[v12]

Hello Axe, i enjoyed reading every bit of this long term review and could relate to a lot of the things that you pointed out - especially the part of convincing parents and better half on such decisions. The Tiger is really an amazing bike - probably the only bike that really bought a smile to my face every time I rode it. Sadly the lockdown hit us just after our 2020 Lonavala ride and the bike was grounded and used only for short (in fact very short trips). I miss it a lot and still think one day I will get a Tiger again.

But what really made me happy is that you bought the MultiStrada and more so you didn't sell the Tiger. Congratulations and ride safe.

[jungle1212]

Thank you for that amazing writeup Axe77!

You mentioned that in case of a future upgrade you would opt for Tiger 900 rally pro. Is it because you want to go more towards off-roading in general or are the 21 inch wheel generally suited for our road conditions? (other than the lower CG)

Just how much of a difference do the lower centre of gravity and less top heavy nature of the tiger 900 make vis-a-vis your tiger 800, while riding in the mountains?(I live in Himachal and am exploring the used vs new route)

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by jungle1212

You mentioned that in case of a future upgrade you would opt for Tiger 900 rally pro. Is it because you want to go more towards off-roading in general or are the 21 inch wheel generally suited for our road conditions? (other than the lower CG)

Just how much of a difference do the lower centre of gravity and less top heavy nature of the tiger 900 make vis-a-vis your tiger 800, while riding in the mountains?(I live in Himachal and am exploring the used vs new route)

At the outset, don’t read too much into that statement in isolation. I could hang on to this for several years or upgrade within 12 - 24 months also. Motorcycling is a funny business. ‘What’ I’ll upgrade to (and ‘when’) is anybody’s guess but yes, based on today’s market, it would be a three way contest between 900 Rally Pro; Honda Africa Twin and BMW GS 1250/1300.

You really need to consider your usage before you think of what you wanna buy. If you’re going to be off-roading a LOT, then the plusher front cushioning; comfortable suspension and overall stability of the 21” front wheel are much welcome. I do this once a year / occasionally and a lot of my riding is still highway riding so I haven’t felt the pinch of operating with a 19” front.

Himachal is off-roading paradise so you might want to actively consider the 21 incher option. Read a few more comparative reviews of the RP vs GT for a more granular perspective.

EDIT: Sorry I missed replying to the other aspect.

800 vs 900

There is a SIGNIFICANT difference in the handling characteristics of the 800 vs the 900. The weight is carried lower and the balance and handling of the bike is just incredible - you can feel that it carries its weight lower and this is much welcome. Hands down I’d say the 900 will be a better bike in almost every area. The only thing I like more about my Tiger is the character of that 800 engine. But otherwise, specially in Rally Pro guise, the 900 is definitely superior. Just comes down to how much cash you’re comfortable putting out at the end of the day because of course, the 800 was never a slouch either.

TL.DR - the 800 is a fantastic bike, and the 900 even better. Check the price to value quotient to clinch your purchase decision.

[imranstael]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Depending on the distance of travel, volume of luggage etc, road conditions etc, I would either use the lockable hard side panniers, or the Kriegas on the pillion seat or even both together. When using the Kriegas, I often cover the bags with a rain cover (if nothing else keeps it dust free and clean) and put a bungee cord to keep the rain cover in place.

Great review of the bike and your experiences!

It looks like you have all the types of motorcycle luggage possible! I was hoping you could elaborate on your preferences between 2 setups:

1. 2 side hard panniers
2. Top box + duffel on back seat.

The carrying capacity of these 2 arrangements is similar, but I just wanted to know how different the two setups feel while riding. Does one affect handling/stability much different than the other? What is your preference?

[GoBlue]

Superbly written prologue, Axe77!

Having never ridden a Tiger 800, I've missed out on experiencing the pleasure of this smooth/torquey powertrain. Have heard good things about it from owners however. The 765cc triple platform has been (arguably) one of the best engine platforms from the Triumph stable.

While the move to equip the 888cc Triple platform with that T-Plane crank has not been welcomed as emphatically by many (and myself personally), it's good to know that the weight distribution/CG has been improved upon by Triumph in the latest iteration of the Tiger.

Congratulations for the Multistrada 1200S! Having ridden it's successor, the Multistrada 1260S, was possible to relate to your description of the machine. While both bikes may appear as belonging to the same ADV genre, the Muktistrada (as it's lovingly called), could give a totally different riding experience. Semi-automatic suspension is one of the most useful innovations in motorcycling. The on-the-fly capability to make it sporty for ghats and plush for straight highway sections is terrific! The dynamics of having a 17" front/rear setup, coupled with a long(ish) travel suspension is a unique experience.

Interesting to hear (read) that you have the gumption to off-road on (subjectively) expensive ADV bikes.

Would be interesting to know how parking space is managed for the garage, given that these big bikes need dedicated space of their own.

Wish you the very best for a long and happy motorcycling ownership!

