[veerameti]

The following is a still initial ownership report of my Tiger XCx, I got delivery of the bike on 21 April 2015 and if you are wondering why it took so long for me to make a report, read on !

Tiger head-on

I have always been a 2 wheeler person, it does not matter to me if it is a moped, scooter or bike, I would prefer 2 wheeler over a car (I am in Bangalore) except for rainy days when my 2005 model Swift VXi gets duty (Swift btw has done 1.07 lakh kms and still drives great). For me there is no bad bike (except for ill maintained ones), if it has wheels and a motor in-between, it is good enough for me.

During my childhood I had to plead a lot with my parents to let me learn bicycling. During summer holidays I would get 25 paisa twice a week for renting a bicycle for 30 minutes ! That would get me running wild in the neighbourhood. Later on I would surreptitiously take my dad's Suvega for a ride before parking it. During college days I mastered geared scooters/bikes on friends' bikes. After college my friend loaned me his LML scooter as he had got a car, I used it for a couple of years. Later on in 2003/4 I got another loaner, this time it was a 2000 model Machismo 350 AVL. My friend's brother had got a job in Dubai and his Bullet was just standing gathereing dust, I suggested to my friend that I would take care of the Bullet and return it back once his brother came back. Well, now my friend and his brother are still in Dubai and I own the Machismo. In between and before this I would either be riding pillion or riding a lot of my friends' bikes - RX100, KB100, Hero Puch, Samurai, TVS-Suzuki Powerup, Shogun and some more models. Point is I had not yet purchased a bike of my own and not felt the need too as my transport needs were taken care of by my friends. If not it would be the bicycle or BTS service for me. Those were days when Bangalore did not have the current manic traffic conditions.

The Bullet from 2004 was what started the long distance (overnight multi day type) rides for me, this got me quite a few rides and in December 2009 I did a long South India trip, covered the southern peninsula along the coast from Chennai to Mangalore, that was an epic trip for me that saw me purchase riding gear (Cramster - jacket and gloves) that are holding good till date, the gloves need to be changed.

Coming to my purchasing the Tiger, I got interested in bigger bikes when Ducati was launched (the first launch), I was besotted with the Monster and was dreaming of getting this bike one day (not enough moolah then) when their whole setup just fell apart. After the Harley-Davidson launch, I was not sure whether these bikes were for me - too big / too expensive, I was just not able look beyond 10Lakh rupees for a bike. Then came the Triumph launch, these were bikes totally different from what I thought to be big/fast bikes, the 3-cylinder engines and Bonneville were what caught my interest. I then read moderator "mobike008"s ownership report on his Bonneville and was definitely interested in this as it did not look too exotic and was capable of high speed touring. One evening on the way back home a Street Triple overtook me and I sort of followed it in traffic, this too tickled my interest and coincidentally "hifisharu" put up his ownership report of his Street Triple, these 2 guys got me to get off my backside and to visit the showroom and to make a choice. Two more threads on Harley's from "Shubz" and "dkaile" also made me to consider the Harley-Davidson brand.

Thanks to you all for putting up ownership threads and giving us readers a detailed experience on owning these types of bikes.

It was September 2014, my sister and her family were in town before they headed off to an overseas family tour, I had promised my nephew and niece to take them to Koshy's for breakfast. One day after polishing off a great deal of breakfast, I got them walking towards the Harley showroom, they were thrilled I was actually taking them to see the bikes, they could not believe that I had decided to buy one of these bikes, well the same could be said of me too !

First we entered the Harley showroom, I had been there once before, had glanced at the bikes and since I and my friend were not wearing shoes, could not get a test ride of the Superlow. This time I had made sure all of us were wearing shoes. I checked the then newly launched Street 750, was sure that this bike was not for me, test rides were available but delivery was not before 6 months time. I then went over to look at the Superlow, same case as Street 750, delivery time not certain at all. Did not take any test rides as there was no definite time of delivery and Superlow was due for changes, I was thinking that the bigger engined Superlow would be launched. Anyway that concluded our time at the Harley showroom, but the big bikes were mighty impressive, all that chrome, huge size and what not. The amount of chrome also scared me a bit as I am not a person who would spend that much time to maintain visual aspects of a bike.

We then walked over to the Triumph showroom (had to digest the breakfast right ?), I saw the Bonneville and immediately three of us chorused - this is too much like the Bullet ! should I be spending so much on such a bike, even my nephew and niece suggested that I skip the Bonneville. OK, now that left only the Street Triple, asked for a test ride was asked to fill up a form and leave my Debit/Credit card with them, all done set for the test ride. The test ride bike was equipped with arrows and quick shifter, I was thinking that this looks so sleek and tiny and many may think of it as a modified Pulsar, but I had seen this thing move. Was instructed of the route to take for the test ride, was told that my niece could sit pillion for the ride and that another person from the showroom would be following me, good, got my nephew to sit on that bike. The test ride was awesome, the scream from the arrows and a tightly built bike (me coming from Bullet) going above 4K to upshift without using the clutch, it was a great experience. This bike clinched it for me, the bike did not feel too intimidating in lower speeds, could invigorate me above sane rpms and what not, I was sold. Checked about booking procedure, was informed that it was 50K totally refundable and delivery would be 90 days. Informed the showroom guys that I would come back for a longer test ride and make a booking.

