Triumph Tiger 800

[andoulli]

Originally Posted by patl

Did we ever get a final answer on alternator capacity? The US site doesn't list specs anymore, though the UK site lists alternator capacity at 645w.

645w would be awesome - plenty for powerful aux lights, heated jacket liner and gloves/grips, no worries at all!

650 is what I have been reading.

Took mine in today for the .5K service. No issues except the center stand problem which was not addressed, waiting on a new kit. Dealer charged $160, seems pretty much in line with what others are charging. Had them install the panniers that I ordered while I was there. They look real solid. After the service I had the chance to run the engine up a little more, wow, this 800 really sets the new standard for middleweight adventure bikes.

I had some thoughts about what BMW can do to remain competitive in this category. First, give the F800R belt drive. Low maintenance, clean, and no need to adjust. This would get a few sales back. Second give the F650 twin same belt drive and the 85 hp mill. All that combined with it's tubeless rims would boost sales of the "rodie 800". Drop the stupid F650 moniker and call it the F800. Rename the G650, uhhhh, what should we call it, oh yeah, frigging F650GS for Christ's sake. Lastly if they really want to do it up right, give the F800GS tubeless spoke wheels. Mind you that there is no need for burning any midnight oil to accomplish these feats. The parts are sitting, waiting on their respective shelves for someone at BMW to wake the frigging up.

Allow me one more edit, give them all 5 gallon tanks! That would require the mental giants to redesign a bigger plastic bladder under the seat. I don't know that is a tough one, not sure they are up to it.

[jimjim]

Originally Posted by patl

Did we ever get a final answer on alternator capacity? The US site doesn't list specs anymore, though the UK site lists alternator capacity at 645w.

645w would be awesome - plenty for powerful aux lights, heated jacket liner and gloves/grips, no worries at all!

It's rated at 41.5 amps @ 4K rpm thus 498 watts. This is from the owners manual.

[TAMPAJIM]

Originally Posted by andoulli

650 is what I have been reading.



Allow me one more edit, give them all 5 gallon tanks! That would require the mental giants to redesign a bigger plastic bladder under the seat. I don't know that is a tough one, not sure they are up to it.

I've got a BMW 650GS twin that is getting 62 mpg and a T800 that gets 43 mpg. Based on that, the T800 needs a 6 gallon tank to have the same range as the the Beemer with it's 4.2 gallon under seat plastic bladder.

[jphish]

andoulli - Question: If your 800 came with defective centerstand - why did you get charged $160 to replace it ? Aint that a warranty item ?

[jphish]

Obviously not been paying close enuf attention to the lurching of the launching of the 800 Tiger. Ordered my Black 800XC a month ago - being shipped from Georgia next week (May 13, supposedly) Dealer never mentioned anything about frame color (not sure I care) but whats the deal ? One supperior to the other ? Inquiring minds...

[markbvt]

Originally Posted by patl

Did we ever get a final answer on alternator capacity? The US site doesn't list specs anymore, though the UK site lists alternator capacity at 645w.

645w would be awesome - plenty for powerful aux lights, heated jacket liner and gloves/grips, no worries at all!

It's both: 550 watts at 12 volts, 645 watts at 14 volts. I guess the better way of stating alternator capacity would be that it's about 46 amps.

--mark

[andoulli]

Originally Posted by jphish

andoulli - Question: If your 800 came with defective centerstand - why did you get charged $160 to replace it ? Aint that a warranty item ?

The $160 was for the .5 K service.

[andoulli]

Originally Posted by TAMPAJIM

I've got a BMW 650GS twin that is getting 62 mpg and a T800 that gets 43 mpg. Based on that, the T800 needs a 6 gallon tank to have the same range as the the Beemer with it's 4.2 gallon under seat plastic bladder.

No question, you are right. I was just thinking in terms of what can the motor company do to make the F bikes more competitive in the face of increased competition.

[jphish]

Oh - got it. So focused on the stand, missed the .5k service. Thanks

[thumper_tx]

Originally Posted by jphish

Obviously not been paying close enuf attention to the lurching of the launching of the 800 Tiger. Ordered my Black 800XC a month ago - being shipped from Georgia next week (May 13, supposedly) Dealer never mentioned anything about frame color (not sure I care) but whats the deal ? One supperior to the other ? Inquiring minds...

Good luck with that!
I have been hearing that song and dance for over 2 months now.

[davevv]

Originally Posted by thumper_tx

Good luck with that!
I have been hearing that song and dance for over 2 months now.

Yep, paid my deposit on a yellow 800, non ABS, on March 26. After the first two promised delivery dates were missed (including a change to white for the second one), I was told a yellow 2012, that they provided a VIN for, would be delivered within ten days. The tenth day was yesterday and still no bike at the dealer.

What's interesting is that I'm not sure this delivery problem is limited to the new T800. Triumph USA had an open house event last weekend at most dealerships that was supposed to show off the new models. I was there Saturday and the Triumph portion of the showroom (dealership sells four euro brands) was as empty as I've ever seen it. No Tigers, Speed Triples, Scramblers, Thunderbirds, or Rockets at all. Those they had in stock have been sold and ones that were ordered haven't arrived. Dealer was not happy, as it's hard to show off or sell new models when the bikes he has ordered don't come in. I suspect our delays may be due to the effects of the disaster in Japan as much as poor planning for the T800 intro? Just speculation. I have no proof, but it seems like a possibility to me.

