Tiger 800XC owners: Would you buy it again?

I've had my Tiger 800XC since July and zero problems. Before buying I wanted to compare it with a BMW 800GS but the dealer had none in stock. Instead I took a test ride on the BMW 1200 GS and immediately noticed that the Triumph was a smoother running bike and less vibration. Bought the Triumph. Now, if I wanted a primary road bike with off road capabilities I would consider the BMW 1200 GS Adventure with that super tanker 8.7 gallon fuel tank.

Without a doubt I would buy the Tiger 800XC again. It's a great bike for the price and a platform for lots of farkles.

Bought my tiger XC almost a year ago. No regrets what-so-ever.
Considered and researched about 10 bikes. The KTM 990's, Multistradas, Super Tenere', GS 800 and 1200's and the three new Tigers.
My short list came down to the Super Tenere', the 800 XC Tiger, the Multistrada S, GS800 and GS1200 ADV.
The way the dealer treats me is actually more important to me than the actual bike. I believe I'd have been happy with any of these bikes but here's why I bought the Tiger XC.
The local Yamaha dealer was not someone I felt would work with me well. The Tenere' is a behemoth as well.
The Multistrada felt great, but I didn't really trust all the electronic wizardry on it (I've worked in Computers for 24 years) and I didn't think I needed 150 HP. Didn't like the 17" front wheel for off roading. Great road bike though. On road it's the best of the group I rode which was everything on the short list but the Tenere'.
The GS800 feels like a big dirt bike and IS better off road than my Tiger IMO. Not nearly as nice ON road though.
The GS1200 ADV I liked just slightly better than my Tiger XC. Just barely.
So the Tiger XC was 2nd best bike overall I rode, almost half the price of the GS1200 ADV and Multi S and my dealer is an old trials buddy who'll strip a floor bike to get me going if need be!
Really very little decision for me to make.
Love the Tiger XC and the dealer.

One month with mine, took some getting used to with the 21 front wheel coming from a GSA 1200 but what a fun bike to ride, not top heavy and no tits hanging out the sides to brake my ankles if I allow the bike to fall

Quality, not bad but not the best if that's important to you which for me was not the case, the dealer delivered a demo model to my house and left it with me for a week and then collected it again. Two months later after riding other brands, I phoned the same dealer and 3 days later they delivered the one I wanted

2011 800XC-ABS with 13,000 miles on it now with no issues. Absolutely love it. Hard to imagine a better do-it-all bike. This thing has me riding nearly EVERYWHERE and neglecting most of my other bikes. Would buy it again in a instant.

I've been traditionally a Yamaha guy, especially with off-road bikes. I was convinced I'd be buying a Super-T early last year. I went to Daytona Bike Week in March of '11 hoping that they'd have the Super-T's there to test ride since you had to but down the deposit and all of that and really couldn't test ride them. They had them there and I was estatic. I rode the Super T solo and two-up with The Girlfriend. I found the Super T absolutely just OK. Nothing wrong, but nothing particularly exciting. The same day I rode an 800XC solo and two-up and was smitten. Fantastic motor. Great balance of power, comfort, nimbleness, features, etc. I got back to Iowa, had to have them order one to get a white XC-ABS, and got it the first week of May.

I also considered a F800GS (slightly better dirt bike, great gas mileage, terrible seat and slightly boring engine) and R1200GS (tank and a lot more $$$). I'm a KTM fan too. Tried a KTM 690 Enduro (too buzzy for true everyday use) and I've had a chance to ride several different iterations of the KTM 950/990 but just haven't gelled with that V-twin for some reason.

Best Mods: Madstad windshield, Jesse Panniers, Heated jacket and glove liners (yeah, not really a bike mod but the Triumph has the juice to power lots of electrics)

Improvements I'd like to see: better mpg, a little less engine heat on the rider, and a wider ratio gearbox

Can i ask why?? I'm just curious on reason... i want to buy an 800xc just wonderin why bmw was ruled out for you..

Thanks

Yo

Tiger 800 XC bought at Dec. 31, 2011 and ... will have been the best gift i could have offered myself.

Despite being presented as a difficult tract bike for beginners the adaptation was remarkable and experience alongside the bike adaptability has made me celebrate the day that I took the decision to choose the Tiger 800 XC!

