Triumphrat

Hi everyone. First post.

I've had a quick scan of the threads and can't find a "What to look for when buying a 2nd hand Tiger" thread. Is there such a thread or guide ?

I'm looking to change to a new or 1 yr-old (max) Tiger and want to see what to look out for.

(I pass the Jack Lilley dealership just outside London everyday - and the bikes all look great )
Cheers,
P

[ This message was edited by: sixhundred on 2005-02-28 11:50 ]

tango

P,

Welcome to the happy tiger club.

If you are buying new, then it aint second hand. If you're buiyng anything less than a year old it's nearly new. Either way expect a stonker of a bike, the latest ones have a sliver frame, swingarm etc, and a few tweaks to the geometry of the bike.
The pre '05 models had black frame and swingarm and tubed tyres.
No difference to the engine or ancillaries.

The only thing to be concerned about if buying a tiger within your criteria is crash damage, coz not much goes wrong with them straight out of the box.

It's a tall bike, certainly compared to your Fazer, but you soon get used to it. But it can catch you out at a standstill and low speed manouvres, but again you get used to it.

Once you've bought it don't think that's the end of your spending, coz there's lots of stuff on here you'll see and think, mmm, I need that :wink: .

Good luck on the tiger hunt and post up some pic's when you bag it.

ps.
If buying from a dealer, find one with a good reputation, they can be thin on the ground.

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davie.

I,ve got a mountain of dreams to climb.

Do unto others as they are doing unto you.

Thanks for the detailed reply.

The height of the Tiger is a major attraction as I stand at 6'3". The Fazer is a tad cramped to say the least.

I'm looking for something to commute everyday, come rain or shine and must be totally reliable. I was put off a Triumph some years ago due to questions about reliabilty. All sounds much better nowadays.

P

tango

P,

As a do it all bike it would take something extra special to beat the tiger.
And given your size it's tailer made.
I would still recomend fitting crash bars though.

Triumph have really got their act together now and they are producing bikes every bit as reliable as anything else on the market, but with a style and character unique to Triumph.

The 955 engine is a gem and the tiger is perfectly tuned for the road. If you want to do 150mph, get something else. But if you like a good stong mid-range with a flat torque then the tiger is the business, even with a passenger.

Front end is a bit soft, but that's an easy and relatively inexpensive fix.

Tank range in excess of 250 miles.

Service intervals every 6k miles, major ones @12k.

And with the newer bikes coming with heated grips, centre stand and panniers, it's got to be one of the best value bikes anywhere.

And another thing, the grin factor is HUGE :-D :-D

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davie.

I,ve got a mountain of dreams to climb.

Do unto others as they are doing unto you.

Timtiger

Welcome Sixhundred,
The topic has been discussed a few times. Have a look here:
soon-to-be tiger owner needs advice

Here:I want one (I think)

And here:Newbie, Intro, Questions...........

Good luck finding a well looked after example. They are all good

Thanks for the pointers to previous posts.

Much appreciated.

Edit: I've been reading the other threads mentioned (and others) and this forum is extremely informative. Much better than other forums and it's all very friendly. Well done to all posters !

My current choices are a Tiger (new if I can get a good deal, or 1 yr old max), Yamaha TDM900 (I've always had Yamahas and they are sooo reliable), Honda Transalp XL650V (engine too small?), BMW R1150 GS (would have to be 2nd hand)

The Triumph is relatively expensive and I need to decide if the extra expense is worth it, and I'd really like to buy British. The Yam will be totally reliable but it's not got any edge, it's a tad bland. The Honda will probably be underpowered. The BMW is so expensive, therefore it would have to be a bike 2 or 3 years old. I'm not keen on buying a bike that old even if it is a BMW. It'll probably come down to Triumph vs Yamaha. I've yet to ride any of them yet.

I've looked at other manufacturers and options but top of my wishlist is that the bike must be totally reliable - I need to get to work everyday !. Other manufacturers don't press the right buttons in terms of reliability and dealer backup. Triumph scores a huge plus point there as my local dealer is well regarded.

Will let y'all know how it goes and post my comparison results at some point (as it may be useful to others).

P

[ This message was edited by: sixhundred on 2005-03-01 03:39 ]

Badger955

P, I commute on mine every day whatever the weather chucks at me, heavy snow and ice excluded, and so far it hasn't missed a beat and cleans up good as new. Prior to the Tiger I had 2 VFRs and the Tiger is more comfortable, has better road prescence and you can see over the cars easier. Oh and not to forget that triple engine. :-D

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Growing old disgracefully

knarf

Keep your eye on ebay, Nearly new or very low mile tigers pop up now and again and you can always turnup with a wad of cash.

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The 1st annual pigmy tiger meet was somewhat quiet.

WildeKurt

I faced similar issues when I bought my Tiger. (Oh, yeah, I also just went in for a can of oil :???: ). Compared to the BMW GS it's way less expensive. Also, IMHO, the motor is way more fun on the Tiger. It didn't take me long to buy it after trying my first 955i motored bike (an ST). I've had a oilhead boxer for a few years and while a big twin has it's nice points is so slow to rev than the 955i triple. I expect 3 may be the perfect number of cylinders.

Really, I figured $10,500 list for the bike with hard bags to be quite reasonable. Especially compared to the European imports. I got mine for $1K under list plus a bunch of goodies that were optional in '04 in the US: Heated hand grips, center stand, fender extenders, etc.

pigpen955

I too commute in all types of weather (unless there is active snow on the ground) and have never had even a hint of problems. The bike is as reliable as any, IMHO.

I got mine with 6,500 miles on the odo (just broken in) from a web based dealer who was very competent. I now have 23,000 miles on it and it was the best thing I ever did. My frequent riding partner has an 1150GS and I would take the Tiger any day of the week. The engine is spectacular!

Hope that helps!

Fred

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No such thing as cold weather, just inappropriate clothing.