Triumph Tiger 800

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by G-Funk

Heya Adv Grifter .....

As for tech training, yes ....... My local Triumph dealer had to get all of their techs certified on the 800 and 800xc before they could sell the bikes. I know that for a fact. They may have even had to have their techs certified before the demos came in ......
G.

Cool to know! Do you happen to know if they were able to attend a seminar locally or did they have to travel? Or maybe they do it online now?
Who paid? Some dealers make the techs pay ... hopefully that is not too common.

[tedesco886]

WTF!? This is the 5th time i've tried to post this with it deleting my posts every time. ANYWAYS!!!!

Just because i know y'all care so much...i just got my 2012 Black on black XC ABS today!!!

Plans:
-Heated Grips (triumph)
-Panniers (Caribou 40L)
-Top Bag (Wolfman expedition Large)
-Crash Bars (Happy trails, whenever they come out with the damn things!)
-Skid Plate (SW motech?)
-Front Fender extender (triumph)
-Handlebar risers (Rox 2")
-Exhuast (custom)

Skid plate options?: SW motech, triumph, alt rider...any others?

Center Stand Options? SW motech, triumph?

What "fog" lights would you suggest? Denali D2?

Headlight screen? Tour tech?
Any other suggestions/options?

[blacktiger]

Originally Posted by danketchpel

Will the 800 motor "tractor down" for the occasional technical crawl through? When I test rode the bike it was super hard to duplicate that sort of condition in the simple city route they had us on.

Do you find the footpegs too high for stand up riding? That was my only real complaint about the bike.

Answer to the first part is yes. It'll run down to tickover and pull away smoothly.
Second part, the answer could be to take out the rubber inserts in the footpegs.

[blacktiger]

Originally Posted by tedesco886

WTF!? This is the 5th time i've tried to post this with it deleting my posts every time. ANYWAYS!!!!

Just because i know y'all care so much...i just got my 2012 Black on black XC ABS today!!!

Plans:
-Heated Grips (triumph)
-Panniers (Caribou 40L)
-Top Bag (Wolfman expedition Large)
-Crash Bars (Happy trails, whenever they come out with the damn things!)
-Skid Plate (SW motech?)
-Front Fender extender (triumph)
-Handlebar risers (Rox 2")
-Exhuast (custom)

Skid plate options?: SW motech, triumph, alt rider...any others?

Center Stand Options? SW motech, triumph?

What "fog" lights would you suggest? Denali D2?

Headlight screen? Tour tech?
Any other suggestions/options?

Congrats on your purchase.
I can only comment on the bits I have on mine. so...
SWmotech bash plate fits in 10 minutes and covers the oil filter which the Triumph one doesn't. Works great.
I have the Triumph centre stand and so far it seems up to the job. Although the springs could do with being a bit stronger to help prevent it bouncing on rough terrain.

You left something off of your list.........hand guards.
Those standard ones aren't worth shit. Piss weak and collapse on the first fall. Get yourself some Barkbusters or something.
I fitted some Tiger1050 ones I already had and they're 10X stronger than those std. ones and give really good weather protection.
You can see the 1050 ones here....

[Lion BR]

Originally Posted by danketchpel

Hey Lion BR, that was a pretty cool video. I love the scenery up there. Will the 800 motor "tractor down" for the occasional technical crawl through? When I test rode the bike it was super hard to duplicate that sort of condition in the simple city route they had us on.

Do you find the footpegs too high for stand up riding? That was my only real complaint about the bike.

Well... I was not standing just because I was very far from experimenting with the laws of physics on the rides documented by these videos. I only stand up on real rough terrain, with major whoops, and when getting at them at speed. Something I don't envision doing with this bike, by the way (not that it can't possibly do). In the case of this video, I was just riding along.

But to really answer your question, the handle bars are too low and too forward for me on the normal riding position. I need bar risers that will also bring the bars towards me a bit (I see rox risers in my future). On this bike, my body position is leaned a bit too forward to reach the bars, and it can be a problem for me on long rides. But you see, I'm not coming from sport bikes ergos and the like...

About tractor down: first gear is taller than comparable bikes. A few times I released the clutch, 1st gear, when just coasting down on traffic (it will coast down), but I can feel the bike does not like accelerating out of the coast down (walking speed) without some clutch slippage or very very gradual acceleration. I did not try this bike on a steep trail.

Lion

[danketchpel]

Originally Posted by Lion BR

But to really answer your question, the handle bars are too low and too forward for me on the normal riding position. I need bar risers that will also bring the bars towards me a bit (I see rox risers in my future). On this bike, my body position is leaned a bit too forward to reach the bars, and it can be a problem for me on long rides.

That was very much my feeling when I rode the bike. When I stood up on it I was very hunched over, maybe I have short arms??? Maybe removing the peg rubbers and/or a peg lowering kit, plus some bar risers would fix that pretty easily.

Originally Posted by Lion BR

About tractor down: first gear is taller than comparable bikes. A few times I released the clutch, 1st gear, when just coasting down on traffic (it will coast down), but I can feel the bike does not like accelerating out of the coast down (walking speed) without some clutch slippage or very very gradual acceleration. I did not try this bike on a steep trail.

Lion

Originally Posted by blacktiger

Answer to the first part is yes. It'll run down to tickover and pull away smoothly.

I felt 1st gear was pretty tall also, like a lot of bikes these days. I didn't get to ride it at full freeway speeds, but from what I did experience there didn't seem to be any worries about running out of top end speed. Maybe a simple sprocket change will sort that out.