Having as usual partners F800GS owners the Tiger 800 XC as never let me look bad or thrown behind in any situation. Quite the contrary. Has proved it self as a motorcycle completely capable of leading us to anywhere and The thrue synonym for one do-it-all bike.

Best of all yet its the simple fact that whenever I go out with her... I always start smiling side by side!

There would be no other bike to buy other than the Tiger 800 XC!!!

Things I liked better about the Tiger:

1. Engine, both smoothness and power.
2. Transmission, feels much more precise than the BMW "clunk".
3. Suspension. The F800 front dive was much worse than the Tiger's.
4. Seating on the Tiger was much more comfortable.
5. It looks better than the F800.


Thinks I liked better about the F800:

1. I could get it in gray.

More 800 GS comparos:

1. Just take the Tiger out on the open road an pin it in the first four gears...that will be enough reason to go buy it.
2. Beyond the much more capable engine, you should know that parts are available within 2-4 days here in the USA and are quite reasonable. (I took out a deer in Jun 12 and had to rebuild most things in front of the forks...most of it with hex heads in a screwdriver. I found that Triumph uses lots of thread locker at the factory!)
3. Being very familiar with BMW's, I look at the "after warranty" period before I buy. My confidence is high that I will save money during the warranty, and gobs more after the warranty for the life of the bike as I know it.
4. Because both are supposed to be off road capable, you are, sooner than later, going to over do it to some degree that is a bit more than your capacity, and you will beat the crap out of it...again, I know BMW's, and I know the T800XC will be more gentle on me to keep it on the road. Much less to repair and maintain. I've already proven this to myself.
5. This thing does the twisties like on rails. I have loved my Versys for 28k because it too is a great canyon carver, but with 30 less hp. I like my Blackbird for its smooth power and great cornering, but I can now let both it and the Versys go without regret at all. And the trump card over the other two, the 21" front lets me jump curbs...no, ROLL OVER curbs without complaint.

Every time I went into my local BMW dealer I was just shocked at what stuff costs there. Full boat retail isn't even enough sometimes. And service was just waiting to see how much they could overcharge for their work. They even spent thousands and thousands of dollars to build a fancy new service department - state of the art. That's great news, isn't it?? Their customers just LOOOOVE it!!

When I was bike shopping they were absolutely floored that I would even consider another brand. It's like they invented the motorcycle and nothing can compare. To the point of condescension. Elitist attitude at best.

I never really seriously considered the F8 but rather the GS. I wanted a good roadie for 2-up as well as adventure riding. After riding a GS and then the Tigers it was a no-brainer. I'm so glad I never got a BMW I could just scream.

On the other hand, my Triumph dealer was just awarded #1 dealer in the nation. They're a LOT more friendly as well. They were an absolute joy to deal with, best buying experience ever.

Hmmm...
I once heard that you should never trust an Englishman to make anything bigger than a hatbox, is that not still true?
Since all the owners are so damned enthusiastic, maybe we can add some second-hand reports-
A friend of mine who bought an XC last year has declared it hopeless as a dirtbike. He's ridden enough dirtbikes to know the difference, and has a DR650 and a DRZ400. He likes the XC as a tourer, but thinks maybe he should have gotten the Roadie instead. Anybody else feel like the 21" is a more of a styling exercise than good engineering, given the steep fork rake on this bike?

It still handles good on the road and the suspension is plush for on or off. Unless you're really aggressive with the brakes it doesn't see-saw. For me, that brought me over to the XC and love it for that. A dirtbike? Nope, got other bikes for that. But dirt roads the thing is da bomb. It eats big miles with aplomb.

So he would say same about GS800, GSA, KTM 990 etc. I guess.
No problem taking XC to offroad it's meant for. And I had no problems carving corners with it either.

I know people who would call DR650 and DRZ hopeless as dirtbikes too.

Don't get me wrong, I just do not see how it could be expected from 95 bhp 215 kg bike to be dirtbike? Is there such machine?
I know, KTMers queue now "990 can do it!" - but still not dirtbike.