3-4 weeks later I went back with my niece for another test ride, this time the bike felt ill-tempered felt like it was throwing tantrums, just did not feel that smooth or great, maybe the test rides were taking its toll on the bike, or maybe it was time for its service, whatever did not feel so great on this test ride. Came back and had parked the Street Triple when the Tiger made its entrance. Man what a bike ! I had seen the bigger Explorer in the showroom and was even allowed to sit on it, it was just so intimidating, the Tiger 800 was also in the same level, a little bit less so. Got talking to the showroom guys and they encouraged me take a test ride on the Tiger, I was like - are you nuts ? I am not that tall, this thing will turn around and bite my head off, and so on and so forth, I was just refusing to ride the bike ! Next thing I saw was a Tiger being wheeled out after its service, the owner of the bike was shorter than me, he also encouraged me to take a test ride, OK I agreed, but what had I gotten myself into ? I clambered onto the bike and then very stupidly asked my niece to get onto the pillion seat, she made it look like she was climbing a mountain, but once seated she was confident, but my hands were trembling slightly. Got the bike to the road from the showroom and promptly stalled the bike, it felt like everybody (including a traffic SI and constables) on the road had stopped whatever they were doing and staring at the bike. I collected my composure, pulled in the clutch and thumbed the starter, this bike too was equipped with Arrows and boy what a presence it had, smoothly let out the clutch and joined traffic. Took it easy for first couple of turns and as I approached Richmond circle I was a little confident of its power and handling, this bike being so tall was very lithe, the suspension was too good (for me), the power response was very much to my liking (I am firmly middle aged), took two rounds in Cubbon park and came back to the showroom. Now I was in a serious dilemma - Street Triple at 9L something or Tiger 800 at 14.2L (prices in 2014 October). The Tiger had given me confidence but 14.2 lakh rupees, if even I could afford it, could I justify it ? My niece said that she felt she was sitting on a sofa while on the Street Triple it was not that great. This would take time to resolve, but then came the Kawasaki Z800 in my sights !

"Sojogator" has put up a beautiful ownership on the Z800, this got me going to the Indiranagar showroom 2-3 weeks later. Went in there in the afternoon in my Bullet, drooled over the Ninja 1000, ZX14R and and Z800 and Z1000, these bikes were amazing to look at, were 4 cylinder Jap engines, and what not. Asked the guys for a test ride on the Z800, was asked to fill up a form , deposit Debit/credit card. Then came a pleasant surprise, I was asked to wear a riding jacket, they had quite a few jackets in various sizes available, chose one for my size and sat on the bike. One person checked my riding stance, gave some instructions on how to handle the bike, and told me come back after half an hour ! and also no one would be tailing me ! I was gobsmacked at this type of test ride. I took the bike through its paces in Indiranagar, I knew a few empty backroads, checked for acceleration, braking and turning radius, all felt good except I felt that I could handle the Tiger better than the Z800 at low speeds or while making U-turns, there is/was something about this bike that I was never comfortable taking a U-turns, it turning radius was also bit larger. Everything else was fine. Came back to the showroom after 20 mins, was promised that they would mail the quotation and financing options, got the email within a couple days. That was the beginning about this troubling triad - Street Triple or Tiger or Z800 ?

I had decided on a deadline - October 14th, to book a bike, process of elimination starts - Z800 was the first to be dropped - not as good as Street Triple for me, if I were choosing this I might as well have chosen the Tiger. Street Triple felt too tiny but had punchy performance, could I take it over long distances, blah blah blah. Yeah, I had a funny process of eliminating two bikes, for my heart had settled on the Tiger. Tiger 800XC it was, I went to the showroom and put down a deposit of 2 lakhs, full refund promised, with delivery again promised by Jan 19th. Colour chosen Matte Khaki (matt green).

That was the end of the story of booking the bike, the travails of waiting had started, I was dreaming of Tigers and adventures and what not, when Triumphgate stuck. Then started the Triumph tamasha about their bikes missing a few (or so many) horses and I was stuck to that thread here on T-BHP. The Tiger 800 was then a CBU and I was hoping that this would not affect the horses it was supposed to be packed with, do I stick with the booking, should I cancel the booking ?

It was a Sunday evening in the last week of November, I was channel surfing hoping to catch some auto shows when Bingo ! the new Tiger models were being reviewed, finished one channel went to another channel, repeat ! this channel was also showing the Tigers being tested in Spain, next thing I pulled out my laptop and googled, all sites had test ride reports of the new Tiger, loads of changes - more efficient engine, transmission from the Daytona, WP suspension, riding modes, Cruise control (what !) and just too much more to handle in one evening, made a note to call Keerthi the next day.

The next day before I could call, Prasanna from Keerthi called to inform me about the new models to be launched and asked me to visit the showroom and I went the same evening. By then I had a fairly clear idea of what the updates were, the showroom guys gave me the option of either taking delivery of the existing model, delivery as promised by Jan 19th or I could wait for the new models. They had no idea which model will be launched or expected price. Funny thing about Triumph India is I think they increase their prices at least two times in a year, the Tiger 800 XC was now priced at 14.7 Lakh on-road. I decided I will go in for the new model Tigers and informed them of the same.

The India launch happened on 28th March 2015, attended the launch event, got to look, touch, sit on and also start the bikes (then only XCx and XRx were launched). The XCx cost - 15.19 lakhs on road. Compared to all the upgrades and bells and whistles it was coming with, I decided to go with the XCx over the XRx mainly for the suspension, centre stand and engine guard.