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by imranstael

I was hoping you could elaborate on your preferences between 2 setups:

1. 2 side hard panniers
2. Top box + duffel on back seat.

The carrying capacity of these 2 arrangements is similar, but I just wanted to know how different the two setups feel while riding. Does one affect handling/stability much different than the other? What is your preference?

From a handling and stability perspective, the hard panniers win hands down. The weight of the luggage is carried lower down and that definitely is an advantage from a handling / stability standpoint.

Carrying 50 odd litres via Kriegas or any other on the backseat definitely means you can’t be diving into corners as you would otherwise. The bike does feel top heavy and leaning has to be contained. It works for point A to B traveling - not for tearing across cities corner carving along the way.

The disadvantage of the side pannier set up of course is that it adds width to the bike at the rear. Per se, this is not a deal breaker for me. Whats more worrying is that in very heavy traffic, there is a possibility of another vehicle nudging or hitting the side panniers because its not necessarily visible to them, they’re not expecting something to be there and people are generally aggressive with the amount of distance they keep with other vehicles - they want to keep inching closer and closer.

Originally Posted by GoBlue

Superbly written prologue, Axe77!

Would be interesting to know how parking space is managed for the garage, given that these big bikes need dedicated space of their own.

Thanks buddy. Our car parks are pretty much XXL sized (they’re of incredibly generous proportions) and I have three car parkings with my apartment. Building rules allow up to 4 two wheelers in a single parking lot.

One of my three car parks houses my three two wheelers - the Tiger, the Multi and my N Torq scooter. The other two have my mum’s Grand i10 and the BMW.

Images below show all three bikes in the parking. Incidentally - at the time of clicking the Tiger was sporting its full three pannier setup while the MTS also had its side panniers on. Still fit very comfortably in my parking. You can also see the two ADVs side by side as they’re usually parked, but a little more forward. The N Torq is usually parked behind them - it was not home when that last picture was taken I think.

.

[abhi_tjet]

What a wonderful log Sir. I always wanted to hear/read your side of story which led you to upgrade from Street Triple to Tiger(it’s quite logical though as per our road conditions.)

And that Multistrada part, my my, it was a nice cherry to add in the overall bike-garage-verse.

[no_fear]

I completely missed this gem of a thread. Went through the whole thing only to find out you also own a Multi.

How did the home minister approve of this purchase? What hoops did you have to run through. Do enlighten us.

I have been debating about an ADV for a while. Recently thought about the new Multi V4, but still debating on the pros and cons.

Kudos on the purchases and enjoy ADVing. If you ever ride up to Delhi, do give me a shout.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by no_fear

How did the home minister approve of this purchase? What hoops did you have to run through. Do enlighten us.

I’ve just become bloody damn proficient at saying sorry.

This was followed by a profuse apology too, just like the previous two bikes!

I have been debating about an ADV for a while. Recently thought about the new Multi V4, but still debating on the pros and cons.

The V4S is an absolutely mind blowing machine. I am waiting for the opportunity to test ride it once (just haven’t found the time). Its definitely become a bit more refined and rider friendly than earlier iterations like the 1200S but its stonkingly powerful. Do give it a test ride - might just be the ADV for a Ducati & sports bike purist like you.

If you ever ride up to Delhi, do give me a shout.

Sure will keep that in mind - would love to catch up.

Cheers.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Some standout experiences with the Tiger:
...
⁃ Spiti - again with the XPlorEarth team. [Jun 2022] ...

... Watch this space. Coming soon via a dedicated thread on your favourite automotive forum!!

A long standing wish, this box too was checked in the week of 4th - 11th June - did it with the Team at XplorEarth on a ride under their independent banner (not under brand Triumph, like I did for Rajasthan).

Have put a dedicated travelogue for this one so I could cover it in more detail but wanted to leave at least one picture from Spiti on this ownership thread too.

[Axe77]

The Tiger finally got new shoes. Its now on its third set - Metzelers (80:20 tyres) - same as the second set. This change came a couple of thousand kms earlier than I would have expected, partly because the front had some cuts inside it which had rendered it virtually unusable. In fact it had to be removed and a stop gap tyre was put by Shaman which was lying around with them because the cut tyre was constantly leaking air.

The bike was all but grounded for almost two months since I didn’t want to take on anything beyond a short city ride (short city rides have also reduced thanks to rains - if one is going to get wet, its nicer to have a longer ride).

The last set cost me about ~23k give or take, sometime in late 2020 and at about 13k kms. This one cost me an eye watering 30.5k. Prices of tyres have just exploded thanks to the crunched import quota into India combined with stiffer shipping prices and what not. Tyres were date stamped May 2022 so they’re recent thankfully. The situation is so pathetic that I have actually just picked up my next set for the Multistrada already which I expect will be due for change sometime later this year. Don’t want to be left waiting in case the set is not available when I actually need it.

Some pics below. Odometer reads at 24,440 kms at the time of change.

