My Tiger (roadie) and I celebrated our first anniversary this past week, and after 4,800 miles I figure I’ve learned enough to offer some thoughts. I bought the Tiger because I wanted a more maneuverable bike and something that was out of the ordinary. I’ve ridden on the cold mountains of Colorado (on roads, not trail) and through the hot Texas summer. I’m 6 feet tall, 190 lbs with a 33” inseam. These are my impressions.
My mods to date: Triumph equipment: engine bars, fog lights, center stand, and hardcase panniers. Non-Triumph equipment (in order of favorite): Madstad wind screen (adventure), Corbin Canyon saddle, Garmin Nuvi GPS, Rox handlebar risers, SW-Motech heel guards, R&G handlebar sliders.
The good: The bike is incredibly well-constructed and the build quality is excellent. I see no blemishes everything connects seamlessly. The engineering is a thing of beauty. The triple is fabulous, though I hear no poetry from the standard exhaust. The bike is incredibly responsive and quick. The bike handles extremely well. It is a blast to ride on the country roads (but less so in the stop and go traffic of the city—sitting high makes it a bit more a chore). Even though the bike may be a bit on the light side, I don’t get buffeted much by wind or vehicle drafts.
The somewhat neutral: It’s a tall bike and top-heavy (as are all adventure tourers). Moving to this bike from my old Vulcan cruiser is an entirely different feel, and took a bit to adapt (my problem, not the Tiger’s). Yes, I’ve dropped it, but thanks to the panniers, there was no damage (those things are solid). Shifting is very precise. I didn’t realize what a lazy shifter I was because the Vulcan was very forgiving. The Tiger, though, is incredibly responsive, as a high horsepower bike should be. Gears don’t have much spread, and I can’t always tell by feel what gear I’m in. The Pirelli Scorpion tires work fine, though I took a screw last month and replaced my rear with a Michelin Road Pilot 4, which is great. While any service costs on any Triumph are high, I’ve had no problems with the bike that have needed attention.
The bad: Engine heat. If you ride in stop and go traffic above 90 degrees, you will feel every bit of it and then some. If you don’t, you may never notice it. The heat is the only bad part of the bike that you can’t fix with mods, though being spread out a bit more on the Corbin seat helps a bit. Triumph also has a sense of humor, but at your expense, as the windscreen and the seat are a joke. The OEM windscreen protects the instrument pack and not much else. The Madstad screen is a great improvement, though the Triumph design only allows three mounting points, so the screen will buffet a bit at high speeds. Still, I wouldn’t ride without it. The OEM seat allows one rather cramped seating position, is soft, and the cover material doesn’t breathe. Coupled with the engine heat, your butt will sweat a lot in the high heat of summer. I used a beaded cover with the stock seat before I got the Corbin, and it helped a bit on the sweat problem, but not the one-place-to-sit problem. The Corbin is a tremendous improvement. It allows you to slide forwards and back, and gives you a little bit of lower back support. The seating surface is leather. It is excellently crafted. My only complaint with the Corbin is that it is made on order and you are billed for both the seat and shipping when you place your order, even though it may be many weeks before it ships. They also don’t allow returns. Still, I love the seat, and it’s not going back. I don’t like the chain drive because of the maintenance required, and I can’t imagine servicing the chain without having a center stand.
Overall: My Tiger’s grade keeps improving with age. The first month, with the original windscreen and seat, engine heat, and the stiffness of a brand new bike, it got a C plus or a B minus. A few months in with the mods, it moved up to a B or B plus. Now a year in, with the bike more broken in, and me with it, it’s a solid A. I’m happy with the bike, and would buy it again, but I’d still look at the BMWs. I may buy a cruiser in a few years (the new Thunderbirds look absolutely awesome), but if I do, I’ll still keep the Tiger.
My mods to date: Triumph equipment: engine bars, fog lights, center stand, and hardcase panniers. Non-Triumph equipment (in order of favorite): Madstad wind screen (adventure), Corbin Canyon saddle, Garmin Nuvi GPS, Rox handlebar risers, SW-Motech heel guards, R&G handlebar sliders.
The good: The bike is incredibly well-constructed and the build quality is excellent. I see no blemishes everything connects seamlessly. The engineering is a thing of beauty. The triple is fabulous, though I hear no poetry from the standard exhaust. The bike is incredibly responsive and quick. The bike handles extremely well. It is a blast to ride on the country roads (but less so in the stop and go traffic of the city—sitting high makes it a bit more a chore). Even though the bike may be a bit on the light side, I don’t get buffeted much by wind or vehicle drafts.
The somewhat neutral: It’s a tall bike and top-heavy (as are all adventure tourers). Moving to this bike from my old Vulcan cruiser is an entirely different feel, and took a bit to adapt (my problem, not the Tiger’s). Yes, I’ve dropped it, but thanks to the panniers, there was no damage (those things are solid). Shifting is very precise. I didn’t realize what a lazy shifter I was because the Vulcan was very forgiving. The Tiger, though, is incredibly responsive, as a high horsepower bike should be. Gears don’t have much spread, and I can’t always tell by feel what gear I’m in. The Pirelli Scorpion tires work fine, though I took a screw last month and replaced my rear with a Michelin Road Pilot 4, which is great. While any service costs on any Triumph are high, I’ve had no problems with the bike that have needed attention.
The bad: Engine heat. If you ride in stop and go traffic above 90 degrees, you will feel every bit of it and then some. If you don’t, you may never notice it. The heat is the only bad part of the bike that you can’t fix with mods, though being spread out a bit more on the Corbin seat helps a bit. Triumph also has a sense of humor, but at your expense, as the windscreen and the seat are a joke. The OEM windscreen protects the instrument pack and not much else. The Madstad screen is a great improvement, though the Triumph design only allows three mounting points, so the screen will buffet a bit at high speeds. Still, I wouldn’t ride without it. The OEM seat allows one rather cramped seating position, is soft, and the cover material doesn’t breathe. Coupled with the engine heat, your butt will sweat a lot in the high heat of summer. I used a beaded cover with the stock seat before I got the Corbin, and it helped a bit on the sweat problem, but not the one-place-to-sit problem. The Corbin is a tremendous improvement. It allows you to slide forwards and back, and gives you a little bit of lower back support. The seating surface is leather. It is excellently crafted. My only complaint with the Corbin is that it is made on order and you are billed for both the seat and shipping when you place your order, even though it may be many weeks before it ships. They also don’t allow returns. Still, I love the seat, and it’s not going back. I don’t like the chain drive because of the maintenance required, and I can’t imagine servicing the chain without having a center stand.
Overall: My Tiger’s grade keeps improving with age. The first month, with the original windscreen and seat, engine heat, and the stiffness of a brand new bike, it got a C plus or a B minus. A few months in with the mods, it moved up to a B or B plus. Now a year in, with the bike more broken in, and me with it, it’s a solid A. I’m happy with the bike, and would buy it again, but I’d still look at the BMWs. I may buy a cruiser in a few years (the new Thunderbirds look absolutely awesome), but if I do, I’ll still keep the Tiger.