April 21, 2015 was Akshaya Trithiya and Basava Jayanthi, doubly auspicious if there is such a thing, I got to take the Tiger home without any further hiccups. Did I say that ? No Hiccups ? Hehe, well I was promised delivery and then because the registration was not yet done, they said no delivery today but I asked whether I could take the Tiger out for a spin from the showroom bring it back and take delivery later, they were OK with it. Okay, got my brother, niece and my good friend to attend the informal delivery for the evening of April 21st, and was going through all the jitters, excitement of being explained the bikes functions, when a higher-up from Keerthi walked in and surprise, surprise was told that I could in fact take my Tiger home with me that evening itself, but to be careful since it was still on TC plates. The staff then got on full throttle delivery mode, a delicious cake from next door was got, I cut it, ate it and distributed it to all. Finally ! I took my Tiger home, got Puja done at a Vinayaka temple near my home.

This was the long winded way I ended up with my Tiger, a few photos below.

Tiger left side


Tiger from the right side


Close-up of engine bay, left side


Close-up of engine bay, right side


Cockpit view


Another view, you can see the sump guard (not bash plate), oil filter, engine guard and lower part of radiator


Rear wheel arrangement, seen are the rear brake disc with ABS ring, dual arm swingarm, beginning of the exhaust

Feature list of the Tiger XCx -

The most important changes brought to the new models was the reworked engine, WP suspension, gear mechanism from the Daytona range, Ride by Wire Throttle and its associated advantages like riding modes and cruise control. Minor updates were wider/bigger radiator, trip meters, smaller alternator (approx 400W from 650W not advertised) and body style changes.

Left hand side controls on the handlebar

On the left part of the controls from top to bottom are the headlight high/low beam switch, turn indicators and the red horn button. Turn indicators can used in manual mode (slide to desired direction and push to cancel) or be programmed to go off automatically after a time duration (not self cancelling like car indicators). On the right side from top toggle switch for browsing through selections in the menu, below that is the display/menu selection switch.

Right hand side controls on the handlebar

On the right hand side of the handle bar from top are the engine kill switch, cruise speed controls (+ for increasing and - for decreasing the cruise speed), the cruise control activation is on the bottom left and the engine start button is on the bottom right.

The other two buttons of the bike are on the left side of the instrument panel.

Deeper look at the instrument panel, you can also see the tube on which the instrument panel and headlight is attached.

The button with 'M' in the circle is to choose the ride modes, the one below that turns on/off the hazard lights.

The white dial on the left is to control the compression damping and red dial on the right is to control the rebound damping.

[veerameti]

OK, after getting to buying the Tiger, let me start about its features and impressions -

The Tiger on a recent ride

Riding modes -
There are three riding modes that can be selected by pressing the 'M' button - Road, Off-Road and Rider. The things that are changed as per modes are throttle map, ABS and traction control. 'Road' and 'Off-Road' modes have pre-fixed throttle maps, ABS and Traction control settings and none of these can be changed. 'Rider' mode is the one where you can pick and choose from the three variables.

There are four fixed throttle maps to choose from - Road, Off-road, Rain and Sport (not to be confused with riding modes). The throttle map does not change the power of the bike, it merely changes the time taken for engine to respond to throttle changes, this is the biggest advantage of having Ride/Throttle By Wire technology.

ABS and Traction control have three modes - Road, Off-road and Off.

Road mode selects throttle map, this has the middle setting for throttle response and the ABS and Traction control are set for road mode, bike behaves sanely. ABS pulsing is strongly felt on the brake pedal. I tested this in our apartment parking lot (when there were no cars of course), I came in with a little speed and slammed the rear brake only, the ABS cutting in feels as if the brake pedal is pushing up against your foot, there is a clear clicking/clacking sound and you cannot miss the pulsing in the pedal. I have not done this experiment with front brakes only. This is an OK mode for riding around town or even highways, this bike has linear acceleration, if you want fun just twist the throttle harder ! Above 4K rpms the fun is greater.

Off-Road mode has the mildest throttle map setting, ABS and Traction control are set to Off-road mode. ABS in off-road mode cuts ABS action to the rear wheel and also allows some slip in the front wheel, this is crucial as where there is loose surface (mud, gravel, etc.) it is preferable to have the rear wheel lock/slide or you will not be able to make the turn if ABS keeps cutting in and bike speed is not reduced. I have tried to make the rear slide in Off-road mode but, I think my attempts were timid as I did not slide too much. In this mode the ABS and TC (traction control) indicators keep blinking in amber colour.

Rider mode is the one where you can choose from the four throttle maps - 'Sport' has the sharpest response, this is the one which I engage permanently. I used the 'Rain' map only once and have not touched it since. You can choose from any setting of ABS and TC. I have set my bike to be in 'Rider' mode with 'Sport' map and Road versions of ABS and TC.

When you shut down the bike, take the key out and restart the bike, the bike will go to 'Road' mode automatically if the below conditions are met -

• If you are in Off-rode mode, this is to ensure that you willingly select off-road mode.
• If you are in 'Rider' mode with ABS/TC set to 'Off-road' or 'Off', this is again to ensure that the disabled safety measures are chosen deliberately.