[Axe77]

Given the extended grounding of the bike due to the long pending tyre upgrade, I’d been itching to ride the Tiger out long for a while now. So today’s Sunday ride saw the bumble bee being the weapon of choice, with the added agenda being to run in the new tyres. I simply can’t get over the feeling of this inline three. Just loving the absolutely contrasting character of my two bikes and am going to make the most of this last 12 months or so that I’m going to have with the Tiger before I put it on the block.

The destination was the remarkably unimaginative Ramakrishna at Lonavala. Wanted to try Buwachi Misal but realised it only opens at 9 am. That’s just TOO late for our morning Sunday out and back runs.

Somewhere ahead of Chouk phata. Nearabouts the Camp Max turn off.
.

[Axe77]

~Four years and 25,000 kms up

Two weekends; two big rides

The last two weekends saw some nice long rides on the Tiger as well as the Multistrada, with the big cat tipping past the 25,000 km mark on the weekend ride.

Weekend 1:
Went with my ADV biking group to Tapola (near Mahabaleshwar) with the Tiger. This was an all ADV crew with a lineup comprising a 1200 GS; a 1250 GSA; Africa Twin DCT; a Tiger 900 Rally Pro; Multistrada 1200S and my trusty Tiger 800 - now come to think of it, the “junior most” in the line up on sheer cubic capacity.

We went to Tapola on Saturday and on day 2, crossed over to Bamnoli village via Ferry, riding from there to Kaas and then returning to Mumbai via Satara.

The Tiger crossed the 25k mark just shy of Kaas Plateau, rather appropriately crossing the milestone doing what it does best - munching miles on back roads, no roads and smooth tarmac.

Weekend 2:
Had another trip to Mahabaleshwar planned this weekend with some colleagues but really heavy thunder and lighting on Saturday early AM caused us to postpone the ride.

I (re)-woke up around 8:30 am, saw clear skies, and just decided to head out solo with the Ducati without a specific plan on whether I’ll turn around at 20 kms or 200. Turned out 200+ (one way) ultimately. Rode solo all the way till Necklace Point, Bhor before turning back for home. Sunday was topped off with a nice ride with just one riding buddy to Morbe lake, an apt way to wrap up the weekend. The Multi is now a little shy of 57,000 kms (I had bought it used in end March of 2022 at ~53k kms). I plan to do the Desmo service a little sooner than 60k clicks, in advance of a Goa ride I have planned sometime in Jan.

Some pics below from both weekends. The Tiger has now been put in for major service. Its on brand new tyres (not even a 1000 kms old) and I’ll go the extra mile on this service to make sure the bike is in top nick. Will post a specific update on the service itself once the bike is back from Shaman.

———-x———-x———-


Partial lineup


The bike outside the resort


Sunday starts with a Ferry ride for the bikes.



Just before hitting 25k on the Odo.



25k clicks. Literally at the Kaas plateau.



At Kaas. We didn’t finally stop and explore on foot but rode past instead.


Taking the bikes off the road at a scenic viewpoint.



Lunch halt on the way back to Mumbai. Somewhere near Wai


Solo 400(+) km Saturday ride: somewhere before Talegaon.


Back roads of Bhor


Necklace point



Sunday ride: Above and below: the two big ADVs at Morbe lake

[100Kmphormore]

57k and 25k are numbers that you would probably expect to see on a VStrom 650 at the most and probably common among the Himalayans. But on a Tiger 800 and a Multi? Wow! Would be my answer. Nice snaps and great to see the regular riding culture that puts these bikes through the paces they deserve. The only running of this sort is a 18k run VStrom here on teambhp

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

57k and 25k are numbers that you would probably expect to see on a VStrom 650 at the most and probably common among the Himalayans. But on a Tiger 800 and a Multi? Wow! Would be my answer. Nice snaps and great to see the regular riding culture that puts these bikes through the paces they deserve. The only running of this sort is a 18k run VStrom here on teambhp

Hi. Thank you for the kind words but just to clarify (you may have missed my opening post where I reported the purchase details), while the 25k on the 2018 Tiger is all mine, the Multi I bought used in end March 2022 when the odo already stood at about 53.xx kms (I’ll clarify that in the previous post as well). So about 3 - 3.5K of that total running is mine, with the bulk of it in the hands of its previous owner who pretty much used the bike as a daily. Everything from daily work commutes to regular Bombay - Bangalore runs in his hands.

But yes, I feel happy I’ve run these enough even in my hands as a hobby weekend rider including its share of some long distance rides as best possible with work.

There are plenty of very serious riders with full fat ADVs too. The other Multi 1200S which is shown in the weekend 1 ride, is of the same vintage as mine (and a first owner bike) has done about 75k kms in the hands of a single owner. Its gone to all parts of the country including a very challenging ride in Bhutan. Similarly there are some GS 1200 / 1250s which have done far above 25k kms - maybe close to 50k or more as well, in my own group. So my numbers are still fairly modest compared to some really active riders that I know of.