Tiger 1050 20,000 mile review

[Rincewind]

I finally rolled over the 20,000 mile market this past weekend on my 07 Tiger.  Yeah I know, I don't ride it enough!  That's the result of being married with children.  But I still am on it most every day, except for some weekends.  So here's my review:

This is my first Tiger, and my second Triumph triple.  The Tiger is an unsung hero, so let me sing about it a bit.

The engine is fantastic.  It has only gotten better in terms of power and smoothness / the flipside being that it did start out feeling a little rough, as well as the gearbox, but that has all loosened up over time.  The 1050 engine is very flexible.  If I am cruising, I can leave it in a gear and let it chug down to less than 3000 RPM, and still have consistent power without lugging it.  If I'm out taking a more sporting ride, the engine is always ready to pounce if kept above 5000 RPM, otherwise a quick downshift will put you in the meat of the powerband.  It screams a little on top as well.  Riding it is always a joy, and the lightness of the front wheel means wheelies over road berms are simple and fun.

The seat has been great.  I can ride all day in this stock seat, without issue - it is so wide, and can accomodate if I want to slide forward or back.  And sliding back, my butt is greeted pleasantly with the curvature of the seat making for a secure position when getting on the throttle or tucking from the wind/rain/whatnot.  No money needed for another seat in my case.

Build quality is fantastic.  No problems with paint, no visible rust even though it's ridden in rain and weather.  Some of the mechanical bits have corroded somewhat, but that's to be expected.

Brakes are still very good; however, the Tiger seems to like to eat brake pads.  I am on my third set of rear brake pads, and my fronts will get their 3rd set of pads within the next month.

In terms of wind management, I have not changed the screen as I have not experienced really bad turbulence from it.  Wind noise can sometimes be a little high, but changing screens seems to be a Pandora's box.  I'd rather just let it be.  The addition of BMW R1150GS handguards has helped keep the wind/cold off my hands, but hasn't had an ill effect on the wind.

The suspension has been the thorn in the Tiger's paw for a lot of owners.  After about 17,000 miles I could not adjust the rear shock to my liking anymore.  I swapped it with an Ohlins shock and this has helped a fair deal.  The front end can still feel a little harsh at times, but for me it's livable.

Lights - these are pretty bad.  The projection style headlamps produce poor lighting for cornering at night, and are not very visible during the day.  A lot of owners add aux lights or upgrade to HID.  I added aux lights almost immediately, and that has solved the problem for me.

The riding position is mostly upright, but allows for a nice forward lean when needed.  The problem is that when you want to lean further than that, the handlebars end up in your armpits and you're eating the GPS for lunch.  Also, it does tend to make me slouch after many hours.  I added some highway pegs onto the H&B engine guards, and this helps mix it up when the body gets stale from the basic positions.  At times I wish the handlebars were lower, requiring a bit more of a lean, but that's not the real nature of this bike.

2-up - I've only managed a few 2-up trips since buying the bike.  I got the Tiger so I'd have a 2-up capable bike that was still fairly lightweight and fun.  It has proved this purpose.  My wife has gotten used to the higher seating, I think, but she still has knee problems after multiple hours on board.  Bike handling 2-up is fantastic.

Fuel efficiency - the longer the ride the better.  I have gotten 44mpg as my calculated best, which translates to over 200 miles with the 5.3 gallon tank.  However, if I'm commuting (10-miles each way) or just taking short rides, the mpg drops to mid 30's, which means an early fuel light at 100-140 miles depending on usage.  The fuel light and trip computer is very conservative, meaning it can drop to "0 miles to go" and I still have a bit of gas left in the tank.

Other items I've added include:

Center stand - should have come with the bike, imo

SW-Motech racks - quality metal top and side racks

Givi cases - the E21's offer about the same capacity as the OEM luggage, but at a fraction of the cost.  The V46 is my trunk.

GPS wiring whip - the bike comes pre-wired for this - easy to add, and handly for the Garmin

Aux power socket - the bike comes pre-wired for this - handy for heated vest, battery tender use, cell phone charging, or tire inflator

Heated grips - the bike comes pre-wired for this - they were pretty easy to add myself this past Christmas, and it's sooo nice to have in the cold.

Autocom - a nice add for audio hook-up to my iPod/iPhone, but the CB radio and the intercom functions could be better (the mic is very sensitive to positioning).

Helmet Guardian - no OEM helmet locks means the aftermarket has the solution with this license plate bracket.  It probably works better than most OEM helmet locks anyway.

K&N filter - done at 12k per the schedule, I went with a washable filter.

I can't think of what else I've changed on the bike.  The exhaust is still stock, as are most everything else.  It's a solid, workhorse of a bike, that can also be a sporthorse when you want.  Honestly I have thought about other bikes, even test rode some of them, but the Tiger is a hard bike to beat.  I will likely be riding it for some time to come.  The only lasting issue I have had with the bike is some oil useage between changes, requiring 2 or 3 top-offs between the 6000 mile changes.

Just before the 20k tick-over


In the yard after work recently, with tube for drawings


Sport-touring




Taking my youngest on his first street ride

[Rincewind]

Doin some exploring




The aux lights




Winter riding


2-up




Visiting sites


Getting stuck ridin in the rain


and passin Harleys


It's all been great.  I look forward to more days to come

[chimera]

Good write up on a great bike.

What aux lites are those?

[Rincewind]

Good write up on a great bike.

What aux lites are those?

Thanks.  They are Motolights, which use 12-volt MR16 lamps.  I had them on a previous bike since 2002, and transferred them to the Tiger no problem.

