Triumph Tiger 800

[markbvt]

Originally Posted by Sound Farm

What do u guys think of a 2012 abs. Xc with 20,000 miles. With a few farkles and triumph panniers for $9000. ??
Good deal? To many miles for the price ? Worth it to just ge a new one ?
I like the price. Don't like the mileage but it has been serviced on regular basis by dealer. Let me know what u think

Don't worry about the mileage. My 2011 XC has 31,000 miles on it now, zero issues, valves were still in spec when I checked them several thousand miles ago. Awesome bike.

That said, I would probably spend the extra few thousand bucks and get a new one, largely for the peace of mind of breaking it in/maintaining it myself -- because I intend to keep this bike for the long term and expect to be putting north of 100,000 miles on it. If you tend to switch out bikes fairly regularly, then don't worry about it.

--mark

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by Poweranger

I just purchased a new 13 roadie last week. I have noticed the suspension seems kinda harsh. Weather has only permitted me to get about 50 miles so far. So I am wondering, will it break in and soften up some? I test rode the XC also but didn't get off road with it so I didn't really notice the difference between the two on the street. Of course I only have a very few limited miles riding both. Has anyone performed a suspension upgrade on a roadie? What are the options for the front? Or should I just plan on keeping this bike on hard packed graded roads? This is my first bike that is dirt oriented and I have very limited experience on two wheels off road. I run Elka suspension on my quads and have experience setting them up for off road but zero experience with forks or road/off road bike suspension.

With the cold temps, the fork oil is extra thick. And, all the seals are still new. It'll definitely soften up, this spring. I was pleasantly surprised, with the suspension on the Roadie I tested.

I've used Traxxion on three bikes. They have fully adjustable fork cartridges, valve sets, and springs for the forks. They're, also, an Elka dealer and were instrumental in getting Elka product quality up to snuff. Give 'em a call, after you've gotten some miles on the bike, this spring.

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by Sound Farm

What do u guys think of a 2012 abs. Xc with 20,000 miles. With a few farkles and triumph panniers for $9000. ??
Good deal? To many miles for the price ? Worth it to just ge a new one ?
I like the price. Don't like the mileage but it has been serviced on regular basis by dealer. Let me know what u think

It depends on how YOU feel about the mileage. Does it bother you?

Figure up what a new one costs with the same accessories, plus tax and fees, and see where you'd be. OTD prices are pretty scary, to me. Again, how do YOU feel about it.

Lastly, use a search engine, like SearchTempest, and look around Craigslist. Tiger 800s are out there (3 pages worth, today).

[swimmer]

Originally Posted by Poweranger

I just purchased a new 13 roadie last week. I have noticed the suspension seems kinda harsh. Weather has only permitted me to get about 50 miles so far. So I am wondering, will it break in and soften up some? .

The suspension is harsh and won't get much/if any better. Especially sucks if you are lighter than average. I'm at 13k miles with my Roadie that I bought last Jan. The suspension is more than annoying.

[swimmer]

Originally Posted by pilot3

I just received my suspension kit from RaceTech for my 2012 roadie. I have had very good experiences with their products and am expecting good things. All that was available at the time were the gold valve kits and springs for the front, so I am starting there. Once that is done, I'll move on to the rear. Unfortunately, I don't expect to get started for a couple of weeks.

\


Did you have to send them your forks since, at the time I checked they had not done a Roadie so needed a trial unit before they could make a kit? How much was it? Very interested in your impressions? Please post your weight for reference. Thanks

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by swimmer

The suspension is harsh and won't get much/if any better. Especially sucks if you are lighter than average. I'm at 13k miles with my Roadie that I bought last Jan. The suspension is more than annoying.

Different ideals, I guess. I rode the aforementioned Roadie around the 'burbs of west Chicago. The pavement was mostly shitty concrete. I found no fault with it. Of course, I'm probably 190# in gear and I had a passenger. Hmmm.

[swimmer]

Originally Posted by ducnut

Different ideals, I guess. I rode the aforementioned Roadie around the 'burbs of west Chicago. The pavement was mostly shitty concrete. I found no fault with it. Of course, I'm probably 190# in gear and I had a passenger. Hmmm.

