Triumph Tiger 800

Thanks for clearing that up. I'll probably stick with the Heidis on the rear then as I have a place very near to me that can get them. And they last forever.

I just had K60 Scouts put on my 800XC today. I was pretty surprised at how stiff the rear in particular was, and was glad that I was having it installed rather than doing it myself.

On the ride home from the shop they felt a little squirrely. Got home and the pressures were way too high. Adjusting the tire pressures then cutting off all the little hairs made them feel much better. Took the bike out this afternoon for about 120 miles, and they feel good now. I need to recheck the pressures in the morning though to get a true cold psi reading. I'm thinking I'll try about 30/35 psi front/rear initially (for the road), then adjust from there.

Yes, I actually took the time to cut all the little hairs off...I'm a little OCD, I didn't work today, and I don't have a wife to yell at me for using the tiny nose hair scissors on the bike.

I did the same thing except I also had a TKC 80 front that I snipped all of the rubber bits off of as well. How long did it take to do front and rear tires? About 3 beers.

That'll do OK. Those are the pressures I use especially with luggage. Although I have found them still OK on road at 15F/20R when coming off dirt back onto the road. They are stiff buggers.

Can't remember where I got the figures (maybe from Leslie and Cheryl's trip to Alaska?) but I run 33F and 36R on the street and it handles like a slot car. Drop down 7 psi on each end, 26F and 29R for easy OTR, and down another 6 psi for the deep stuff. Of course what do I know? I got to know some sagebrush and rocks on a first name basis last week-end

Put down the cash for a green 2013 800xc...should be ready for pick up by next week...I'm an ex gs800 owner ( wrecked it)...looking forward to the smooth triple!!!

I have a set of Oxford heated grips that I want to hook up, and would like to use switched power--the set I have claims to switch them off if the voltage gets too low, but I don't readily trust that. Ideally, I'd like to use the connection for the OEM heated grips, but if I understand correctly, that won't work because of a relay that turns the power on to that connection separately from the ignition? I know there's the Eastern Beaver kit you can get to make it plug and play, but I was hoping to get these installed this weekend. Is there any way around the relay without getting the EB kit? Or another easy-ish circuit to tap into? (I know people have used headlight circuits before, but I've also heard that's generally a no-no.)

(Heidi K60's) Likewise 33 front, 36 rear with excellent results for the last 8000 miles. Switched from 140 rear to 150 wide after the first 1000 miles, I think the 140 is better off road, but like the 150 better on road and it works well enough off road, just to stir up another hornets nest. Ken

How appropriate for my 100th post to stir up trouble...

Tim,

All the relays are the same -- well maybe not every single one but... I looked last time and saw the same relay on three or more circuits. It's a key on thing, just what you want -- it's not "separately from the ignition", if I understand what you meant correctly. If the relay is there or you get a replacement from your dealer for the one you don't have, then the problem is the switch has no less than 6 wires going to it, so you'll need to find the load power vs the lamp power & I guess vampire it or whatever you want. It's all right under the tank just behind the head stock when you have it installed factory, so the harness bits should be tucked away there for you.

If I recall correctly the grips and auxiliary lights are the same relay, and I believe headlights, and instrument cluster too -- the lamps and grips ones are hiding down on the side of the rad under the cowls, and the others are in the battery compartment.

Chek with your meck a nick,

This is easy if you take the tank off. There's a plug for the Triumph grips. Just follow my photos here :- http://s396.photobucket.com/albums/pp48/black955tiger/TIGER800XC LV11UXM/HEATED GRIPS INSTALL/

Sorry if someone else has already shared, but as anyone that has ever changed the rear tire on an 800XC knows, the bead is something terrible to get knocked down without a tire machine. Major fear of having to do it along the road and I would consider myself very proficient and changing tires. I had one of those chisel shaped bead poppers in my bag but had tried using it at home for tire changes and it really didn't help much. The bead area is really wide on that rear rim.

I saw the Motion Pro Bead Pro reviewed in a magazine and got one immediately.

http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/articles/view/2782/bead_pro™_tire_tool/



It's pricey, I think it was around $75 at my local dealer but it works. It takes about one trip around the bead to get it pushed down a little, but then as you start your second pass, it'll knock it all the way down. The other lever in the pictures is the third one I carry with me. I've had it forever since it works on lots of bikes. Also a Motion Pro item. Has a 27mm on one end. Crazy light weight and works very good as a tire lever.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I had been gung-ho about just going in and installing the grips until I did a quick search to see if anyone had tips and saw that it might not be as straightforward as I thought. If I understand correctly, it should actually be a bit more like I'd originally expected. I am indeed planning on just using a vampire connector to attach to the existing wiring. I'm guessing maybe things are more problematic if one is trying to simply find the female connector to the OEM harness and hardwire that to the grips (which would have 2 wires instead of the OEM's 3.) Or, I could be talking out of my ass.

