New '11 Triumph Tiger 800 - Initial Impressions

[andoulli]

Originally Posted by Bueller

If you are looking for sustained 100 mph + this is probably a terrible choice. You need something with a barn door for a fairing. I was always damn impressed with my fjr in that respect. I once did half of a 700 mile trip at 90 - 120 mph and averaged 45 mpg in complete comfort. Lowering the windshield all the way at those speeds was worth another 1-2 mpg depending on wind direction and strength.

Other than the fact that it made for a lousy dirt road bike and was a bit porky there wasn't much I could say about the fjr that was negative.

Agreed, it's really about having realistic expectations. Barn doors can be comfortable, but require big engines to push them. People that buy FJRs understand what they do best, hopefully the same will be true for the T800. Some may find this example interesting. A few weeks ago I sold a 2005 F650 to a fly and rider. I live in Baton Rouge. He lives in Vancouver, Washington. That's right, a fly and rider. We are talking about a single cylinder 50 hp F650. A great guy who doesn't believe in "why are all the great bikes so far away, or sorry, wrong coast". Yes, ten plus days across the country on a single. He reported after the trip that he had the time of his life. He understood before the purchase where the F bike excelles and where it is deficient. Here it is 7K feet up in Nevada.



The 800 Tiger just may be the perfect motorcycle for me for a very long time to come.

[andoulli]

Originally Posted by The Jerk

Regarding the stiffness of the front suspension, I feel pretty confident that the suspension will break in and loosen up a bit. I seem to recall that when my 1050 was new, I found the front end too stiff over certain types of pavement (stuff like the BQE) but it eventually broke in to the point where it's nice and smooth on that kind of stuff. Perhaps a large part of the stiffness is just the stiction inherent in a front end with all new parts. At any rate, I'll definitely put some miles on it before I decide if anything needs to be done.

On another note, the stock horn is pretty darn loud. I might not need to do a horn upgrade.

Yeah, I am hoping break in will improve things. I decided to check out the rear pre-load to see if any adjustments there might improve things. It appears that about 40 clicks separate full on stiff from full on soft, with the factory delivering the motorcycle with the shock adjusted about 30 clicks off of full stiff. Yesterday I adjusted it to full soft just to see what it feels like, did not have time to test it but will today. I also plan to adjust the sag after testing full soft. I did not see in the manual any recommendations for sag, so I was thinking something like 1.5 inches to start with.

[The Jerk]

The owner's manual suggests, for the rear shock, 30 clicks back from max preload (why do there have to be so many clicks?!) for solo riding and max preload for 2-up riding and/or riding with luggage.

I've got it set in the suggested solo riding mode right now. The rear isn't so bad, it's the front that is really bringing the stiffness.

Since there's really not anything you can adjust other than rear preload, they probably didn't think it was worthwhile getting into the whole measuring sag thing. I mean, if the sag ain't right, what are you gonna do about it?

So, accessories. I have the following things on order - the waiting game begins:

- Triumph crash bars
- Triumph heated grips
- Triumph service manual
- Triumph auxiliary power socket
- Triumph center stand

So far the only thing I ordered which I have actually received is the Triumph GPS mount which looks pretty slick. I think, since no one has yet purchased my 1050, that I'm going to harvest my zumo 660 mount from that bike and transfer it to the 800.

Once I get all this stuff in then it'll be accessory install photo porn day.

[The Jerk]

So there I was bitching about accessories, and when I got home look what was waiting for me!



Heated grips, crash bars and power socket. Thanks Triumph Metuchen!

Also my Helmet Guardian came in today. Now off to install this stuff before it gets dark...(except for the heated grips. That'll be a project).

[andoulli]

My list

Fog lights-check
Heated grips-check
Center stand- check
Tank pad-check
Luggage-waiting
Tall screen-waiting
Swingarm Pivot cover-waiting
Alloy sump guard-waiting
Beak-waiting

[Bueller]

Originally Posted by andoulli

My list

Fog lights-check
Heated grips-check
Center stand- check
Tank pad-check
Luggage-waiting
Tall screen-waiting
Swingarm Pivot cover-waiting
Alloy sump guard-waiting
Beak-waiting

My list:

Tiger 800.

Then I'll worry about everything else

[Grainbelt]

I soooo wish they would make a sprint 800

[cug]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

I soooo wish they would make a sprint 800

Sprint GT 800?

[andoulli]

Originally Posted by cug

Sprint GT 800?

They could do it, target the F800ST.

[The Jerk]

OK so I had a mini accessory-installation party last night between the time I got home from work and the time it got dark. I managed to get the crash bars, auxiliary power socket and Helmet Guardian installed. The heated grips will have to wait until I have some more time.

First off here's a nice pic of the new 800 and its older brother:



The first thing I installed was the Triumph crash bars. These seem to be pretty stout, if not quite as stout as SW_Motech's crash bars for the Tiger 1050. Hopefully I will never need to find out how drop/crashworthy they are. The bars do not ship with instructions; instead you go to http://www.triumphinstructions.com and type in the part number to download the instructions in your preferred language.