You've got me by 40lbs. Mine also rides smoother with a passenger. I guess my point is if you find the suspension to suck at 500 miles don't expect it to be better with time. On the contrary it will probably become more annoying. Maybe because it's about the only shortcoming (for me) of the motorcycle.

[Kawidad]

Originally Posted by Poweranger

I just purchased a new 13 roadie last week. I have noticed the suspension seems kinda harsh. Weather has only permitted me to get about 50 miles so far. So I am wondering, will it break in and soften up some? I test rode the XC also but didn't get off road with it so I didn't really notice the difference between the two on the street. Of course I only have a very few limited miles riding both. Has anyone performed a suspension upgrade on a roadie? What are the options for the front? Or should I just plan on keeping this bike on hard packed graded roads? This is my first bike that is dirt oriented and I have very limited experience on two wheels off road. I run Elka suspension on my quads and have experience setting them up for off road but zero experience with forks or road/off road bike suspension.

I found my roadie did loosen up a bit. It's still not where I want it to be, but is tolerable. A guy on one of the Tiger boards said he replaced the fork oil (reputed to be 10w) with thinner 5w and then adjusted the oil level to give it a soft ride, and again, he claimed, it made the forks work really well. I haven't tried it or could his claim be veriified by other posters, but it does make sense and in theory should work.

[Sound Farm]

Originally Posted by ducnut

It depends on how YOU feel about the mileage. Does it bother you?

Figure up what a new one costs with the same accessories, plus tax and fees, and see where you'd be. OTD prices are pretty scary, to me. Again, how do YOU feel about it.

Lastly, use a search engine, like SearchTempest, and look around Craigslist. Tiger 800s are out there (3 pages worth, today).

The only thing that. Scares me about mileage. Is the bikes are new. And haven't been tested so to speak
I use search tempest actually. Most of them on there are dealers. Selling
not to many used ones around yet. With the same Accesories. OTD new. I'm around 5 grand difference , probably more !
Which is pretty substantial for me But I would consider a new one with out the extras too . I've just never bought a new bike so it's a little scary for me This would be my first

[Poweranger]

Originally Posted by ducnut

With the cold temps, the fork oil is extra thick. And, all the seals are still new. It'll definitely soften up, this spring. I was pleasantly surprised, with the suspension on the Roadie I tested.

I've used Traxxion on three bikes. They have fully adjustable fork cartridges, valve sets, and springs for the forks. They're, also, an Elka dealer and were instrumental in getting Elka product quality up to snuff. Give 'em a call, after you've gotten some miles on the bike, this spring.

Thanks ducnut. I didn't think about the temp affecting the oil. I will see how it feels after a few thousand miles this summer. I also only weigh around 170. I wonder what the average rider weight is they set up the roadie for?

[Poweranger]

Originally Posted by Kawidad

I found my roadie did loosen up a bit. It's still not where I want it to be, but is tolerable. A guy on one of the Tiger boards said he replaced the fork oil (reputed to be 10w) with thinner 5w and then adjusted the oil level to give it a soft ride, and again, he claimed, it made the forks work really well. I haven't tried it or could his claim be veriified by other posters, but it does make sense and in theory should work.

I was told the same thing from a riding buddy about changing the oil. If I find the suspension not tolerable after this summer I am thinking of adding the traxxion next winter.

[cug]

Originally Posted by swimmer

I guess my point is if you find the suspension to suck at 500 miles don't expect it to be better with time. On the contrary it will probably become more annoying. Maybe because it's about the only shortcoming (for me) of the motorcycle.

Suspension on the Roadie is really whacked. The spring is too light even for me (156 lbs), seems to be pre-compressed to not sag too much, the valving is completely off, why too harsh compression, not enough re-bound.

