Tiger 800XC owners: Would you buy it again?

My bike is in the shop and there's more drama than I care to repeat because it would bore even myself. But the question I keep falling back on after riding it for almost a year now is "would I buy it again?" The short answer is yes.

I am curious what others will say. What other bikes did you consider before buying the Tiger, and would you now trade your Tiger straight across for any of them.

Here goes: Triumph, F800gs, KTM 990 Adventure.

F800gs, no way. KTM 990, verrry tempting ..., but probably not.

Considered the Tiger 800, v less seriously a motoguzzi. bought a 800. would again. no drama here.

Yes, I am not brand loyal and I did not want to like the Tiger XC - but I did.
I went to by a KTM 990 SE but also considered F800GS, Super10, and 2012 Vstrom 650 which I wanted to like.

This is what I ran up against:
KTM not to be had at any dealership in OZ apparently. In between year models.
F800 GS Did not like the ergos, felt like I was on a Shetland pony the bar reach was waaay too short.
Super10 to heavy and too high looks like a praying mantis.
Vstrom = Camry. Did everything ok, good economy, but not exiting at all and well meh.

Tried a non accessorised Tiger, then an XC with a some fruit and thought not bad at all but was unsure on which to take.
The XC was +$1000 but came with crash bars, alloy skid plate, all on road costs and some other stuff and I was offered an excellent trade in price. Deal done.

Since buying I am even more convinced I chose correctly and KTM dealers in OZ can all KMA.

Most definately, would look at the 1200 XC as well

Here is my trail of choices. Before that: I would buy Tiger 5 times again if needed. It is most universal do-it-all and in nice way bike I see on the market (besides F800GS).
I was looking/testriding F800GS (no way on ergos and did not like it on paved roads), KTM990SMT (nice, but limited area of use and injection rather horrible), Tenere 660 (engine is way too weak down low even comparing to my old DR800), KTM690 Supermoto (this one was close call. Great bike. But luggage a problem and passenger is no-go and seat is made of badly cut wood log).
Multistrada 1200 - too fragile for me and a bit more than I need.
KTM990 Adventure - no point, I am not real good offroader and bike is tall and big for me. Will be shame to ride such machine on pavement mostly and it is still KTM and I just can't trust them 100%.
BMW 1200GS - nice to ride but no go. Too heavy and troublesome cost-wise.
Supertenere 1200 - very well balanced but boy it is heavyweight. I do not need all this extra cc for so much weight. And (forgive me owners) did not inspire me coming from other twins. It is powerful and fast, no question.
Unusual attempt with Ducati GT1000. I just love it, but too fragile and totally off charts what I need bike for.
Varadero - no chance. Great motor, did not like everything else.

Morini Granpasso 1200. I was buying it. Seriously. I lust after that bike for long time. But I was not able to find one new to buy! Seriously! No dealership had one! And I wanted new.

Tiger XC test with new "firmware" loaded ticket ALL boxes for me, plus I was blown away by elasticity of that motor. 50 kmph in 6th? No problem. Overtakes in 6th? No problem. Going big up to 10 000 rpms - no problem.

Sorry about long post. I have 7000 km on my Tiger XC and still ecstatic. All of my friends who tested it said "this is bike that can do anything and do it well!"

Yes, I would buy one again.

It's my first Triumph, so I had zero brand experience coming in.

Preferred it to the 800GS, and still do.

Love my XC. It does everything I want a bike to do. I can't speak to the dirt prowess since all I do is light dirt roads if I happen upon one. It is comfortable, tours well, I don't feel compelled to wash it and its been reliable so far.

Then again, I rode my friends Ducati Multistrada 1200 the other day, and well I started wondering if I really wanted to keep my Tiger Then, I got on my triple and didn't miss the vibration less seat and pegs. That bike sure was an animal though!

I would definitely buy another XC.

My only complaints (to date/2500mi)

- How far the rear passenger pegs stick out
- How far the (very fragile) mounting rack for the Triumph brand panniers sticks out when not carrying the boxes.

Other than that I think its a PERFECT bike. The wife and I just came back from a 1100mi trip to Durango. We both were impressed how well the bike performed fully loaded with varying road types from highway, mountain passes/etc.

Yes. Best bike I've ever had in 30 years of riding.

Yes. Absolutely fuckin' love mine.