This can be a boon or bane depending on what happens to you if you don't pay attention to rider modes when you go off-road. You always have to select 'Off-road' after starting the bike. One way to get around this is to leave the key in the bike and use only engine kill switch if you are taking short breaks and are around the bike.

Riding and Handling -

I got delivery of the Tiger in April and Bangalore was experiencing heavy showers with high humidity in the air. The next after delivery I took the Tiger to office, in the early morning office the temperature bar in bike had used up all the bars, standing in traffic lights made me feel like I was in a tandoor ! This went away after a couple of days, since then the temperature bar always has 2 bars left and engine has been completely OK. After initial euphoria I stopped taking the Tiger to office as it was an attention magnet. A couple of times bikers admiring the Tiger have banged into the cars they were behind (at crawl speeds), so I had taken to riding right behind cars so other bikers would stop running into them. Tiger is now mostly used on the weekends and some small runs in the city.

The 3-cylinder engine has been further improved with better fuel efficiency and a smaller alternator, the earlier models had 650Watts alternator, current models have approx 400W (XCA model is with 650W).

The gear mechanism has been borrowed from the Daytona family, I cannot say if it is slicker or better but, the gear changes are pretty smooth, only fly in ointment being that sometimes there is a loud thunk when you engage first gear. One thing I noticed about the clutch lever is that it feels very slick, like there is a coat of oil on i., Clutch and front brake levers are adjustable with 4 positions available. The clutch cable is the only cable in the bike as the throttle is ride by wire and brakes are hydraulic. The foot pegs have removable rubber inserts, which when removed have grooved upper edges to aid in grip, I feel the pegs are a little too narrow, broader pegs would be better when you need to stand on them for long periods of time. I have got the gear lever changed to the one where the end is fold-able in case of falls.

The engine has a smooth whine and the exhaust is also not too loud, at highway speeds it is a small level constant drone, which suits me fine. When you accelerate rapidly, above 5K rpm and nearing the cutoff is when there is a roar, that feeling is exhilarating, it is as if the bike hunkers and bolts, I have sometimes felt as if the handlebars were about to be snatched away from my grasp. Regular riding speed or acceleration is always smooth there is never any shaking or mashing felt, sometimes some vibes come but are gone before you realise them. Initially I had some numbness but changing my riding style got rid of it.

Initially the Tiger is feels intimidating and I was always on tenterhooks owing to its height and weight especially in crawling traffic. Once there is some space available it is a great feeling, you can thread traffic easily once you get the hang of the wide handlebars and feel of the bike, it is effortless to move ahead in traffic, depending on the gear you are in, it either sails out of port or jumps out of the stables.

Highway manners -
The first ride out of the city was to Shivagange betta vai Magadi town, this road pretty well laid with a small stretch of (then) unfinished road, I chose this route as this involve frequent gear and throttle changes and no chance of high speeds, ideal for running in the bike. I gained in confidence in taking the curves and getting a feel of how the bike feels at various speeds and its throttle response, the next weekend I went till Sangama via Kanakapura and came back via Maddur and Mysore highway, the indicated air temperature near Chunchi falls (?) was 41deg C ! Riding the bike in that temperature was not too much trouble. I have had a Sunday morning ride to Devarayanadurga with TBHP members and to Kakkabe with Triumph organised ride. The bike met/exceeded all my expectations I had about ride comfort, ocassional speed bursts and suspension.

At the end of a day long ride I do not feel tired or exhausted, a shower and all is fine, longest ride I have done is 380 kms, with lot of bad roads and a small part of off-roading to some windmills near Bukkapatna off Sira town, I have put up some videos on youtube, my channel name is "veerameti" take a look and you can see the Tiger's performance in such situations. I was tender footing it there as I was riding solo and the path is strewn with loose stones.

Cruise control -
On bikes like these where one would love to keep twisting the throttle why do you need CC ? That too on our roads ?

To engage CC, you need to press the CC button and then press the "SET/-" button. The bike will either slow down or speed up to match the set cruise speed. For CC to work you need to be in 4th gear or above and at a speed between 48 - 160 kph. If the ABS is malfunctioning, CC will not turn on. For initial use it is a surreal feeling to see the bike accelerate on its own ( I don't' have any vehicle with ABS, let alone CC).

Once CC is engaged the CC speed can be varied with RES/+ and SET/- buttons. If you press the clutch, either brakes or roll the throttle forward from its resting position, CC will disengage immediately, once these intrusions have been removed, if press the speed buttons CC will re-engage.

I have used CC sparingly, once after the rpm restrictions were passed, I took the Tiger out on the Hassan highway, I would gradually raise the rpms and hold it for a few minutes, and engage CC set to 70-80kph for cooling off, this way I gradually used the upper ranges of the rpm meter and would cool off for a few minutes. One funny incident, I was fairly above good speeds and overtook a BMW and was on my merry way towards Hassan, on the Chanarayapatna bypass which is a 2 lane road, I had set the CC to 75kph and was lazing on the bike taking in the scenery and looking out for a petrol bunk when the BMW passed me, the owner was looking at me quizzically, like - I was expecting you to be in Sakleshpur now what are you doing still in Channarayapatna type look.

Suspension -
One of the biggest changes made is the use of WP suspension (owned now by KTM), WP is a big name in the suspension business though some people have started grumbling about them after the KTM buy over.

