???
After receiving many inquires on WHY did I purchase a Tiger, I finally got off my ass and added this in..... Yah, I know, about time...!
FIrst, I really began my motorcycling life on a Suzuki DR350. Fun little thing!
Drove it for a while and had a blast. Very light, nice 4-stroke engine, good off road and onroad ride for a smaller bike. Did quite a bit of off road driving and this is the best teaching tool for ANY street driver, really!
But had a few big problems: namely a 75-80 MPH top speed and would get blown around on the highways.
So here is a few quick reasons why I love the Tigger:
(It is the little things that makes it worth while!)
1) Drive through nearly 2 foot deep stream...
2) Decide that curbs are only advisories and don't have to direct
your bikes course...
3) Play in the plowed farmers' field...
4) Drive dirt and gravel roads...
5) Ignore road closed signs...
6) Keep up with the local squids till 75 MPH or so in a drag race...
7) Dive it across the field and then do almost 130 MPH on the highway...
8) Annoy Harley-Davidson drivers... ;-)
9) Carry 50 lb.. of potatoes and 50 lb.. of onions at the same time
on the back of the bike with only a bungie net to keep 'em from falling
off...
10) Have people glance at your bike and then stop and look again
because they think it is cool...
O.K., O.K., so you want some real reasons...??? Oh, all right... I guess I can think of a few....
BASICS:
The Tiger was designed to be a mostly on-road bike with some reasonable
off-road qualities. This fit my needs since I thought I would spend approximately
90% of my time on hard surfaced roads.
In reality, I would have to say that the actual time and distance amounts must be nearer to 98% / 2%, but the off-road times weigh more heavily in my feelings and memory. The long distance highway rides seem to get edited out somewhat in my memory banks.....
So, I am happy with the on and off-road mix that the bake has. While
being a bit heavy in the softer stuff, it handles well in the gravel and
dirt for a bike of it's size. The very long suspension (Front = 9"
Rear = 8.8") smoothes out even the worst of urban roads, and you
drive faster over speed bumps so that you feel them less!
The size of the bike must be large enough to fit me. And it is!
You must have at least a 28" or so inseam length to be able to straddle the bike while not being on your tip-toes. It is possible to quickly lower the bike a bit by rolling over the eccentric rear cam and lowering the forks a similar amount.
ENGINE:
Designed and engineered to be some of the most durable on the market.
"Bullet-Proof" is the most common description attributed to the new Triumph
triples. They took some ideas from everyone when building the engine, Japanese,
German, Italian, and others were "borrowed" from and put to use.
While not having the astronomical torque figures of the 2 cylinder bikes it can rev up to almost Japanese 4 cylinder levels while retaining greater torque values. So at lower RPM's it has good torque and can rev to a high enough amount to make decent power as well. Basically, it is a mixture between the 2 and 4 cylinder bikes. A mixture that works well and sounds great!
Liquid cooling was a requirement in my purchasing decision. No air cooled engine can be made with the same internal component clearances. The liquid cooled engines have tighter internal tolerances due to they operate in a narrower operating temperature range than their air cooled brothers. The hottest most muggy summer days and the coldest winter mornings are the required temperature operating ranges for my bike. It also must have no hard starting qualities.
SUSPENSION:
Rear -> Wonderful!
Full adjustments possible as on a true superbike. Nuff' said!
Front -> Soggy!
With me (and from other more normal) people at the helm the bike
has a bit of a mushy feel. When a set of front pre-load spacers (0.75-1.00")
are added the bike gets a bit better. A new set of front springs from the
likes of RaceTech are required for better handling. This helps in hard
cornering and controlling the front end dive on hard stops.
CONCLUSION:
I love the bike even more now than the day I purchased it!
The things to change:
Add a set of new front fork springs.
Work on eliminating the lean carb conditions.
And consider tires that reflect on where you will be going. (The
T66's are good on dry roads, but leave a lot to be desired for the wet
and dirt stuff.)
Stock seats are poor for long drives - modify or purchase a new
one.
The things to keep:
Everything else!
Ride it! The bike needs to run at least 5,000 miles before it is
through most of the break-in period.
Up a small hill at work, the bike's front tire will now come up
while in 2nd gear. This started around 3,000 miles or so - the throttle
position was always the same - WIDE OPEN!
(Who wants to stay at work any longer, you know?)
The bike fits my needs and does all the tasks I give her. Keeps up with the sportsbike crowd and allows you to go blasting out over the hills and dales. Around town it is a comfortable drive with lots of torque and a very generous suspension travel. Works well and does it all.
Remember, this is a big, top-heavy bike with power to get yourself
into a lot of trouble! Drive a smaller dual-sport or true dirt bike for
a while. The off-road driving will give you a real boost in your skills
and knowledge of motorcycle riding. Learning how to stay up when both tires
are sliding is a VERY valuable skill! Even if you never want to drive off-road
- do it! It might keep you alive....
TO BE CONTINUED......