I've got 18000 km on my XC now. I've ridden a good mix of asphalt commuting/twisties/offroad gravel, mud and sand. I absolutely love the bike. Its so capable in so many areas. It's been very reliable(except for the stalling issue). It's comfortable for long rides and works well offroad(for a 472 lb bike). You can load it down with luggage like an abused donkey and it still handles well. Fuel economy for a triple has been good(47 mpg average for trips). The power... Nuff said

I had considered the BMW F800GS. I bought the Triumph first then rode the Beemer after. After riding it...I knew I had made the right choice for my needs. It's a personal choice. Both bikes are in the same class but have a completely different feel to them. Ride them both..make your choice.

I was riding a DR650....along with my vintage BSA twins. A lot. Still thing a good BSA twin is a hoot to ride on a twisty road....they do handle.

But the wife kept bugging me for something more comfortable for her...so we looked at:

F800GS - she hated it due to the width under the rear seat for the fuel tank. Overall I kinda liked it

R1200GSA - she loved the seat, I hated the bike....felt like I was straddling the grill of the grill of my F150

KTM SMT - I really do like this bike, but none were available for us to try out. Still a nice bike.

Tiger 800XC - ended up buying one. She loves the seat, I love the bike. This is one sweet motorcycle. IMO, a lot more refined engine than the F800. The engine is amazing. Riding it daily as a commuter and each day marvel at the engine and handling. The handling is simply ideal for my riding style....strange thing is, haven't been riding the vintage bikes at all since I got the Tiger...think this is the bike I have been waiting 40 years for! I would buy another in a heart beat if something happened to this one....

This bike is amazing. The motor, the ergos, the whole thing works for me at 6-2, 220.
with five or so DS's in my past, it easily trumps them. With ABS and the handling, this thing is a great sport bike. I tested or otherwise investigated everything on the market, and the 800XC still comes out on top. No remorse here, just the pure joy of kicking that great motor down the road!

Yes, best decision I've made in a long time. Bought it this year.
Best bike I've ever owned, and I've had bikes since 1978.
I have over 9200 miles/14,000KM with no problems.
I've started doing Iron Butt rides. added lights and a bigger windscreen, power outlet, very comfy for long hours in the saddle.
It handles. No chicken strips.
+it's not a Ducati spending all my time in the shop.

I'm only 10 days into ownership, and I have to say this is a fantastic motorcycle.

I ride a lot of dirt trails / USFS roads on small bore dirtbikes, SuperMoto on my 450, and roadracing on my Daytona 675s. This thing has all the best qualities of the above without many of the compromises.

I really expected to not be impressed by the motor, and wasn't for the first week of putting around under 5000rpms. But once you start to open it up... It growls and snarls exactly like my 675s, and I couldn't be happier!

I traded in a 2010 Ducati Streetfighter for this bike because I never found enough excuses to ride the Ducati. You can't get me off of the Triumph!

-Tom

I have had mine for several months and I am absolutely in love with the bike. I would definintely buy it again.

JG

I would definitely buy again. Hell, I would buy another one now if I could. I would have one set up for the slabs and one set up for off road. It's the most versatile bike I have ever owned and the motor/gearbox is butta!

I love the positivity of this thread, because when I can afford a T800 it makes me happy, that I'll probably be happy

Carry on.

Another happy XC owner. And for all the reasons already mentioned. Crossed off each competitor already mentioned, one by one, for all the same reasons.

I really liked the Super Tenere, but damn, what a tank.

The 990? KTM's and Ducati's are, let's face it, finicky. And I'm a big fan of both marques from way back. I didn't want to deal with the fussy nature of either.

Strada? Nice, but no thanks, not with a 17" front wheel, and too much money. Who needs 150hp anyway?

The GS? Nice bike but archaic. Best description of it I heard was 'agricultural'. Also a tank.

Guzzi Stelvio -- nice bike, tempting, but might as well get the S10 then. It's a tank.

F8? Naw, just another BMW. Every time I would walk into the local dealer and start looking at costs for stuff I would about gag. And they were just dumbfounded that I would even consider a Triumph. They completely denied any problems with their 800's. OMG.

The XC checked all the boxes, the motor is brilliant. I never, ever, ever thought I would own anything that came from England. But they hit a home run with this one.

Every time I get on this thing I marvel at what a machine they built. Is it perfect? No. It's just way better than everything else out there for what I wanted in a roading adventure bike.