The Trophy Might (Will) Have To Go

Hi Nikki, sorry to hear the Trophy is becoming a bit of a burden.

The Tiger 800 range is a superb set of bikes, in my opinion. To put things in perspective the XR various models are predominantly road biased. But that doesn't mean that you couldn't fit dual purpose tyres to do of road work such as forest trails.

My favorite is the XRX because it has great mechanicals, excellent std. spec including comfort seats and cruise control - it is a truly great bike.

The XC range is slightly more off-road orientated with longer travel suspension and wire wheels, but in my opinion you really need to do lots of proper off-roading to benefit from the extra costs involved.

The XRX is just such a cracking bike - did I mention that? If you want/need panniers and stuff they do a package.

 

Sorry to hear that Nikki, I had a test ride on an xc and found it an absolutely fantastic bike beautiful engine a joy to ride, the only problem I had was the height, even with the seat on the lower setting, the xr's are slightly lower and they do actually do a low version now. I've sat on one and my feet are flat on the ground with slight knee bend, I'm around 5'10-11". I couldn't afford the new version and just went with the 800 not got the gizmos but I love it! Definitely go and test ride!

 

Good luck!

 

Go for it Nikki - I've just bought the Xrx after test riding that and the XCx. I preferred the road going bias of the XR and the XC felt just a tad too tall for me. Should have no problem with the weight after the Trophy.
I added the fog lamps - which are superb - and I think come standard along with heated grips on the XRT but apart from that the XRx has enough toys for me!

 

Hi Nikki, a good condition battery should show about 12.7 volts, so yours is way under. The battery is 2-3 years old so there is every chance it'll be dead.

By all means give it a good charging, but don't be surprised it the charge doesn't hold.

Have you tried jump starting it from another battery? From your car for example? If you've got jump leads and if you can access the bike's battery easily it would be worth a try. Just don't have the car engine running when you do - there's more than enough juice in the car battery to start the bike.

 

Hard luck TC, That is so typical!!
What the BIGLAD says!

 

Just a tiny piece of advice: whenever you're not using your bike,put the battery on a battery charger/conditioner such as the Optimate range. This will not only keep the charge level good but the battery will last longer as a result.

Obviously this advice applies to all bike batteries, not just the Trophy.

 

I think/hope you'll be surprised just how good the XRX really is - it's a really comfortable and effective package.

 

I must agree Dave!

 

of course if you really want the best of the tigers you'd buy a tiger1050 sport

 

Well Nikki, you never know 'til you try these bikes -now you know the Tiger 800 won't work for you so that's cleared up that one

The only criticism I have about the 800 XRX is the screen. I couldn't get it to a position where the turbulence/noise was at an acceptable level. But there after-market screens that DO work.

Re the comfort of the seat, the model you tested should have been equipped with a 'Comfort' seat and when I rode one it was good, for me, for the full 3 hours I rode the bike.

 

That's a shame Nikki, I have the taller screen on my 800 and the wind still cuts across my face so it's visor down, but I don't get much buffeting, although Mrs crispey on the back does. For some strange reason , if I have the seat in the higher position it's great but in the lower position I find it slightly uncomfortable, I have the gel seats, so maybe it's the leg position when in low mode. It's not bad but noticeable! I've heard the madstad screen is the dogs but it's a bit pricey, maybe not!

 

Yeah that is a shame Nikki. The screen is a known issue on these bikes, even allowing for the adjustable one. Biglad and crispey are right regarding after market options - the Madstad screen is the one to go for apparently and there are threads on this forum about this.
Personally it doesn't bother me too much as I've only ever ridden naked bikes and have no desire to listen to my ipod on the bike. I suppose it depends what you are used to - the Trophy is all about long distance touring and is top of the range in that respect so I guess other bikes may feel less comfortable and lacking a few features.
Seat shouldn't have been an issue though if you had the comfort seat fitted, which should be standard on the XRx - easily good for a three hour stretch (unlike the Bonnie one!).
Didn't have any problem with the gear lever on either the test Xrx or the Xrc or my own or my mates Explorer for that matter - this is the best gear change I've had to be fair - slick and precise. Not sure why your test bike would have a problem like that - seems very out of character with the bike as most reviews (and I read a few) had only praise for the gear change.
On to the next one!