[caddydaddy]

Great write up!    I'm lovin' my Sprint after 8,300 miles, but if I didn't get the Sprint, the Tiger would have been my next choice!    

[BobW]

Excellent report. Sold my Sprint with just over 20K only because I have no self control. Great platform with zero problems.

Safe travels

Bob

[duceduceexplorer]

great write up...i think something in the triumph lineup will be my next bike, ST,TIGER, SPEED TRIPPLE

[chimera]

Thanks.  They are Motolights, which use 12-volt MR16 lamps.  I had them on a previous bike since 2002, and transferred them to the Tiger no problem.

Since 2002? Good to know they are durable as well as really nice looking.  And of all the nice pictures.......why oh why does the first one have to be of your finger?

[Rincewind]

Since 2002? Good to know they are durable as well as really nice looking.  And of all the nice pictures.......why oh why does the first one have to be of your finger?

I'm such a goober putting my finger over the phone cam.  

Yeah those Motolights are hard lasting.  

The one other thing to say about the bike is that it can be twitchy.  By that I don't mean the handling so much as the engine management.  I guess it is something in the fueling that makes imprecise throttle adjustments sometimes quite jerky.  Just tonight when riding it for errands I blipped the throttle by accident, and this made the Tiger leap unintentionally catching me off guard.  It also manifests when downshifting for corners, if you aren't precise at where you want the throttle, it can be a bugger to add just a bit more right before the corner.  The solution for this is to get the corner speed right the first time!  In fact the Tiger seems happiest with higher cornering speeds, when line changes are not a problem with the large amounts of cornering clearances.

I have read on the tiger board that the aftermarket fuel map can reduce this engine twitchiness, but I don't have that installed.  I guess a tune boy could change it as well, if I ever wanted to monkey with it.

[Playinthestreet]

I have 17k +/- on my Tiger and am pleased with it as well.  Try the Triumph "off-road" tune with the stock can to smooth out the mid-range lean condition and a little improvement in the the snatchy throttle..

[atypical1]

It sounds like you've really come to appreciate your bike. I love hearing stories like this and I'm looking forward to reading plenty more ride reports from you.

That really is a cool bike!  

james

[rajflyboy]

Nice bike and great write up.   I like the lights you added to the front forks (smart thing to do)!

We like the triumphs more and more with all the great write ups we are reading!!

[ol Rocket]

Love my Sprint.  The Tiger was tempting.  Good read.

[Rincewind]

It sounds like you've really come to appreciate your bike. I love hearing stories like this and I'm looking forward to reading plenty more ride reports from you.

That really is a cool bike!  

james

Thanks I should have a report in about 2-weeks from my upcoming trip to TN/NC.

Yes, the bike grows on you pretty easy.  But after reading your "BMW Maintenance" thread I am envious of the ease of valve checks with your boxer twin.  Basically I should really learn how to do valve checks on my triple by myself, because I am not looking forward to paying out ~$400 for the next valve check at 24k.  That, or think about getting a bike that would be easier for me to maintain in that respect (like a boxer, or a Buell).  

Anyway, I spooned on some Tiger-specific Pilot Road 2's yesterday, replaced the front brake pads, and the bike feels wonderful.

[bomber]

I've got about 2K miles on my PR2s -- I really like me alot -- hope the last!

[Medic09]

Nice writeup, thanks!

I'm thinking about MotoLights for my Sprint.  Do you find they add enough light down the road at night; or are they more for adding to your conspicuity?  They look good, and are much cheaper than getting HID add-ons.  I'd like to hear your experience.

Enjoy your PR2s.  I've found the Michellins to be great tires.

[Rincewind]

Nice writeup, thanks!

I'm thinking about MotoLights for my Sprint.  Do you find they add enough light down the road at night; or are they more for adding to your conspicuity?  They look good, and are much cheaper than getting HID add-ons.  I'd like to hear your experience.

Enjoy your PR2s.  I've found the Michellins to be great tires.

Thanks.  Yes, the Motolights add significant amounts of light to night riding.  I use 50-watt MR16 spots, and they increase the ambient level of most things in front of you.  They are not as focused as other lights, perhaps, but they do enough that it definitely increases my night-time riding confidence, especially in corners.  PIAA's and HID's are brighter, but less usable for general riding IMO.

[Medic09]

Great answer, thanks!  

[atypical1]

Tires and brake pads are a couple of the easiest mods one can make and often help the most. I really hate factory brake pads and typically swap them out as soon as possible.

I'm not that mechanically inclined but stuff that I can do myself I try. I never thought I could do valves myself but now that I've done them a couple of times I'm pretty confident. How hard would they be on the Tiger?

How are the PR2's Tiger specific?

james

[Rincewind]

Tires and brake pads are a couple of the easiest mods one can make and often help the most. I really hate factory brake pads and typically swap them out as soon as possible.

I'm not that mechanically inclined but stuff that I can do myself I try. I never thought I could do valves myself but now that I've done them a couple of times I'm pretty confident. How hard would they be on the Tiger?

How are the PR2's Tiger specific?

james

If you look at this link you can see type 'C' being Tiger-specific.  I have no idea what distinguishes these tires from standard PR2's, other than a few bucks, and maybe a little extra shipping delay.    The Pilot Roads are the official factory-endorsed Tiger 1050 tire - it came with Pilot Road S's (non-dual compound).

I own a manual, so I have an idea what's involved with checking the valves.  I just need some confidence, time, and patience... or a guru to show me the way.  Otherwise I'll just keep taking it to the dealer and dropping a few hundred bucks every 1 to 1-1/2 years - this is not a super bad deal because he gives me a loaner bike to play with overnight, but saving money would be better.