Excellent, thanks for the pics, that will be super helpful. I'd hoped to be able to do this without taking the tank off, but it sounds like it might be worth the extra effort in this case.

Thanks for the report on this. I've been looking at it for a good while now, even while it was being in the pre-production mode. I think I'll get one.

I'm 190 pounds w/o gear on, almost always have Jesse aluminum panniers on the bike, and have always had the preload on the stock shock spring at max and still felt I probably had too much sag. With any luggage at all, I had to use the manual lever on the headlight to keep from blinding oncoming drivers, even with the lights on low. Put The Girlfriend on and the spring was way overwhelmed.

Finally decided to do something about it. Really had a hard time finding spring options. AV_MECH worked with Sasquatch Suspension in Idaho and figured out new spring rates but that suspension guy is in jail now...

I took my own sag measurements and compared to what AV_MECH had for targets. The front was spot on which didn't surprise me as it's always felt about right. The rear had about 3/4" too much sag with no luggage.

HyperPro lists a spring kit but feedback I got from an inmate indicated it was really stiff. I exchanged some emails with Klaus (info@epmperf.com) at EPM (which carries HyperPro in the US) and he shared that they have a progressive spring that fits the 800XC that would fall between the one listed in the kit and stock. He said the heavier spring is 141-212 N/mm and the next one down is 103-143 N/mm. I've seen some different numbers, but I think stock is around 100 N/mm straight rate.

I really wanted something heavier but didn't have time to do a bunch of experimenting since I'm leaving on a trip soon (tomorrow actually) so decided to try the 103-143. $139 for a purple one, $149 for black. I got black. Part number is SP-MO 1198.



My buddy Doug at the local KTM/Ducati shop helped me swap the springs. Unfortunately his spring compressor wouldn't work with the plastic sleeve the Triumph shock has so we had to go old school and use tie downs.



Note - if you're pulling the shock out, it helps immensely to pull off the shift linkage at the shift shaft and remove the countershaft sprocket cover.

My target sag with rider is a tick under 3". With me on the bike and no luggage, I ended up at 2.625" at max preload. I haven't measured it with everything loaded up but I think it's going to be about right. I did about 30 miles on it yesterday and it felt great. The whole attitude of the bike is better with the rear end up about an inch. The spring is going to end up still slightly soft with full luggage and a passenger, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

On a side note, Race Tech didn't list anything for the 800, but I had sent them an email in early December to see if they had done any work yet. I got a response a couple of days ago (I had already bought and installed the HyperPro spring by then) that YES, they have products and settings for the Tiger 800's. Gold valves, springs, etc. Terry Diederichs (terry@racetech.com) was the person that responded to me. So there may be some good options there as well.

Seriously??? :huh

I'm 250lbs, and even packed for a two-week trip I don't need to crank the preload to max on the stock shock. Did you get the bike new? If not, maybe the previous owner put a softer spring on...?

--mark

That's great to know. I use a Best Rest Beadbrakr. It works. It's a nice tool, but its also big, clunky, heavy and complicated considering it breaks beads:huh Those Motion Pros look like a simple upgrade, esp. if you can confirm there use on a rear XC tire

+1 on the Motion Pro Bead Breaker...got one a few weeks ago and changed the D606 on my DRZ the other night...worked like a champ!!! Also great that the two pieces work as tire irons, so those and the MP axle nut wrench and you're good to go.

I thought the D606 was hard to spoon on when it originally did it...the MotoZ Tractionator I put on took it to a whole new level, especially since it was cold in my garage. I wouldn't even want to think about doing a Heidi cold!

Yep, I've had it at max preload from day one. Bought the bike new in April of '11 The Jesse set up is pretty heavy. I have around 13,500 on it now and I do think the spring was getting softer and softer...

Strange. I've got nearly 31,000 miles on my XC, and while both the forks and the rear shock have settled in a bit (ie, less harsh than new), the spring is definitely not too soft. I still have a fair amount of preload adjustment available if I need it, but so far I haven't.

And no, the rear end of the bike is not sagging excessively.

--mark

I'll chime in on the preload discussion...

Assuming there's nothing wrong with EvoMX's bike, it sounds to me like differences in perceptions and preferences. Sounds like EvoMX likes it a little firmer with very little sag, while others don't mind things a little softer with a little more sag.

I'm a little heavier than EvoMX (220 without gear), and had been running the factory preset of 24 clicks out on spring preload and 1.5 turns out on damping, and it seemed a touch soft to me. I've only got about 550 miles on mine so far and just reset it to 10 clicks out and .5 turns. Taking it out today to see what that does...I'm thinking it'll be a little firm and I may back off from that, but I'll know more today.