Triumphrat

08-17-2004, 12:01 AM

Just bought a new 05 Tiger. Day 5 of ownership and riding in the rain when a woman talking on her cell phone pulled out on me. I broke right to avoid her, the rear wheel slid out and I was down! I was lucky and have minor shoulder/leg injury, but my Tiger sustained right sided damage; including tank, hard case/hanger, and fairing. Dealer estimates ~$3000 damage, which seemed high to me. I have not been down on a bike in >15 years and this incident has got me down. I was hoping to tour down to Florida in September, but now I'm a little mind-f%$#*d and am rethinking trip. Does anyone have any information or know where I could find out about touring with the Tiger?

tango · 08-17-2004, 01:59 PM

Medic54,

Sorry to hear about your mishap, glad you're relatively ok though

Triumph labour costs are exspensive try an independant paint shop. Unless the fairing fixing points are broken off and lost, then then it can easily be repaired same goes for the tank, after all it's not a warranty claim, meaning, you don't HAVE to go to your dealer.

As for touring on a tiger there are plenty of guys on here that have done big miles on their tigers, and all agree it is a very capable tourer.

A few of us have modified or added to our bikes to make them more suitable, what suits one may not suit another, but there are plenty of ideas to chew over.

Get back on your bike and get to know it, it really is a fantastic road bike, it's there to be enjoyed.

harum-scarum · 08-17-2004, 03:07 PM

Hey Medic54, sorry to hear of your mishap. I'm glad you're mostly OK. Don't let it get to you - the Tiger is a fine touring bike, and once you've got a few miles under your belt to regain your confidence I'm sure you'll be fine too.

All the best, mate...

BigStripey · 08-17-2004, 05:55 PM

Medic54,

Bummer about the spill

Bikes can be fixed, bodies take longer!, glad you came through relatively unscathed.

Re touring. I cannot sing the Tiger's praises enough. I have been to continental Europe for the last four years on my Tigers and i can honestly say that i have no grumbles. You can load them up like a pack mule and they still ride ok, they eat up the miles one minute then thrash up mountain twisties the next. Ok some might say that you need fairings and all the creature comforts of your favourite armchair. If i had wanted all that i would have got something like a Pan-European or an FJR Yamaha or a Beemer. To me they have no soul, the Tiger however has.

This year i covered 2,600 miles in 6 days and with the Gel seat, i had a blast. My companions needed chiropractors after a long day in the saddles of the 'arse up crotch rockets' , all i needed was the bar!

I am still in the planning stages of an extended biking holiday in the U.S. and i will not be riding anything other than my Tiger, because it's coming with me. No question!
Just couldn't bring myself to ride anything else somehow

:razz: :razz:

KuzzinKenny · 08-17-2004, 11:07 PM

Hi !! Did she play the same old record ( i didn`t see you ) or did she just keep on driving ?? its good you live to tell the tale and yes the bike can be fixed, but you get yourself sorted out first, EH !!

how many miles had you put on the bike ?? as you need a few hundred dry miles to run the tyres in. they have an oil coating on them to help get them out of the mould and dont have a lot of grip at first in the wet. my bike has just had its 1st service and i managed to do it all in the dry which is not bad as i live in Scotland. it is well broke in now as its been chucking it down all day, so i went for a run after the service to get a feel for it in the wet and it was great.

stick with the Tiger, its a Greaaaat bike !!

KK

djr · 08-18-2004, 09:08 AM

ouch, know how you feel. I was forced off my TT600 by white van man three days after picking her up!

The damage may be nowhere as bad as you first think. As has been said, if its possible to respray rather than replace the costs will drop dramatically. My TT was resprayed by a local Merc dealer (recommended by my triumph dealer).

Remember bikes fix, we take a bit longer so look on the bright side. You were able to tell us about it!

08-18-2004, 05:31 PM

I know it's difficult to think like this after a prang, but try not to stress about it... Once in 15 years is a good record, and there's no reason to think it wont happen again.

As for touring, my partner and I took our bikes through Europe last year for around 2700 miles - the tiger performed flawlessly (except my managing to drain the battery to nothing one night in strasbourg because I left the headlights on! - believe it or not there was a Triumph dealer in strasboug to provide a new one! *blimely). Anyway, I digress... get out there on your tour, i'm sure you won't regret it, the Tiger is purrr-fect for long-distance.
:-D :-D

tango · 08-18-2004, 07:05 PM

C'mon all you tourers help the man out with some tips and hints about touring with a Tiger. I'm dying to hear them myself

BigStripey · 08-18-2004, 07:37 PM

For the ultimate in carrying capacity, and ingenuity with storage, you need to look at 'Robbie's' Tiger. It needs a 'Wide Load' sticker on the back :razz:

But the general rule of thumb is keep any heavy items as low as possible and as close to the centre line of the bike as possible. Too much weight at the back of the bike will affect the front end so watch for that.

Things i always take with me....
Small air compressor that plugs in the 12v auxillary socket
Puncture repair kit and spare inner tube
A roll of Duck Tape, and Self-amalgamating tape
Spare fuses and bulbs
Small bottle of chain oil
Handful of zip ties
Telephone numbers of Triumph dealers on or near my route.
Spare Keys (Been there got the 'T' shirt!)

Apart from that, point the Tiger to the open road an it will do the rest for you :-D

08-18-2004, 09:55 PM

I suggest atraining wheel...