I would suggest finding a friend that already knows how to do what you want done and have him walk you through it a time or two. There is only one way to change the oil and filter but there are several ways to change a tube and tire. There are little tips and tricks in tire changing that can save you time and frustration.
The good news is changing the oil on the bike is about the easiest of any bike I've ever done it on. That said, the thing I often see with people who aren't very mechanically adept is doing things like cross threading bolts and over tightening (snapping them). Always start threads by hand! And when in doubt, a little torque wrench could be your friend.
yep, what they said. changing tires can be a pain to learn. staying persistent and not giving up is huge. I've changed dozens of tires and I think I still have to reteach myself each time. youtube and google is a great resource. if you have access to a dirt bike wheel and tire those are better teaching tools. Good Luck everything is pretty simple after you see it done. its just intimidating.
Just put one on the back of my Roadie. I noticed an immediate improvement in ride quality. The suspension on my bike is overly busy, I think others have noted this as well. I've had two different 1150 GS Adventures, V-Strom, KLR, two F650s, all had considerable amounts of travel. My roadie seems to react to even small bumps, producing a fairly gittery ride. Well, it is now much less so with the Michelin replacement for the OEM Scorpion Trail. Hard to believe a tire change could make this much difference? I've not had this tire long enough to reflect on anything else, plus I still have the Scorpion Trail on the front so any comments about handling in wet and dry, or cornering would have little meaning.
I like the improved ride quality for sure. Later when I put an Anakee on the front as well I'll have a better idea how they compare to the Scorpion Trail pair.
The Scorpion Trails are great on the road but the front has a tendency to step out scarily on a loose surface. I have the Anakee 2's now and they offer a fair bit more bite off the pavement. Hoping the rear will get me 10k kms +.
I like this Anakee 2 so now I am thinking, screw it I'll replace the front now with the Anakee 2. My ride quality might get even better,plus handling will be where it should be with two new tires. My economy self says replace just the back tire because the front has probably 2K left. My riding self says replace both and enjoy the best road manners the Roadie can give. I'm starting to listen to my Riding self, and my economy self might just be my false economy self. Ok, now I'm just babbling.
I have an Anakee 2 on the rear and still use the scorpion trail on the front. After 2000 miles on the rear, I think the wear is better, but I will know at the 5000 miles mark for sure, when I had to replace my rear scorpion trail. I could not tell the difference in handling so far.
I've also got a set of Anakee 2 ready to go on. Just past 13k miles with the current pair of OEM Pirelli tires.
So I'm really close to possibly going with a tiger 800 xc. But I am curious. With all the negative feedback they have recieved fo the abs on off procedure , What the possibility would be of triumph. Changing this on the new year To say , what the explorer has on the handlebar option like the Beemers . And thus making it worth waiting a couple months for th new year models to hit. I can't ride right now anyway where I'm from. Thanx
Well I'm gonna give you my take and I may get flamed for it but here it goes. The ABS system on the Tiger is awsome. Works better than most from what I hear. That being said, yes, it is a pain in the ass turning on and off unless you do it a lot as to remember the steps. I now leave it on all the time. I believe most others do too from what I have read. I can see needing it going down a steep hill off road but thats about it. The bike is too great to let such a small item keep me away from the purchase. I believe if they do anything different next year it would be adjustable forks and maybe a better shock. Thats what most people want to see.
+1 I hardly ever turn mine off. I have just a couple of times, in really slippery or steep terrain. Otherwise it works well even on dirt roads. None of this would have ANY bearing on which model year I bought. Turning it off isn't that big of deal either, although a simple on/off switch would obviously be easier. There are two buttons on the instrument cluster. You hit the top one once or twice to select SETUP, press the lower one to enter, then the top one about three times to scroll to ABS, enter the lower and it switches it to OFF. If you want to go back to one of your trip odos then the top button again a couple of times to scroll to RETURN, enter by touching the bottom button. If you don't do this it goes back to ODO 1 on its own. It takes more to type it that it does to do it. No more difficult than using a calculator or a smart phone. I think I can speak for the owners in that we are simply glad to even have the option, unlike some other adventure type bikes outt here that there is no option...one of them is the big one from Japan with the tuning fork logo on the tank.
I'm not sure about you saying "all the negative feedback". Some people on here say it can be a pain in the ass, but it's not that bad. It takes about 10 seconds to turn it off. Like said already, It's not a deal breaker at all. I watched a friend of mine go down earlier last year on his non ABS XC and I'm absolutely positive that if he would have had ABS it wouldn't have happened.