Based on the two different feed backs, I wonder if the USA FI mapping is maybe not as ideal as the Euro mapping? I've read more than few problems about low speed fueling issues on the US models. Maybe this will all be fixable with a Power Commander or similar very shortly?

I thought the motor "felt" like it would be pretty happy pulling at low rpm with none of the snatching etc. usually found with a 90 deg V-twin or single.

[G-Funk]

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

Cool to know! Do you happen to know if they were able to attend a seminar locally or did they have to travel? Or maybe they do it online now?
Who paid? Some dealers make the techs pay ... hopefully that is not too common.

The owner of the dealership paid, I know that much. IMHO it was in his best interest, because if he sells a few 800's he gets his money back. With that said, every 800 and XC he got in, he sold in a matter of just 2 to 3 weeks. I'm not kidding. So he definitely made his money back on paying for certification for his techs.

If the techs did have to travel, it wasn't far, as in only going up to Washington state, or down to California, because they weren't gone long enough for me to notice. I'm friends with the owner and the techs at my local Triumph shop. In fact, we kind of have a partnership of sorts going. I've setup their network in both the sales shop and the service shop, and worked with the manufacturer of their new (now 2 years old) sales / service / inventory program they purchased. I also do maintenance on their systems, etc .....

In return, I get special treatment to a degree, and cash - or bartering if I know I'm bringing a bike in, etc .......
A great deal of the time, the owner just wants to pay me for my services, knowing full well, that I'll just be handing the money back over to him for something.

Anyways, I think their techs did a short travel section, and then the rest was online. I could ask for the details, if you'd like ......

G.

[G-Funk]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

So you could buy it from me.

Noted .......

Oh, I also need to still PM you .......

G.

[Lion BR]

Originally Posted by G-Funk

The owner of the dealership paid, I know that much. IMHO it was in his best interest, because if he sells a few 800's he gets his money back. With that said, every 800 and XC he got in, he sold in a matter of just 2 to 3 weeks. I'm not kidding. So he definitely made his money back on paying for certification for his techs.

If the techs did have to travel, it wasn't far, as in only going up to Washington state, or down to California, because they weren't gone long enough for me to notice. I'm friends with the owner and the techs at my local Triumph shop. In fact, we kind of have a partnership of sorts going. I've setup their network in both the sales shop and the service shop, and worked with the manufacturer of their new (now 2 years old) sales / service / inventory program they purchased. I also do maintenance on their systems, etc .....

In return, I get special treatment to a degree, and cash - or bartering if I know I'm bringing a bike in, etc .......
A great deal of the time, the owner just wants to pay me for my services, knowing full well, that I'll just be handing the money back over to him for something.

Anyways, I think their techs did a short travel section, and then the rest was online. I could ask for the details, if you'd like ......

G.

BTW I met Rod and team and other riders for lunch in Steamboat last Sunday. I did not ride with them, as I had a wider loop planned. But I managed to be there when they arrived for lunch.

[tedesco886]

Blacktiger- good call, thanks!

[Bassfisher]

Can anyone tell me what the outside diameter is on the Triumph heated grips?
I am looking for grips with a small diameter.
I had some Oxford grips but they are much bigger than stock grips.

[SierraADV]

Originally Posted by tedesco886

What "fog" lights would you suggest? Denali D2?

Any other suggestions/options?

Nice bike! Where are you located? That looks like California terrain behind your truck.

I would go with the OEM Skid plate and OEM fog lights. The OEM skid/sump gaurd goes up pretty high to protect the hoses and oil filter. The OEM fog lights provide a great deal of extra lighting at night and look great with the matching OEM Skid/sump guard.

For my headlights and fog lights, I used Venture Shield, it's like 3M clear bra but better (no sticky adhesive and thicker/stronger). I also have this all over my SUV and it works great. I also put it on the back part of my gas tank where my legs touch/rub against the paint, turned out well...

I have a brand new, uninstalled, but not in retail bag, front fender OEM extension I'll sell you. I purchased it, took it out of the bag, and never installed it and don't plan too. If you want it, make me an offer, I'll take a fair price below retail for it.

[markjenn]

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

Not a cheap date ... but all a write-off for the dealer. You're either IN or your OUT. Sounds like your dealer is not committed 100% to Triumph quite yet. Once he's lost 30 or 40 sales he may wise up ... but these kind of dealers tend to "have all the answers". Be interesting to see his face when Triumph pulls his dealership on him. Triumph have done this quite a bit in the last few years.

I agree, but I can also see the dealer's POV. Let's see, all-up $5K for the tech to do the course, sell 20 bikes in a year... that's $250 per bike just to cover this cost at a time where a lot of dealers are feeling lucky to clear $500 total margin on a new bike sale.

- Mark

[Mercury264]

Originally Posted by markjenn

I agree, but I can also see the dealer's POV. Let's see, all-up $5K for the tech to do the course, sell 20 bikes in a year... that's $250 per bike just to cover this cost at a time where a lot of dealers are feeling lucky to clear $500 total margin on a new bike sale.

- Mark

New bike sales make up a small part of a dealer's income. I agree, it's a lot to pay for training but it's not as simple as figuring how many new bikes they will sell as a result.

[Deano955]

Originally Posted by Bassfisher

Can anyone tell me what the outside diameter is on the Triumph heated grips?
I am looking for grips with a small diameter.
I had some Oxford grips but they are much bigger than stock grips.

I've got the Triumph heated grips on my 2012 XC. They are a grip, not tape that mounts below the grip. I didn't measure them but I'd say they're 7/8" at the grip, like most standard grips.

Can't comment on how well the Triumph heated grips accessory work as it's been over 90 degrees every day for going on 3 months now in the Denver area. I can barely stand to ride the bike home from work right now...