The front suspension is the easiest to change, the white knob on the front left side suspension controls the compression damping. Turning the knob in clockwise direction increases compression damping and turning in the anti-clockwise direction decreases it. The measuring unit is termed as 'clicks', Triumph measures the clicks from fully turned clockwise direction i.e., is to turn the knob fully in the clockwise direction and from there-on 1/3rd turn is one 'click' this knob can do 19 clicks to go to least compression damping. Rebound damping works in the same way. Triumph recommends to have matching settings for the settings.

The rear suspension had a remote reservoir and is a single unit, this can be adjusted for preload and rebound-damping. The preload setting is to compensate for loading the rear suspension, if you have a passenger or luggage or both, the rear suspension will compress just based on the load placed on it, to compensate for sagging/compressing of the rear suspension is where the preload adjustment comes into play. The preload setting can be accessed from the rear right of the bike, to make changes you need a 5mm hexagon spanner (supplied). To increase preload turn clockwise and vice-versa, only here complete turns are taken into account. Nine complete turns of the spanner is the range of adjustment available.
The rear rebound damping is at the bottom rear of the shock and this needs a plain screwdriver (I think), the available range here is only 3 full turns. Firmer preload settings need to be matched by firmer rebound damping.
It is a big PITA and PITW (wrist) to make these changes. Picture this, for adjusting the preload, you need to go in between the rear frame and just ahead of the exhaust, the given spanner is a tiny one and this is just frustrating as you can make only a quarter turn at a time, imagine making 12 full turns ! Triumph should have made it far more easier to change the rear suspension. This is my biggest grouse with the bike.

I read on some forum, that if you have 100 settings available, 99 are wrong ! This sums up the variable suspension scene. It is not so bleak as I make it out to be, only some lightheartedness in this narration !

The WP suspension is just great, the bike glides over rough roads, period. If there is an unexpected mountain range across your road, just stand up on the pegs and don't make any other changes, with some suspension settings, if you have some speed the front will soak the bump and the rear wheel will jump 2-3 feet in the air ! No complaints with the performance of the suspension.

This is all I can think about the bikes riding and handling, let me know if you want to know anything specific.

Other features -

Display -
The display is neatly divided into two parts - digital and analog, it also has 2 buttons - for changing the ride modes and hazard lights.

The digital part shows time, speed, gear selected, current riding mode, engine temperature and fuel quantity permanently. The lower part changes depending on the user selection, it can show odo, 2 trip meters (computers as per Triumph) and bike settings. The first variable is 'info' this can show odo, current fuel consumption, distance to empty and air temperature. There are two trip meters available, these show distance covered, time taken, average speed and average fuel consumption. the other option is 'setting' in this you can choose which units (km/miles) variations of fuel consumption (kpl, lp100km, gallons and other such), set the clock, auto indicators and riding modes. Press the 'i' selection button to choose and 'i' scroll button to go through the options.

The analog part of the display is taken up by the tachometer, with various lights to indicate status of bike parameters like ABS, TTC (Triumph Traction Control), Engine malfunction, Neutral gear, low fuel warning and tyre pressure measuring system (my model is not equipped with TPMS, it is optional for models with alloy wheels - the Xr range) and some other things.

Accessory (power) port -
This model comes with 2 power outlets, it is similar in concept to the ones in cars but is smaller in size and is called as 'powerlet' port, though there are other industry names. One port is just to the left of the

ignition and second port is below the pillion seat on the left of the bike. The size difference makes buying anything similar to buying genuine Apple products - expensive for what they do. I got a dual USB port for Rs 3,550/- and another adaptor to convert to car power outlet for 1,500/-. The power ports are not switched and always ON, even if the bike is locked you can draw power from the ports !

Headlights -
The headlights are fixed, they do not turn with the handle. The setup is dual lights with 55/60W bulbs. The illumination in low beam is more than enough (for me) in city riding, the throw is wide and corners are also lit up. I have not ridden in the dark in hill sections to see if they have sufficient throw around the corners, few have found it OK (on the ADVrider forum) and a few have installed LED's). Let me cross that bridge once I come to it.

The headlights can be adjusted in the vertical and horizontal direction individually (I think), though I have not found cause to do any changes.
There is a cool feature to the headlights, if the rear is loaded with pillion and luggage the headlight will be pointing upwards and not illuminate the road immediately ahead, to overcome this, there is a hinge provided which when lowered will bring down the light beam. I have experienced this situation once and this is an immensely useful feature (again as per me !).

Kitna deta hai ?
Tank capacity is 20 lts, highway range is 400kms. During the running-in period I used to get 17-18 kpl mixed 4 lane and 2 lane roads, on the last long ride I had I got an indicated 20.5kpl which involved dual panniers, pillion, sustained highway speeds and approximately 90 kms ghat section out of total of 950 kms. I have till now done only 5,500 kms (why ? later in the post), I expect the mileage to improve very slightly.

Storage/seating -
The seats are comfortable, the front seat shape causes rider to to lightly spread the foot when stopped, while riding the posture is upright and there is sufficient room to move forward or backward in the seat. The pillion seat s flat with a slight incline to the front of the bike, my niece sat pillion for 2 days (almost 950 kms) and felt no discomfort or soreness. This was her first time on a ride for this duration / distance.

There is some storage space available below the pillion seat - tool kit, bike documents can be stored here, not much room to spare. the rider seat can be raised or lowered, I have it at the lowest setting. Do not wear corduroy pants when riding this bike, it acts like Velcro to the seat material.

