Tiger 800 Thinking of buying a Tiger 800 XC SE

I know my mate went from a Speed to a Tiger(road) and loves it. Doesn't miss the HP at all. Last time I met him he told me it was "the Holy Grail".
Though he did say it was better after he'd fitted some decent road tyres.
We all rode down to France last year with a couple of BMW GS's and he had no problem keeping up.

I had one for a couple of hours and was quite impressed with it.
I have noticed the second hand prices are coming down and I might look at getting one as a second bike next year.

 

I've ridden one quite a few times, One of our regular tour members had one and we swap bikes on tour a lot he bought it new on a 61 reg and did a couple of tours on it. don't know if it was an XC or a standard one but I have done very long days on one of 200 miles plus.
I liked it, certainly wasn't lacking in power and handling was brilliant. What let it down as a tourer was the small screen, over 80MPH was hard work on the motorway. Another mate bought it off him when he came to swap it and fitted it with an expensive Madstad screen which improved it. The mate that bought it originally was 58 years old at the time and found the tiger to be the most comfy bike he had owned for many years. Why he sold it and then bought a Honda crossrunner is still a mystery to all including himself. I'm used to big touring bikes and won't pretend the tiger was as comfy or luxurious as one of those. Neither the BMW RT or the GS or the Varadero that I have owned and toured on can be compared to the Tiger 800. They were all better touring bikes but the tiger was fast, agile, fun and very capable, just not as good at 300 mile days.

If your concern is just the lack of 30BHP then in my view, you should do it. If you are regularly using all the power that the speed triple makes, out on the road then the 30BHP reduction can only be a good thing for you and the tiger will be majestically comfortable by comparison.

Al.

 

Hi Richard, I have been looking at both a Tiger 800 and an Explorer at Webbs - I am 6ft and 3/4" ish :biggrin: and found the Explorer felt a bit heavy but the pegs felt right - nice and comfy, the 800 felt more cramped on my legs than my Speed ( same as your Speed) Don't get me wrong the 800 felt quite light and flickable but it did feel cramped compared?
I am booked in to test ride the BMW S 1000 R Sport when it comes out in March but I love the feel and sound of a triple so that will play a big part on my next purchase :upyeah:

Apple Von Crumble seems to love his Tiger 800 and he is over 6ft tall so it can't be that bad? Check his youtube channel for some rides :smile:

 

Fair play BVG is more safe for work as far a language goes but AVC is pretty funny if you like his sort of vlogging! enjoy whatever you choose mate as we all know the wrong ride is an expensive mistake

 

I had a Tiger 1050 for a couple of years and for some reason I was given an 800XC every time the bike had a service (and as I did 17k in 2 years there were a few of them :wink

A brilliant bike. I was doing two 150 mile round trips a week to Essex then (I still am!) and put a fair few miles on the XC. It was lighter than the 1050, better on fuel than the 1050, handled equally as well and was fast enough for me. A little high revving perhaps on the motorway but I soon got used to it. The screen was a bit small (as has been mentioned) but didn't give me any real issues. Larger screens are available of course.

I wouldn't own one though as it was simply too tall for me (it's taller than the standard 800 roadie) and every time I stopped I was on the edge of dropping it. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to deal with a passenger and luggage.

Recommended (if you're not a short arse) :smile:

Edit: Someone said earlier about buying a Crossrunner and not knowing why they did it! I was the same with the 1050. I never really liked the bike although I had a degree of grudging respect for it. Too many issues to be a truly brilliant machine. I tested the Sport and really didn't like it, The seat felt like a plank and I couldn't honestly see what it was going to give me that I didn't already have with the 1050. It was not a bad bike by any stretch of the imagination but compared to the 1050 it wasn't so significantly better for me to justify the extra dosh. And as an aside, I also took a Crosstourer (not a Crossrunner!) out on test and hated it with a passion. I found it really uncomfortable, and for me the ergos were all wrong. Bloody amazing engine though! Supersmooth and silly fast.

 

What colour have you gone for Richard?

 

you get yours the day I get my xc se too, it'll be my first triumph though since I've only ever owned Kawasaki's. it's good that it comes with all the extras as well isn't it!

 

it's just going to be little tours for me this year as I haven't been on any long tours yet. going to do wales and Scotland this year and then start doing the big stuff next year. was going to go Austria and Switzerland with my uncle but I am not really experienced enough to be going that kind of distance.

 

I think these bikes are very under rated Richard and the engine is a good size and alot better than the 800 GS.

Not sure what you mean about issues with the pegs on the Speed Triple but that might have something to do with me owning an 09 Blade before then.

So what extras are you going for Arrow Exhaust would be the first on my list :biggrin:

 

No centre stand???
That is a bit naughty on triumph's behalf. I think these are actually better than the explorer as they are just too big.

I know if I was back in New Zealand this would be the sort of bike I would go for as there is a load of unsealed roads to play on as well as loads of twisty roads.

Found this a video of riding over into Lees Valley in New Zealand which is only about 15 minutes from Oxford where I grew up, great fun

 

Well Richard I don't think you will regret the 800, I had one and changed it for an explorer when they came out. The 800 can shift and is an easy bike to live with.

 

have you had a look at an xc se in real life yet Richard? I went to have a look at one my local triumph have gotten in today and it's amazing. getting all the accessories put on it now. (I bought it before seeing it in person) don't know if you did the same.