Tiger Tales - Dialling in the 800XC for the dirt

[ThomasVolomitz]

I do enjoy the Tiger and may keep it. Not too many people have 10 grand lying around anyway.

[cpittmx]

Ras is that Minerva,Ohio? If so I'm just next door n Alliance.

[ThomasVolomitz]

Yes, Minerva, Ohio.

[fbj913]

Originally Posted by the_babaji

I would like to know what you guys think.

I am considering the Touratech Engine Crash Bar


and the Touratech Fairing Crash Bar


I kinda wish they were available in black. On a black tiger with black frame do you think these 'silver' accents will look ok?

Has anyone seen them? I wonder how well they protect:? I wonder how far the lower crash bur sticks out? Does it stick out far enough to keep enough of the bike off the ground?

Like you said. I don't think they stick out far enough. I don't like them. There is not enough protection.

[BigMike40]

Nothing wrong with the OEM engine crash bars.

And also, the side fairings are cheap and designed to crack in the event of a fall. In the Uk the top fairing is about 25 quid so you'd need to go through a lot of them to meet the price of the TT fairing bars so I don't really see the point in them.

[motosickle2000]

I agree. I have the Triumph engine guards, and the Highway dirtbikes handguards on my XC. I have dropped my bike several times and all that has touched down is the engine guards (easily touched up), the handguards (also easily touched up) and the rear footpegs - nothing else. Just keep a can of satin black spray paint around and you will be good to go.

Originally Posted by BigMike40

Nothing wrong with the OEM engine crash bars.

And also, the side fairings are cheap and designed to crack in the event of a fall. In the Uk the top fairing is about 25 quid so you'd need to go through a lot of them to meet the price of the TT fairing bars so I don't really see the point in them.

[BigMike40]

I would have had the HDB guards if they werent so damned expensive with the import tax and shipping etc. They look like really good gear though. I got barkbusters in the end which are fine but the bar clamps are hard work to get sited correctly.

[clax]

On the other side of the coin I too have the Triumph engine guards, which in my mind offer pretty good protection. I will tell you though; that I did break a plastic piece when I went down about 5 times in one day riding on snow and ice with heideaeu's (check my blog to see the nice repair job i did with black duct tape). Anyway, the other engine guards do offer more protection, but alas the price! Especially if you already have the Triumph ones, cause those will be worth half price to sell off. Ya, and bigbike is right, the side pieces are only $45 canadian. I'm stickin with the facto's for now.

cheers,
Clay D
http://tigerclay.blogspot.com/

[Windy Rider]

Originally Posted by METIGER

How on earth do you clean all that cr@p off the bike ??

Just sit it outside in the rain...............it will come good!

[Burren Rider]

Fork Settings

I have been tinkering with fork settings trying to avoid a tendancy to bottom in the dirt and I think they may be sorted. I am running slightly stiffer, progressive wound Wilbers Springs and I have upped the Oil Level to 102mm (from 107mm standard). Unfortunately I was originally led astray by the Wilbers catalogue (and rep) who advised that the standard height was 120mm and that Wilbers recommended a 130mm height. At 120mm, with the lighter 5wt oil that Wilbers recommends, this made the bike even more prone to bottoming than the standard setup so it is good to have it sorted now.

[Burren Rider]

I have just had a call from Ralle Moto to advise that their damper unit will be ready to go in the next couple of days. Looks like they have done a nice job of integrating it around the ignition switch.

Although the Tiger is a very stable bike in my experience, I like the security of a damper for the unexpected (rocks, roots, ruts etc) where it can be really beneficial.

[blacktiger]

Originally Posted by Burren Rider

Fork Settings

I have been tinkering with fork settings trying to avoid a tendancy to bottom in the dirt and I think they may be sorted. I am running slightly stiffer, progressive wound Wilbers Springs and I have upped the Oil Level to 102mm (from 107mm standard). Unfortunately I was originally led astray by the Wilbers catalogue (and rep) who advised that the standard height was 120mm and that Wilbers recommended a 130mm height. At 120mm, with the lighter 5wt oil that Wilbers recommends, this made the bike even more prone to bottoming than the standard setup so it is good to have it sorted now.

Good job being first into the forks an' all. Thanks for finding the standard oil level setting.
I would think though that those new settings will be making it quite harsh on the road. I was actually thinking of trying to soften mine slighty. We don't have your sort of high speed trails over here so bottoming out is not a problem I've encountered.

[C5INC]

Anybody building a better front fender yet? The rear mounts on mine broke in the middle of nowhere NV, so we did a roadside ziptie repair which was holding good until we hit mud. When the zipties broke the fender rotated forward, broke out of the fork mounts and I ran over it! Straped the now 2 piece fender on the rack and rode home fenderless hoping no sticks or rocks would catch the brake crossover lines. I'm guessing rocks carrying up the tire and spitting out the front are what caused the rear mounts to break. The Triunph fender extension probably makes it worse. I doubt Triumph will warranty it but I'm gonna try. Definately going to raise the new one 15-20mm! I looked at a BMW F800 front fender and it is nearly identical, although it has more tire clearance. Is this the best these companies can do on their bad ass adventure bikes?!

[Mercury264]

Originally Posted by C5INC

Anybody building a better front fender yet? The rear mounts on mine broke in the middle of nowhere NV, so we did a roadside ziptie repair which was holding good until we hit mud. When the zipties broke the fender rotated forward, broke out of the fork mounts and I ran over it! Straped the now 2 piece fender on the rack and rode home fenderless hoping no sticks or rocks would catch the brake crossover lines. I'm guessing rocks carrying up the tire and spitting out the front are what caused the rear mounts to break. The Triunph fender extension probably makes it worse. I doubt Triumph will warranty it but I'm gonna try. Definately going to raise the new one 15-20mm! I looked at a BMW F800 front fender and it is nearly identical, although it has more tire clearance. Is this the best these companies can do on their bad ass adventure bikes?!

Can't work out if you had the extender on when it broke or not ? I think not (but correct me if I'm wrong) and if that's correct then of course Triumph won't warranty it - you got it filled with mud and it broke. Why would they warranty that ?

[Rob Dirt]

I don't know where to find it yet, but I plan on putting dual brake lines on my front. These pictures show the split at the top & the lines run down one on each tube. That way you can run without a front fender and nothing will happen.