I did get a free tee shirt though.

[Simon Smith]

Originally Posted by davevv

Yep, paid my deposit on a yellow 800, non ABS, on March 26. After the first two promised delivery dates were missed (including a change to white for the second one), I was told a yellow 2012, that they provided a VIN for, would be delivered within ten days. The tenth day was yesterday and still no bike at the dealer.

A friend of mine ordered a yellow 800ABS last November and picked it up last week, as we have the same delays here in the UK. I was just lucky getting mine quickly as orange is also now in short supply.

As I understand it the factory is going flat out but can't keep up with demand. Though it does seem that Triumph USA are making a few cockups on what they deliver to the dealers.

[fmunson]

Originally Posted by akula802

Just put a deposit down on an orange XC, but I'm told it won't be here until August. Which is ok, life's got me pretty busy at the moment and I'm not in a big hurry, as I'm sure this will be the last bike I buy for a long time. After reading about / drooling over the XC since last year, I finally rode the demo last weekend and fell in love. My opinions on the ride don't fall into the 'expert' category by anyone's measure, but I was very impressed with this bike. I got to ride the demo on a good mix of roads, from interstate highway to twisties, but unfortunately no gravel.

I'm 5'9" and pretty well used to one-footing tall dirt bikes, but I ordered the low seat to come with my XC. It was no problem to u-turn this thing on narrow residential streets, poke around a parking lot, and run it up to 80+ in a hurry on an entrance ramp. Coming from a moped, then a 125cc Chinese dual-sport, then a V-Star, then my WR250R, I wasn't sure what to expect from the Tiger when I left the dealer parking lot, having never ridden a large 'adventure' bike. But it felt right, very easy to maneuver. I can see it being a handful on the slippery stuff, but that's probably just because I'm used to throwing around much lighter machines.

The transmission was fine, the clutch was smooth as butter, and the power was nice and smooth as well. Didn't feel jumpy or twitchy, and I never felt afraid of accidentally lifting the front wheel. Just enough power in a bike for me, not too much and not too little. As others in this thread have noted, the Tiger would be fine with a 3-speed, there's enough torque even at the sub-5000 rpm range to keep you moving.

I'm on the fence about an aftermarket pipe like the Arrow, because the stock exhaust note somewhat disappointed me. More whistle than growl. But that's not even a real complaint, and it's also easy to fix. My only other gripe was the loud 'drumbeat' of air passing by my head from over the windscreen. If I tucked my head down a few inches, it was silent. So I ordered the adjustable high screen to go with my XC, and hopefully that fixes it. This will be my first ride with a windscreen, and I'm pretty pumped about it.

Yes, the Tiger costs a lot of money. But it's sooooooooooo purdy, and its a pleasure to ride. I will keep my WR250R as well, and between the two, I'll have everything I need. I don't plan on jumping the XC over logs on gnarly singletrack like the demo videos. It will see its share of gravel and two-track, but most of its use will probably be on pavement. It may sound stupid, but the XC looks better than the road version (in my opinion), and I like spoked / tubed wheels.

So now the waiting game begins... if anyone wants a white one right now, Motoprimo in Lakeville, MN has one sitting on the floor. They had a black one too, but it sold yesterday I think.

We have similiar riding backgrounds, I too have kept my 250. You will love this bike, it's impossible to feel otherwise Every mile (km in my case) I put on the XC puts me more at ease, makes me more confident and broadens my smile. A few nights ago I went riding in the dark for the first time since I got her. I had a difficult time convincing myself to stop; the Tiger handles road imperfections that you can't see at night as if they aren't there. I'm racking up kms so I can get past the 5000rpm break-in limit. If only my damn job wasn't in the way.

[fullmonte]

Originally Posted by Simon Smith

A friend of mine ordered a yellow 800ABS last November and picked it up last week, as we have the same delays here in the UK. I was just lucky getting mine quickly as orange is also now in short supply.

As I understand it the factory is going flat out but can't keep up with demand. Though it does seem that Triumph USA are making a few cockups on what they deliver to the dealers.

That's called the Harley Effect. Whodathunk Triumph would have this "problem"? Just be thankful your dealer isn't jacking up the price like HD dealers did for over a decade.

[jphish]

Yeah - well...will let you know what happens here. Supposedly being 'shipped' from Georgia this Friday...give or take a few months. Pretty simple test really - it will either be on the truck...or it won't. No guessing involved. The dealer said I had VIN # assigned...I think that means "Vehicle In Nottingham" ? Suffering is the difference between expectations & reality - my reality is 'flexible' - thus no suffereing. KLR just sold, but still got a Uly to sell & my Girlie in the garage (which aint for sale) Just wanted to get down to 2 tigers - will eventually. More will be revealed. Now about those Black / Silver frames - Still curious as to differences...anyone...??