Triumph Tiger 800XC
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The Triumph Tiger 800 sees the British manufacturer enter the middleweight adventure sector for the first time. The Tiger 800 features a tough steel frame capable of carrying large amounts of luggage and coping with the rough and tumble of off-piste riding. Ten-spoke alloy wheels, 19" at the front and 17" at the rear, allow for the fitment of a wide range of tyres, from dirt-biased dual purpose items to pure road rubber for those who wish to take advantage of the Tiger 800's qualities as an excellent bike to commute and tour on. A class-leading 19 litre fuel tank ensures infrequent stops for the Tiger 800 rider. Triumph has given the Tiger 800 a high specification direct from the factory. Inverted 43mm front forks are graced with twin 308mm floating brake discs and two-piston floating calipers. A sophisticated anti-lock braking system is available as an option and can be turned off when riding on tricky terrain. At 210kg including a full tank of fuel, the Tiger 800 is very manageable machine. The rear shock is adjustable for preload and the Tiger 800 can be tailored to meet the rider's personal taste through the adjustable aluminium handlebars and seat, which can be set at 810mm or 830mm, with lower and higher seat options available as official accessories. A rear rack with generous pillion grab handles also comes as standard, while a coded-key immobilizer prevents theft through 'hot wiring'. A huge range of official Triumph accessories have been developed for the Tiger 800's launch, these include numerous hard and soft luggage solutions, tyre pressure monitor sensors, adjustable touring screen, centre stand and off-road style hand guards, bash plates and high level front mudguard. Features ? Class-leading 95PS 799cc three-cylinder engine
Review Triumph used teaser marketing to build so much hype around its Tiger 800 XC adventure bike that it almost defeated the purpose. It was promoted so heavily, and so far in advance, it became tedious. Well, after riding the Tiger 800 XC for over 300 miles in the California desert, mountains and urban streets, we’ve quickly forgiven the British brand. Yes, the Tiger XC was worth the wait.Unless a rider is looking for a BMW, midsize adventure bikes are hard to come by. The Germans have owned the segment in the past few years with the F800GS, and the rest of the motorcycle world has stuck with 650 machines or 1000cc beasts. These mid-size displacements have the muscle and comfort to handle long stretches of pavement much better than the smaller bikes, but also offer much less weight and increased maneuverability compared to the big bikes. It’s this blend of characteristics that makes them so desirable, and Triumph took that into consideration when building the new 800. The UK brand is known for its inline three-cylinder engines. The Triple design blends high-performance revving with real-world usability, meaning it has nearly the top-end thrill of an Inline-Four and some of that lovable Twin torque. Not only does that make for a great street bike, but it also pays dividends in when the pavement ends with smooth, controllable power delivery. Triumph’s powerplant has the same internal bore as the 675 engine (74mm), but with a longer stroke (61.9 vs. 52.3mm). A 12.0:1 compression ratio squishes fuel inside the 799cc mill. Four valves per cylinder handle intake and exhaust duties and fuel is metered via electronic fuel injection. “What a sweet engine,” says Associate Editor, Justin Dawes. “The power is decent at the bottom of the rev range and just gets better from there. The mellow bottom end works well in the dirt, especially with the tires that are more geared for the street. With knobs in the dirt, riding higher in the revs would be the hot ticket.” “Too bad,” agrees Dawes. “On decel it sounded like Orville Redenbacher was doing work in the headers.” Spoked wheels give the Tiger more off-road capacity and we wouldn’t hesitate to slap on knobbier tires. Even some mild treads would improve the already-impressive off-road behavior. Stock tires on our machine are the Bridgestone Battle Wing 501 front and 502 rear. The forward hoop on the XC is 21 inches compared to a 19 incher on the standard Tiger. This helps roll over larger off-road obstacles and keeps the front end of the bike higher. It also allows for more tire selection. A 17-inch rear is standard for large ADV bikes. Selectable ABS is available for the Tiger as an additional option, but our machine was the standard XC which comes without.
Topped with fuel, the Tiger weighs in at 496 pounds. Fortunately, the bike feels lighter in all situations. Tubular steel makes up the frame with the engine acting as a stressed member of the trellis design. It turns quickly on pavement and keeps the CG neutral feeling when off-road. The steering angle is a little sharper than its road-biased sibling with rake being 23.1 degrees rather than 23.7, but trail is increased to 3.58 inches. Wheelbase is a half-inch longer as well at 61.7 inches. Stability is one of the XC’s strong characteristics. Even when lightening the wheel over rises in rough pavement or hitting buried rocks on a sandy road, the Tiger holds its course without complaint. Every rider has their own tastes, and one of our testers thought the Tiger looks unfinished in the rear end with its exposed subframe rails, while the other considers it a stunning machine. A set of factory hard cases helps cover up the rear end, but one thing’s for certain, Triumph took a long, hard look at the BMW F800GS when designing its middleweight adventure bike. The two carry a very similar stance but the XC has a noticeable heritage. The new Tiger boasts flavor that harkens back to the 1050, particularly with a distinct tank area. The fuel cell holds 5.0 gallons and we averaged 39.6 mpg which equates to roughly a 200-mile range. It seems logical that we could improve the fuel economy slightly by not riding at such a high rpm, but the sporty engine begs for it. Between the surprising torque and equally shocking prowess on and off the highway, the Tiger 800 XC should be a big seller for those in-between-sized adventure riders who want a non-German machine. Source Motorcycle-USA |