I have a Traxxion AK-20 in the front now and it is worlds better. The price is high, yes, but I think it might be the best front suspension I have ridding with so far. I'll get a Wilbers fully adjustable rear when I have my bike back and feel good about it again (after hitting a deer 5 weeks ago and having lots of repair work done). The front spring is now correct for my weight and the damping is pretty much spot on. Quite a difference. Oh, and I also raised the rear about 15mm.

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by Kawidad

I found my roadie did loosen up a bit. It's still not where I want it to be, but is tolerable. A guy on one of the Tiger boards said he replaced the fork oil (reputed to be 10w) with thinner 5w and then adjusted the oil level to give it a soft ride, and again, he claimed, it made the forks work really well. I haven't tried it or could his claim be veriified by other posters, but it does make sense and in theory should work.

Also, there's a 7.5WT available, if you wanted to creep up on it.

Originally Posted by cug

I have a Traxxion AK-20 in the front now and it is worlds better. The price is high, yes, but I think it might be the best front suspension I have ridding with so far.

I knew somebody here had the T800 cartridges, but, couldn't remember who.

The nice thing about the cartridges is that they can be swapped from bike to bike, as one moves on. It's a long-term investment.

[browneye]

Originally Posted by Sound Farm

What do u guys think of a 2012 abs. Xc with 20,000 miles. With a few farkles and triumph panniers for $9000. ??
Good deal? To many miles for the price ? Worth it to just ge a new one ?
I like the price. Don't like the mileage but it has been serviced on regular basis by dealer. Let me know what u think

As mentioned, the accessories are worth maybe 25 to 50 cents on the dollar, but ONLY if you want them. If you don't, they're worth nothing. The oem pannier set is only desirable by on-road riders, they are too weak for off pavement, especially if you dump it over on them. The mounts are plastic tabs.

The mileage is not a problem, but it is a few miles. Seems like a pretty reasonable deal, and you could sell of the pannier set if you wanted something else. You could always offer $8500 and that's starting to sound like a bargain at that point. MIne was $12,900 OTD before any accessories, and I thought that was a pretty good deal.

If you have to pay sales tax that is also a consieration. A private party might be able to save you a few bucks on that.

I just purchased a new 13 roadie last week. I have noticed the suspension seems kinda harsh. Weather has only permitted me to get about 50 miles so far. So I am wondering, will it break in and soften up some? I test rode the XC also but didn't get off road with it so I didn't really notice the difference between the two on the street. Of course I only have a very few limited miles riding both. Has anyone performed a suspension upgrade on a roadie? What are the options for the front? Or should I just plan on keeping this bike on hard packed graded roads? This is my first bike that is dirt oriented and I have very limited experience on two wheels off road. I run Elka suspension on my quads and have experience setting them up for off road but zero experience with forks or road/off road bike suspension.

I test rode both models, had been leaning toward the roadie as I was looking for a replacement for my road bike. And they are a grand less, and I liked the alloy wheels and tubless tires. I rode the roadie first, was amazed how smooth. Took the XC just to make sure it wasn't enough better to warrant the extra cost. To my surprise they were VERY similar, but the XC was definitely more plush and I liked that. After mulling it for a couple of days it was clear the XC was a better choice for me, for my riding. Looking back there should have been no question.

Anyway, bottom line is that the XC is definitely more plush, and as long as you don't ride it really hard it doesn't suffer from diving and see-sawing. And it handles corners well too. I know this doesn't help you with your roadie, but with some suspension mods I'll bet you could get it to a level of comfort you would be satisfied with.

[Poweranger]

Originally Posted by cug

Suspension on the Roadie is really whacked. The spring is too light even for me (156 lbs), seems to be pre-compressed to not sag too much, the valving is completely off, why too harsh compression, not enough re-bound.

I have a Traxxion AK-20 in the front now and it is worlds better. The price is high, yes, but I think it might be the best front suspension I have ridding with so far. I'll get a Wilbers fully adjustable rear when I have my bike back and feel good about it again (after hitting a deer 5 weeks ago and having lots of repair work done). The front spring is now correct for my weight and the damping is pretty much spot on. Quite a difference. Oh, and I also raised the rear about 15mm.

The rebound and compression is what I really noticed when I tried it offroad.