Tyres -
The wheels are spoked wheels hence use tubes. The front is a 21" wheel with 90/90 tyre, this is so that the front can be nimble in off-road situations, they say this robs it off some road performance, but I have not pushed the bike to its cornering limits. The rear is 17" wheel with 150/70 tyre. The recommended pressures are 36psi front and 42 psi rear for road use. For off-road use the recommendation is to drop the pressure to 22 psi for both tyres.

Both tyres are Dunlop Battlewings, while the XRx models get the Pirelli Scorpiion trails. On road performance is great, though I have yet to get rid of the chicken strips. I have not pushed the bike in wet conditions so will reserve opinion on this (there are no complaints anywhere else). In the dry in fast and long sweeping curves of the highway you can precisely feel where the front and rear wheels are. They stick well and do not squeal at any time.

I have got the tubeless conversion done for both front and rear wheels, there is a kit available from Biking Spirit for approx Rs. 13,500/-. This involves applying an air impermeable tape over the spoke endings in the rim and using tubeless valves. This is great boon, as the rear tyre involves 110 Nm of torque on the wheel nut. After I picked up a puncture in the rear tyre, we failed to remove the wheel nut, I called in on-road assistance to get the bike to Keerthi and promptly got the conversion done. No punctures since then.

Maintenance -
The first service is at 800 kms, second at 10,000 and further service interval is at 10K kms. The chain needs to be lubed every 500 kms.

Once again, if you need any other info let me know, I don't know what all I have left out.


Issues faced -
June 14th a fateful Sunday evening, about 1.5 months after delivery and with 1,950kms on the odo, I was on NICE road coming back from Kanakapura with friends in a car some distance behind me. I paid the entry toll and took off from the gate, around 4-5 mins later I was going fairly fast and the Tiger's engine just switched off ! I pulled in the clutch got into neutral and coasted to the side of the road and parked. I checked for fuel, no issues, flat tyres - not an issue, with nothing else to check, I tried to start the bike - no go. After trying for a few minutes and no headway I took a break. The starter motor was working and nothing else was happening. Tried to get the on road assistance number, nobody answered for 45 minutes. In the meantime my friends in the car who were stuck in a jam came along, I tried the on road assistance from their cellphones also, double failure - tiger not starting and call centre guys not answering.

After getting tired of not seeing any resolution, we flagged a Tata Ace which was passing by and after fixing a fee of Rs 800/- for delivery, hauled the Tiger in the Ace to my place. This guy came just in time for me as it started pouring cats and dogs in the section of NICE road towards PES college.

Called Keerthi the following morning, they put me on conference call with the call centre guys, I gave them an earful and finally agreed to tow the Tiger to Keerthi's new service centre. Prasanna from Keerthi was in touch with Triumph higher ups about the issue and was following a set process for eliminating the causes. On 11th July Triumph had shipped a new cylinder head set which was being installed and after this I got back my Tiger on 14th July, exactly a month after the incident.

Other than this, the Tiger has been performing well, with no other issues cropping up.

Big bang -
During Ganesha festival, I had taken my niece to Valparai and were coming back after a night's stay at Monica bungalow as my BIL had some urgent work in Bangalore and we cut short the trip. On Sep 18th, I was 2-3 kms away from home when a biker cut across my path from a side road and I ended up hitting him on his engine with my front wheel. Both had a small fall as I had cut my speed significantly (which was not high as it was dark and it is a crowded road) inspected ourselves except for some very minor bruises nothing to worry. A merry crowd had gathered and laying the blame squarely on me, I talked to the other biker and took a photo of his registration plate, he also did the same. Told him that if there are any issues, let the insurance company fight it out, and so we got to ride home shaken and stirred.

At home I inspected the damage - the headlight housing along with the mounting for the windscreen was broken, some scratches on the right side and nothing else that I could see. I was in such a low mood about the incident that I took close to 10 days to get the bike towed to Keerthi. At the time of towing found that the front wheel had a flat and later on started the insurance process.

Initial repair list included the front rim which had sustained a bend, and some other parts. It took all of 4 months to get the parts from Triumph and I got the bike back on 18th Jan. The insurance guys are yet (Bharti AXA) are yet to make final settlement with Keerthi.

Funny how both times the Tiger went to the workshop it took exact calendar months for it to come back ! So the above two incidents saw the Tiger out of action for 5 months out 9 months. I had become so used to the absence of the Tiger that I almost forgot how the bike looked and felt during the 4 month break. I have since then made a few small rides around Bangalore and gotten used to the smiles it can bring to the rider.

So I end this very long winded ownership report with an announcement that I will be going on a Bharath darshan trip. Starting from Feb 18th I am riding with the Triumph group to IBW at Goa and after this I wil go to Pune and onwards, I will be starting a separate thread for that and welcome suggestions on routes/places to visit. I would also like to meet with TBHP members enroute. Further details in that thread.

Thanks for reading,

Regards,
Veera

[veerameti]

Following are the accessories I have got for the tiger -

1) Fork protectors, foldable gear and tank rubber pad from Keerthi
As these were part of the first service I am not able recall the cost of the above three items, the first service including the above parts came to Rs 15,952/-. The huge saree guard was removed at the same time.