It is good bike for open-piste non-technical offroad and this had been confirmed by good friend of mine who just over 50 000 km on his Tiger. He lives in Russia - trust me, he knows about offroad

Ive hung out at the local BMW dealer on Sat mornings,a buddy works there. I would see guys picking up their latest amazing germanic steeds after servicing.
I swear it was a point of pride to not flinch at a 2400.00 service along with the 50.00 per tire mounting fee and the priciest tires in town by a mile.
Full electric ABS service and other very involved maintenance can add up to huge $.
BMW guys have bucks and arent afraid to shell em out. Still at every 6000 miles for some bikes I think.
Old school.


This thread is making me want an 800XC even more then I did.

A good dirt rider can ride most anything anywhere,or close to it. I dont use big bikes in the dirt,maybe cruising on a dirt road, which is more then many (most?) XC riders will do.
If its close to 500 lbs its too big,for me. I would love to have one of these 800's though!
Comfortable,smooth ride,fast enough,+ I like Triumphs,the 99 1200 Ive got is a great traveling/sportish bike.
Built very solid. XC isnt meant to be an actual dirt bike,can tell by looking at it.

Triumph has been increasing their market share worldwide,and at a good pace,most bike companies are in the doldrums with the economy. Must be some reason.

@ 5-10"/180lbs/32 Inseam... Coming from a 07' & 09' KLR I have the muscle memory & strength of handling a bigger bike in the rough stuff. Anyone who can manhandle a KLR in sand/etc and have fun doing it can certainly have an AMAZING time on a well engineered 450-550lbs bike.

I have ridden with guys on 250/400/650's and done everything they did on my KLR. The Tiger actually inspires way more confidence than most of the bikes I've owned, Including my KLX250S. I'm really amazed how the Tiger with stock tires feel more sure-footed than my KLR ever did even with true 50/50 tires.

If a potential buyer's only point of reference is a 250/400cc, the Tiger will be more than a handful off road. It will force you to grab the bull by the horns or cringe in fear & then sell.

If your wallet has more meat on it than you, buy a bike for each occasion. Most of us had to choose a true do-it-all bike.

I just took a 45 minute test ride on a Tiger 800 (road) two days ago thinking I was going to Trade my '08 FZ1 in on an XC. Glad I took test ride instead of just listening to the positive rider reports. The suspension was the best thing about the bike, plush, felt sure footed on the road but the engine..... Torque appears much quicker but feels like you have to really spin it up to get it to move. Suppose this is to be expected coming off a liter bike. Also it didn't rev that freely, realize this was a bike with 130 miles on it, but still it didn't off the triple nirvana I've read about and experienced on a speed triple.

Gear box works great, as good as Honda/Suzuki/Yamaha. Brakes felt soft, but didn't make the adjustments at the levers. Clutch didn't have the on/off feel that I prefer and stalled the bike once it needed more slipping than I'm used to.

The Tiger is a pass for me, and definitely not a two up machine. I'm 5'9 170 lbs. Make sure you give one a spin first.

Want to test the Explorer, probably more my speed..

I beg to differ, I'm taller and weigh more than you. Took the wife for 5 days from Albq to Durango and all around the steep mountain passes with no power issues or comfort problems. I maybe would like a different wind screen but nothing major to say its not a two up machine. How big is your ol' lady???

Whats really funny is there were nothing but high dollar HD/Honda touring bikes with us. THEY wanted to stop and stretch more than us. We wanted to keep riding!! Maybe its an age thing.

Here's the evidence AFTER the 1100mi ride was completed

She's a buck 0'five. It's hard to go down in HP, that being said I mostly ride like an old woman. Did like the riding position definely let my legs stretch more than the FZ1.

I can see where stepping down in HP may have clouded your judgement

You know this is interesting thing about Tigers. When I got mine brand new it was kinda wee bit...sleepy for first...I don't know...500 km? Then something changed like big time. Even my friend riding with me noticed change in sound and acceleration of my Tiger. God knows why. It is not first engine I ran in, but it is first time difference was so evident.
Try to get test on well run-in machine (I guess would be same for Explorer) and definitely with latest map loaded.
First test ride I took on Tiger was in 2011 with first map. I was not impressed. 1 year later I tested same bike at same shop with latest map and it was SO different down low to mid rpms I asked if it is same bike.

I am shortie but "wide" and not light and my wife is small so can't comment on your 2-up situation, but my friend tried it and he is REALLY big and he said that for some reason my 2012 XC felt perfectly big enough for him and passenger and he was surprised how different it felt to him comparing to roadie. He did not like roadie at all. Go figure.