inch front wheel and those long forks to the Tiger—especially after stiffening these up and reducing wheel travel a year ago. Dropping the forks a little through the yokes to lower the bike and sharpen up the steering still further is a favourite trick of Tiger keepers, many of whom also fit at least an 18-inch smaller front wheel, plus a wider rim to get a fatter tyre offering extra side grip compared to the skinny 110/80-19 Michelin T66 used at present. Having removed all trace of offroad pretension from the Tiger some time ago, Triumph ought to do the same, as well as lowering the whole bike at least an inch/25mm to make it more accessible for shorter riders, without detracting from its Range Rover-esque role as king of the Queen's highway. The tall seat and upright riding stance (which is quite untiring at lower speeds) provide Tiger tamers with a lofty perch from which to navigate their way through traffic, as well as savour the countryside through which they're riding"

Given all the comments about the 1050's lack of off road ability, and having read this articel top to bottom, it seems that any off road ability of the current model is there purely by accident, rather than design. Stick off road tyres to any bike with some ground clearance and maybe the same argument can be had ???

Just a thought. Maybe Triumph aren't 'abandoning' anybody in the pursuit of sales, they've always targetted this market but only now have a real grip on what the bike should be and have the production capability to build it in numbers.

tcowjww

I think you're totally right.

Besides, I still think a large amount of offroad ability is down to tyre choice - and how many people have genuinely had their FI Tiger on offroad-capable tyres? I'm not talking about Tourances and Anakees, both of which are very much road tyres, but something like TKC80's?

I had my tiger on Welsh fire roads for most of this last weekend, which were turning to pools of liquid mud by the end of Sunday. On the gravelly sections the Tiger was fine, but on the muddy sections I was not enjoying myself at all (I have Tourances fitted).

The only real benefit to the Tiger over any other road bike was the fact that the geometry enabled me to stand on the pegs comfortably, thereby lowering the centre of gravity. But even then, it's only lowering the centre of gravity to the same ballpark as most other road bikes.

The trouble with the 19" front wheel is that it's not the choice of most offroaders who opt for 21" so the vast majority of serious offroad tyres are not made for 19" rims. TKC80's are very good, but the choice of proper offroad rubber for 19" is otherwise very limited.

For now my FI will remain on Tourances (mainly road, but a little bit of campsite negotiation) and my DR-Z will remain on proper Enduro rubber.

Having now seen the published specs of the 2007 Tiger, I think that, excepting large rocks and boulders, it will be at least as good if not better than the current Tiger on fire roads and mud if a decent tyre choice becomes available in 17". And even then the current Tiger's 19" rim isn't exactly ideal for negotiating large rocks and boulders.

playinthestreet

For all but the very best riders I think the Tiger and the BMW GS seldom went "off road". Gravel or hard pan dirt roads don't define off road to me. The new Tiger appears to be right up my alley and I've one on order!

JohnRimmer

Me too.It is silly to think that such heavy bikes as Tigers and GSs etc are for serious offroad use.It is just a marketing ploy to appeal to the egos of people who have aspirations to be adventure riders (whatever that is).These bikes are big and comfy,handle well enough and are great on our badly maintained UK roads.I have no intention of offroading and have fitted Michelin Pilot Road tyres (2 sets) which give far more secure handling,when pushing it,than Anakees.I can easily keep up with mates on a variety of bikes except on very fast open stretches when horsepower and handling limit the Tiger.In my experience this has only been in the Scottish Highlands (i.e. a couple of times a year). My 2005 Tiger is a great all-rounder but I expect the new 1050 to address the shortcomings that the old model has,at least for me. I'm looking forward to a test ride.

bareyb

Triumph seems to be following what "most" folks think the Tiger should be.Unfortunately it's moving away from what many of it's current Tiger owners want. It's all about sales and staying competitive. It is my belief that they have hit a home run and that the current crop of Tiger lovers will come around in time.

If the reviews are good and it looks at least as good in person as it does in pictures... Then count me in. Tall forks, dirt bike ergos, sexy styling, reasonable seat height, top of the line technology. I love my Sprint, but this new beast has turned my head.

[majordigression]I'm beginning to think the Sprint is kind of like a Girlfriend I once had. She was smokin' hot and fantastic in bed, but after awhile it became clear we were just looking for different things in life. Our true personalities just didn't mesh. Great sex, but not much else. Good reason to keep her around, but made it easy to move on when someone else more "compatible" came along. My next Gal had more traditional good looks, but she also had a great sense of humor and we had a lot in common. She was decent in bed, not as wild as Gal #1, but great in her own way, and alot more comfortable. I'm thinking the new Tiger might be my "Gal #2". [/majordigression] :-D

[ This message was edited by: bareyb on 2006-10-24 21:51 ]

Strontium

I was looking for some 17" knobblies for my DRZ400SM and came across these. Might fit the Tiger ?

Link

[ This message was edited by: Strontium on 2006-10-25 17:45 ]