2) Tubeless conversion of both wheels from Biking Spirit -
The kit was Rs 13,200/- installation Rs 4,5,00 + 4% tax for a total of Rs 18,330/-

3) Fender extender from Triumph for the front for Rs 2,712/- (with installation) from Keerthi

4) Powerlet dual USB charger for Rs 3550/- from Keerthi

The powerlet adapters and ResQtech tyre inflator

5) Barkbusters from Big Bad Bikes Rs 9,500 + 1,500 installation at Keerthi - total Rs 11,000/-
These are of sturdy build, there is an aluminium bar which is the main protection for the levers and rider hands, the plastic parts are just wind deflectors. The black part seen can be used in a slightly lower position or removed completely. Protection in case of falls are great as they work in combination to the lower engine guards. Coming home from Big Bad Bikes after installing the city tank bag, I stalled the bike at right hand turn and had a slow motion fall, the barkbusters rose to the occasion and prevented any damage to the tank or other parts, as the handle was turned to the right affording maximum coverage.

Barkbuster left hand grip from top


Barkbuster right hand grip from left - side view


Barkbuster left hand grip from front


Barkbuster right hand grip from front

6) DIN to cigarette lighter adapter - Rs 1,500 + VAT

7) Drybag 350 from Big Bad Bikes for Rs 6,100
This is a glowing green colour waterproof tarpaulin bag which can be placed on the pillion seat, yet to make use of this bag.

8) SW Motech City tank bag from Big Bad Bikes with tank ring - Rs 18,200/-
The tank ring which shaped shaped like a horseshoe is installed around the fuel lid and the bag which has a catcher in the bottom gets locked onto this. To release the bag a wire cable is to be yanked which releases the bag from the tank ring. This is an elegant approach as there are no straps involved in securing the tank ring. There is a hard plastic part which is installed in the inside bottom of the bag and connects to a lock on the outside bottom of the bag, this requires some drilling for putting in the necessary bolts, during this process you can choose how far ahead or back on the fuel lid the bag sits. The bag has extendable storage by unzipping the upper part of the bag incremental storage can be had. Build quality is great, there elastic loops where the zippers end to prevent them from flapping around in the wind.

Tank bag propped up to show profile suited for Tiger tank


Tank bag in extended storage mode


The latching part with release cable


Inside view with materials used for propping it up, a Nikon D7000 also fits in there



The tank ring on the fuel lid, you can see the raised profile where the bottom of the tank bag slides in

There is a provision in the front part of the bag facing the console to install a snap-on GPS/phone holder, and the bag comes with a rain cover with transparent top cover. The rain cover has a drawstring which pulls up the sides to prevent any water from seeping up from under the bad, very effective - tested in rain.

One grouse with this bag is that all the external pockets are pretty narrow, cigarette pack gets crumpled, that narrow.

9) Triumph side panniers with mounting hardware - Rs 1,00,201/-
Biggest investment made, and decision to get these was in a hurried mode. As my niece was riding pillion the Drybag could not be used and luggage rack was being quoted at approx 19K, went ahead and got the panniers installed for the Valparai trip with long term usage in mind for long rides. Got the black ones, the build quality is good, though recommended top speed is 130 kph with these installed. The luggage rack for the panniers also act as a barrier in case of falls. With my crash on the return from the trip, the bike fell to the right and the ride side pannier has got a slight bump in the bottom right corner. I think my niece did not get any major injury on her legs was owing to these panniers. All she had was a minor injury from hitting the road.

The light coloured part latches onto the top bars of the luggage rack arm and moves a coloured indicator on the rack


The bottom of the panniers hook into the lower luggage rack arm

To put on the panniers, lock the bottom part of into the rack and swing the top of the panniers into the rack, there is a red/green slide which indicates a proper lock of the panniers. To remove the panniers, the lock (sorry no photos of it) needs to be opened and a trunk like latch moved upwards. Cool feature is that the tiger comes with 3 extra lock tumblers, these are to be used for Triumph panniers and top boxes, no extra key to carry around ! The max load limit in each panniers is 5 kgs.

I also have a Sena SMH10 Bluetooth kit and a Go Pro Hero 4 Silver, as these as well known products, I have nothing much to add. These were got by my friends and family from abroad when there were offers going on, so price does not make too much sense here.

This finally concludes my report.

Thanks again for reading through,

Regards,
Veera

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Shubz]

Let me the first one to say WOW! & Congrats on this machine!

I thank you for your lovely presence at the delivery of my Multistrada as well!

Hope to ride with you soon!

Cheers

[barcalad]

Let me extend my heartiest greetings to you for this wonderful acquisition!

I like how you have approached literally every sector of the bike and written in detail. Without a doubt, the Tiger 800 remains my favourite adventure-tourer in the sub-1000cc segment and you have done great justice by your write up to the motorcycle and it's charisma. One beautiful machine, this. A job well done, mate!

Good choice of route to run in the engine. Remains one of my personal favourites as that route basically covers every character of the motorcycle you need to know.

Here's wishing you tons of miles with smiles. Good luck with the IBW ride. Will be keenly watching this thread for tour & service updates from your end.

[man_of_steel]

Very well written review Veer. Wishing you many many happy miles on the XcX! It is one damn fine machine!

Was nice meeting you during the DD hills ride!

[//M]

Many Congratulations Veera Sir. This ownership report was long overdue !

Sorry to hear about the delay in parts availability. But now since everything is sorted, I am sure you will have a wonderful time with the XCx in your upcoming Bharat Darshan trip.

