Tiger 800 and XC buyer guide: owners say

THERE was a lot of Tiger love in the 129 responses to our owner survey for our Triumph Tiger 800/XC buyers' guide! Here are some owners' accounts of their bikes and what it's like to live with the Tiger 800 and 800XC. 

David Shaw

I had a Tiger 1050 and while I loved its engine and handling, I just found it a bit of a handful at very low speed, as I'm only a shorty – 5'6” and a 29” inside leg. I had a fair idea of what the 800 would be like engine-wise, so took a test ride. The dealer, Dublin Triumph, offered me an extremely good trade-in. One Venom Yellow 2011 Tiger 800 please, as quick as you like. 

The Tiger is my first new bike since my Puch Maxi when I was 16. It's just a brilliant package, but I've added to it and made some changes, as you do. The Triumph low seat was a must and thankfully I've found it more comfortable than the standard. I've braced the touring screen to stop the wobbles, even managed to retain a level of adjustability with some home made brackets.

I replaced the handlebar risers for the XC risers and added SW Motech risers (+50mm in total), replaced the rubbish horn with a Sterbel Nautilus, moved the starter solenoid fuse from under the battery, added a remote computer switch using another Triumph aux light switch, liberated the hidden hazard flashers, made my own rear suspension splash guard and suspension joint guard and fitted a voltage monitor for the craic. Oh and the disc warped, so I replaced it with an Armstrong wavy disk.