Triumph Tiger 800

http://www.tiger800.co.uk/index.php?action=forum

He should be ashamed for duping the public into paying a premium price for an inferior product.

I did notice that my F800GS needed a bit of time for the suspension to break in, so I reserve my judgement.

I know someone who is buying one, so when its run in I will ask for a ride and see what its like!

I do have to say that I am still happy with my farkled 800GS (might do a bit more work on the forks though ) so I won't be changing in the near future.

I don't find it odd at all, I'm not a sports bike fan, but when BMW launched the S1000RR it clearly took a technology and power leap over the established competition. All the magazines agreed and a friend who had raced GSXR1000's successfully for 5 years (won every club championship he entered) climbed onto the S1000RR and said it was like cheating the thing was so far in front.

What's this got to do with the Tiger 800? Well to my mind as good a bike as it may be, it seems to me to be simply offering a similar choice to the F800GS. Triumph had two years to see and try the competition, they could have come up with something that blew the GS out of the water, instead they came out with something that is merely derivative.

Like Von Kunheim at BMW said, Triumph are better than that and have launched some great bikes in recent years. They had the opportunity to raise the sector bar with Tiger 800 and they didn't take it.

I really resonate with this comment. Yes, there are things that the Triumph does better than the BMW (front suspension being the big one.)

I'm riding an old KTM single and am looking for my next bike. The 800GS has too many compromises and I was really looking forward to the Triumph but it just doesn't really have enough to push me over the edge (to purchase) especially in this economy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that there's another middleweight ADV bike but my wallet is still in my pocket.

Really good comments Joe!
Regards the S1000RR: True, big hit in the press. But I've yet to see much action on the track. Certainly doing better now in WSB ... once they got rid of crasher Zaus things got better (and cheaper)!

In local club racing here in California Suzuki and Yamaha still dominate. I'm sure BMW will start making headway. IMO, the Japanese have been idling along for 10 years, just pushing forward enough to keep Ducati and Aprilia at bay. But all the while serious R&D continues. Now, they may make a move and use up some of that technical capital they've been saving. Think they might have a few surprises in their bag of tricks?

On the Tiger 800: I'm not sure how much more Triumph could have done, or done better. Sure, they could have gone further ... but what would the bike cost? Also, consider the long term development cycle. You never fire all your guns at once. Look at Honda's long running CBR600 as an example of making use of periodic development cycles ... they've stretched the model out over 20 years ... and it's still a good seller for them.

In this market I'd guess Triumph purposely have erred on the conservative side all the way along, both on styling and engineering. This won't be their last T800/XC Tiger.

They also know that only about 10 to 15% ever take their bikes in any sort of challenging off road conditions. So why spend a fortune making a better off road bike?

IMHO, at some point in future they should offer a Dakar Kit or Dakar version or some such ... up grading everything, taking off a few kgs., better suspenders, butch it up a bit. Think it would sell?

I just got an update from my local dealership that they now have a 800 for test rides. I guess I know what I'm doing on Saturday.

I would be absolutely shocked if Triumph did not come out with a Tiger 800 XC-R (or similar designation) in a year or two with upgraded suspension, etc.

--mark

I just received word from Triumph today that they are going to replace my T800 with a new one. Thank you Triumph for doing the right thing. I will sleep better tonight.

Great comments. And I agree with you that Triumph was conservative and are not wasting all their ammunition at once. They are probably banking on the success of their triple engines and I think they can rely on that for a few years.

About the 10-15% who will take their bikes on serious off-road situations:
I think the number of people who really need better suspension and better off-road characteristics on a bike may even be less than 10%. That could be the reason why BMW themselves have been reluctant to create a more off-road version of the F800GS. They probably know that such niche bikes carry mostly marketing value (advertisement of the brand, brand imagery). More off-road vehicles are likely to have no economies of scale because of the higher cost to produce such bikes and the small number of people who buy them. HP2 is an example at hand.

I doubt Triumph will need to go there in the next 4 years to maintain a market position, as they are just in this market with a brand new product line. BMW, on the other hand, may be expanding their line up to off-road bikes via Husqvarna. The ball is now on BMW's court to raise the bar...

Congratulations to you and to Triumph!

Agreed, very impressive move by Triumph. Look, manufacturers of big ticket items do not have a great track record of doing the wright thing in situations like this. I give Triumph huge credit for taking care of this without a big fight. You know, there is a pretty darn good chance that corporate is aware of this thread. Advrider may have entered into this equation.

I have had a warranty claim on my center stand. The day I took my new T800 home the spring fell off. I will be getting a new center stand this Tuesday. I am happy.

Great news.

The Tiger 800 street model sounds about perfect for what I'm looking for.
I have enough dirt bikes, two of which can do light touring pretty well.

I'm the patient type, though, so will wait awhile until the hype settles.
Hope to do a test ride soon as the Phx Tiger dealer has an XC for demo.

I talked to another dealer in Texas and his suggestion was to put down a deposit if I wanted one this year... they're selling like hotcakes!

The only negative I have read seems to be fuel economy/range and non-adjustable suspension.
If it gets 200 miles on a tank, it's probably fine for me.

As far as suspension, can't people upgrade the forks and shocks themselves if they need more capability?

I'll probably pop for one this Fall.
Look forward to something with some zip and comfort on the street.

well this definitely makes me more confident during my consideration of buying an xc800 for sure. good news.

there is definitely a rule where you do not buy the first generation of any vehicle. Triumph's reliability is legendary, I wonder if this applies to their first run products as well.

Here's the full verbatim quote from Kuenheim:

"I think Triumph has done a remarkable job in the last two years. because they have carved out a niche for themselves. For example, when they wanted a middleweight sports bike they made the three-cyclinder 675. Very well executed, and I respect that.

But what they have done with the 800XC is to copy the 800GS and put their engine in it.

Triumph has so much heritage, so much pride, I say do not copy a German motorcycle, go your own way. The company can do better, and deserves to do better.

I feel ashamed for Triumph customers and dealers.

Still, the problem when you copy is you can never win because you have to wait until the original is out before you can start copying, so I am very relaxed about this situation"

..

There is a fault in his logic, I bought a T800 not a F800. Also, I am not alone. When given the choice many buyers are buying Tigers. Not bad if it's just a copy.

The Triumph takes the cake.

Glad it all worked out for you. They fixed my Sprint out of warranty when the end of the crank snapped off - known issue with outside supplied not heat treating them correctly, no questions asked. You should thank your dealer also - if they hadn't gone to bat for you, Triumph may not have helped you out here....

Box of Crispy Cremes is in order. Glad you got your bike sorted, that's the best outcome you could have expected.