I stay in Pune, so let me know if you need any help while you are here during your ride from Goa to Pune and beyond. Also if time permits, I would love to meet you and see the mammoth Tiger in flesh.

All the best for the trip. Ride Safe.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by veerameti

This is all I can think about the bikes riding and handling, let me know if you want to know anything specific.

Veera mate I thoroughly enjoyed reading your thread. Congratulations on buying one of the best ADV Tourers around. You have very well covered its on road(tarmac) behaviour I would like to know more about its offroad behaviour. Although I have come across tons of materials on this one I would like to know your perspective as an owner.

On 11th July Triumph had shipped a new cylinder head set which was being installed and after this I got back my Tiger on 14th July, exactly a month after the incident.

The incident you mentioned was really scary and unfortunate. Same thing happened with me when I bought my brand new RE Tbird500. It got stalled within three weeks and I had to tow it to the service centre on a Tata Ace. The problem diagnosed was a faulty battery. Could you highlight about the cylinder head failure in more detail and Triumph's reasoning for the same.

[Red Liner]

Wow! What a review! Triumph should just print this and hand it over to all new owners.

I can't believe triumph took that long to fix the bike for you. You are a man of incredible patience. Maybe it's a middle age trait.

Looking forward to your travels around the country, especially the himalayas. Subscribed!

[dkaile]

Congratulations and ride safe brother.

Cheers...

[hifisharu]

Hi Veer anna,
It was indeed a pleasure to have you on the team-bhp ride. I'm happy to have helped you with the ownership thread, my main purpose of maintaining though, is a selfish one: I kinda had an inkling that I might have to let go the bike someday and that the ownership thread is the best way to re-live my memories with White knight.

Very sorry that you had to undergo the pain of experiencing the cylinder change, the accident etc. One thing I've learnt from my stint with a bigger capacity bike is that buying one is only half the game, keeping it running and maintenence is a much bigger part. And repairs are a big part of the bigger game. I totally emphathize with all the owners who have to go through the ordeal of seeing the vehicle in a bad shape, then waiting for the parts to come and finally getting it back to shape. But for the dealers, it's a really tough job as everyone wants their's to be completed first, parts take time come through customs. Things just won't happen immediately. I'm glad you made it out of that accident without any major damage to yourself or your pillion.

All the best for the IBW ride; Wish you many happy miles and smiles in the future and hope to meet you on the road again someday

[CarCynic]

Thanks for such a detailed ownership review. While your write-up is invaluable for someone who is in market for this motorcycle, it also gives a nice insight about owning and riding a big bike to people who are still a long way from buying one.

[cUjO]

Superb Review Bro! Welcome to ADV! Also can you tell us about your gear.. helmet, jacket etc...? How are they in everyday as well as touring conditions? Any brand in particular or you wish for?

[veerameti]

Originally Posted by Shubz

I thank you for your lovely presence at the delivery of my Multistrada as well! Hope to ride with you soon!

It was 'my' pleasure checking out your bike Shubz, how about this weekend ? Will showoff my new gear

Originally Posted by //M

I stay in Pune, so let me know if you need any help while you are here during your ride from Goa to Pune and beyond.

Sure //M and please no 'sir' business with me, would certainly like to meet you in Pune, will be putting up a separate thread asking for suggestions for my trip.

Originally Posted by navin_v8

I would like to know more about its offroad behaviour. Although I have come across tons of materials on this one I would like to know your perspective as an owner.

Could you highlight about the cylinder head failure in more detail and Triumph's reasoning for the same.

navin, not to sound flippant, as all is about the biker and not the bike. The Tiger is a capable off-road machine, but needs to be handled according to its build/design, any bike ridden beyond this will result in long faces. The major off-road I did was on a solo ride, the Tiger was great with TC kicking in sometimes, the uphill was ridden with lots of loose stones. I was not pushing it speed wise and not trying to slide the rear as I had not even informed anyone I would be in that place, I was there purely by chance.

Nearly a decade ago I on my 350 Machismo and a friend on his RX came from Mananthavadi through Kabini (Jungle lodge route) the road was non-existent, huge pits and boulders, yet we managed to cover the road, only slowly and spending lot of energy in handling the bike, my bike had a loose muffler at the end. The same road on the Tiger might be a little faster and less tiresome but no less anxious (for me). Don't wait for a bike, go ahead and ride.

Originally Posted by cUjO

Superb Review Bro! Welcome to ADV! Also can you tell us about your gear.. helmet, jacket etc...? How are they in everyday as well as touring conditions? Any brand in particular or you wish for?

My setup 'was' till last week (experiences on Tiger) -
LS2 helmet (4 years old) very noisy from the air coming in from under the chin, needs to be strapped very firmly else it will tend to lift at high speeds, needed to hunker down a bit.
Cramster touring jacket (2009 vintage) - no issues with all vents open, haven't had any major disaster to verify protection.
Cramster full gauntlet gloves (same age as jacket) - Is at end of life, served me well in all these years.
Shoes - I wear steel toed CAT shoes.

I went a little berserk at the Dainese sale and got myself the below -
AGV K3-SV (sun and moon) helmet, this was the best fitting for me and has provision for Bluetooth kit, Balaclava, Leather Goretex gloves, riding pants and Goretex long riding boots.

Regards,
Veera