The instructions are very clear and easy to follow so I won't repeat them step by step. There are six plastic blanking plugs in the crankcase that you need to find and remove before you get started. There are two in each side and two in the front up high in the area behind the exhaust header. Some of the plugs are tricky to reach but they are threaded and all can be unscrewed with mere finger power. Here's a photo of the two threaded holes on the right side that are left when the blanking plugs are removed:



The instructions provide the order of operation but basically you get both crash bars loosely mounted up without tightening the bolts. This is to make sure you have enough play to get all the bolts started as you go around. Then you tighten up the right side first to 20 Nm, then the left side, then finally the two bolts at the crossbar get tightened to 8Nm. The main bolts require a 12mm socket while the crossbar bolts are Torx T30. The upper bolt on the right side bar is a real pain to get torqued up as you don't have a lot of room to get in there between the bar and the header. Be patient and you'll eventually get it snugged down.

The final result:



The following are pics of how far the bars stick out to the side relative to the tank:





The next step was the power socket. Triumph thoughtfully includes one standard power socket up by the ignition lock but you have the option of adding another one on the left side of the bike, in the side wall of the battery tray. If you look on the left side, you will find a round plug, like so:



Take off the seat, and you will have more room to work if you remove the battery. There is also an air duct on that side of the battery tray that it is helpful to remove. There's a single 8mm bolt that holds it in place and then you can pull up and back to remove it. I think that duct is the air intake for the engine as it seems to lead to the airbox.

When you look down into the battery tray, there is a wire harness running along the left side. A part of this harness has a plug with nothing connected to it which is taped with blue tape to the rest of the harness. That's your plug for the power socket. Cut the blue tape to free the plug. See the photo below. The structures in the photo, from top to bottom, are the battery, the ECU and the air duct I mentioned above. You can see the plug taped to the harness:



Basically, you pop the blanking plug out from the inside, insert the power socket into the hole from the outside, then fit the washer to the inside, then the nut (concave side toward the washer) and tighten it up. Then plug in the connector. If you're an asshole like me, you'll drop the nut into the battery tray and then definitely have to remove the air duct in order to fish it out of the bottom of the tray.

Here's a picture of the battery tray with the battery and air duct removed:



Finally, the Helmet Guardian. I saw Triumph's laughable helmet hooks and was not impressed. I've been using a Helmet Guardian on my 1050 since I bought it and am a happy customer, so I bought one for this bike. Basically you fit it behind the license plate and run the special bolts through which are secured with 11mm locknuts on the back side. The bolts are a security Allen type and require a special Allen key to install and remove (which is of course included with the item - don't lose it!). Easy to install and then you have a convenient place to lock your helmet up when you make a quick stop.

[The Jerk]

A few things that jumped to my attention on this gusty day:

The 800 really gets blown around in the wind on the highway (relative to the 1050). I suspect due to its lighter weight (who would have thought that 40 lbs. would make such a difference?) and perhaps also due in some small part to its quicker steering. Will take a little getting used to.

You can tell that the fueling is not quite right just off idle, it seems a touch lean. Makes it that much harder to be smooth. A BoosterPlug would probably be a great item for this bike.

Does everybody's bike have a charcoal canister or did I get a CA model somehow?

Come on suspension, break in! I literally got launched off the seat by a couple frost heaves on the Belt Parkway. I was only going 55 mph.

I was thinking while riding that the front end provides great feedback; you can really feel everything that's going on with the tires and brakes. Then I noticed that the bars are not rubber-mounted. So everything that's happening with that front tire gets transmitted right to your fingertips. Perhaps that's why it feels more confidence-inspiring.

[The Jerk]

Found a cool feature today. I noticed that the passenger grab rails also have little protrusions on the underside so that if you use them as tie-down points, your tie-downs can't slide around to a different part of the bar, thus losing tension (and possibly your load). Nice touch, Triumph.

[sands]

That is a gorgeous motorcycle...The fit and finish look superb.

[Trent in WA]

I took a T800 for a demo ride last weekend and will second everything the OP said about its initial impressions. The engine didn't seem like it had that much going until around 2500 rpm (I managed to stall it pulling away from stop signs a couple times), but above that, it was pure fun. A real nutroaster in traffic, but I think I could get used to it. Great suspension. Damn great brakes and brake feel. Supremely comfortable with minimal wind noise and no buffeting to speak of. I just wanted to rail it around, even with the new tires, but responsibility got the best of me. If I didn't have a bike I was mostly happy with ('Zuk Gladius), I would've signed off on it then and there.

According to the dealer, Triumph can't build them fast enough to satisfy the demand for them. I think they have a real winner in this bike.

[sands]

Comfort sounds good...It's hard to find a real comfy bike with a true upright position that really performs well these days.