The Tiger Explorer has three main problems. 1. Handlebar Vibration 2. Seat Comfort 3. Wind buffeting After extensive research on several forums that cover these issues I have created this thread to show how I solved each. Hopefully it will save others the time finding this information out for themselves. No doubt there are other ways to solve these issues but I know these work for me. 1. Handlebar Vibration At low speeds (30-50 mph) I was getting numb figures from vibration through the handlebars. This is a common problem reported by Explorer owners. I tackled this in three stages. Firstly I fitted Strada 7 Motorcycle Foam Comfort Grips. These are quite inexpensive costing £12.95 from Amazon. They are easy to fit as they slip over the existing grips. You apply some soapy water, slip them on and leave to dry out over night. They did have some effect in cutting vibration but not as much as would have hoped. I also have heated grips and the comfort grips work fine with them. - Slightly less vibration. Secondly I purchased some Rox Anti Vibration Risers type 1R-AV2PP. I bought these from the US on eBay for $170 delivered including import tax. So that's about £125. They took 2 weeks to arrive. Very easy to fit, remove 4 bolts, replace 4 bolts, then 4 new bolts - Job done in 10-15 minutes. No problem with cables. - Vibration almost totally gone. And finally I fitted kellermen bar end weights type LS Classic S/H costing £32 delivered, they took about 1 week to arrive. If you have hand guards you need to ask them to supply 90mm bolts as the ones usually supplied will not fit. - Vibration gone. 2. Seat Comfort I would recommend riding a couple of thousand miles before doing anything as it takes time to get used to a new riding position and you may not need to make any changes. I purchased my Explorer with the heated seat and found that after 50-100 miles it have me a very sore backside. The first change I made was to alter the seat height adjustment bars so the front was high and the back was low. Instantly that added 50 mile to my range. Secondly, I purchased a Sheepskin Buttpad from Alaskan Leather you need a Medium for the rider and a Pillion 2 for your passenger. They do these in two types, long hair and short hair. I went for the short. These cost $110 plus $22.50 shipping but I also had to pay import duty of 20% when they were delivered. So I ended up paying around £110 in total. They took about 2 weeks to arrive. They are held in place by a strap you run under the seat and have added a further 50 mile to my range. So I can now ride a full tank of fuel without stopping (200 miles) and that's fine for me. 3. Wind Buffeting Firstly I'm 6' 2" and 190 lb. and I purchased the Triumph Touring screen with my Explorer. The wind buffeting was unacceptable no mater what screen position I used. So my first purchase was an MRA X-creen, I bought mine on Amazon for £52. They are easy to fit taking about 20-30 minutes. The effect was a significant decrease in wind buffeting, perhaps as much as 60%. The only wind causing me an issue was coming from the bottom left and right of the screen. I had considered buying some winglets to solve this but decided to try something else I had read about first. So my next action was to put some spacers between the screen and its mounting bracket. I decided on 4 x 15mm M5 black nylon spacers. You will need to buy 4 new M5 bolts 30mm long. I bought both of these on eBay for £4.50. The best £4.50 I've ever spent as it reduced the wind from below to almost zero. I have ridden at speeds up to 100mph (briefly) and longer journeys at 80 mph and can say I now feel very little wind getting past the screen, certainly none that causes my any discomfort whatsoever. I don't know the logic behind the spacers. But they work. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strada-Mot...ation+Covers+for+Triumph+Tiger+Explorer+XC+SE http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290699401416?euid=e84fdea71c7c4872997806a1510f4b31&cp=1 https://kellermann-online.com/en/produkte/detail/133.500 http://alaskaleather.com/collections/sheepskin-buttpads http://www.mra.de/en/x-creen
HI and thanks loads for the above info. I'm looking into fitting the risers but as Triumph do some - I'm wondering what advantage there is over the ones you mention above (from the states). Also - I just need to check that there wasn't too much tension on the cables once the risers were fitted. Were they long enough then? Thanks for the advice Yolande
Hi Yolande, I chose the Rox ones as they have an anti-vibration version. Basically a couple of rubber bushes dampen the vibrations (see picture below). I haven't come across similar ones made by Triumph. Certainly not for the Explorer. No problem with cable length as there is plenty of give in the existing cables. Only took about 15 min to fit.
thanks for the goodies...Just would like to know on the bar ends are you supose to get rubber pieces with the order
I didn't get any rubber pieces with mine. I just put a rubber washer between the bolt and the bar end.
When I first got my Speedie she had quite a bit of vibration on the front, the mirrors were shaking so much it was difficult to see. I got the front wheel balanced and now it is all sorted. Just an alternative solution that some may have overlooked, also, getting your own wheel balancer is good so you can check wheels at any time particularly as the characteristics may change as the tyre wears down Amazon motorbike wheel balancer £35 Ebay single sided wheel adapter £30 possibly cheaper
Thanks mate, got the seat cover and the grips (not very impressed with them). Risers en route. I'll keep you posted
Hi RT, the £35 one is out of stock at the mo (22/04/2017) but this one is available : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DRFXW0U?psc=1
Sand and a plug works too ! And it can be reversed or adjusted !! Oh and the sand doesn't affect any internal wiring, as it can be removed for "any wiring work" and the replaced ! Cheers capt.