Comments on: 2011 Triumph Tiger 800: MD Ride Review – Part One (Bike Reports) (News)

By: Stathis

Stathis — Mon, 09 May 2011 18:10:22 +0000

I gather from what I’ve read to date that I must have one of the first Tiger 800s on the road in the US (Pearl White; like the one pictured above). Picked up the bike two weeks ago, and have 250 miles on it. I’m still in the break in period, but I can tell you the bike has ample power. I am a 6’4″, 190 pound rider, and I usually have a passenger on board. On my first long trip this weekend, riding on the highway was a breeze. With modest acceleration (never went over 6,500 RPM, limit is at 10K), I was easily doing 80mph, even with a pretty strong headwind. I had to consciously slow down for the obvious reasons. Unfortunately for me, I really got to test the bike’s abilities in the afternoon. The weather turned very bad, very quickly. You should have no concerns around the suspension. I was able to keep the bike planted at 65mph, with strong side winds and heavy traffic all around me, and a heavy heavy downpour – and of course my rain suit was safely dry back home… My overall impression of the bike is that Triumph has produced an incredibly well-balanced on-road daily and weekend rider. And in my opinion, it’s a beautiful bike up close and personal…

By: joker

joker — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:13:49 +0000

I test drove both vertions of the 800 yesterday along with the 1050, i also tested both the 650 & 800 bmw gs the day before. my conclusion ? ive ordered an 800 road! an amazing ride. loads more power than the gs 650, far smoother delivery than the gs 800, far lighter and loads more fun than the 1050. ive opted for the road version as it feels much more sure footed than the xc and i plan to tour europe on it. i only hope i dont have to wait too long for it. Most fun ive ever had on a road bike!!!!!!!! i cant wait.

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By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:34:58 +0000

I just bought the Tiger 800 three days ago and although I’m still taking it easy during the break in period I am really impressed with the smoothness and power of the motor. Like a couple others mentioned the transmission shifts like butter, best shifting bike I’ve ever owned.

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By: Herb

Herb — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 14:35:07 +0000

Test drove one today. Loved it, one of the coolest bikes I’ve driven in a long time. Perfect ergos with the seat in the high position (I’m 6’1″ and skinnier than a heroin addict), good smooth power, nice tranny. Not much I could think of as far as improvements, except two…. had nearly the same tank-slapper issue. Slightly bumpy stretch of road, but nothing bad. I can ride my F800S thru there with no hands on the grips, and it’s solid. Second, the windscreen flutters and vibrates above about 80mph. I’ll be buying one, and immediately fixing a steering damper.

By: Ilikefood

Ilikefood — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:51:07 +0000

No no lower would suck. The bike is barely tall enough as it is. I hate bikes with low seats because they compress the distance between seat and pegs and make the bike very uncomfortabke for anyone who’s not short. What we need is seat height adjustment, so the bike can fit more people, not a lower seat so it fits fewer people.

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By: malvesty

malvesty — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:48:05 +0000

I demo’d one of these and it gave me a tankslapper at 90kms/h going over the corrugations on a pretty loose gravel surface. I was standing up at the time, and only just saved it. A firend had the same experience, on the same pice of road. The dealer luaghed it off as a tyre pressure issue, but I think its a rebound damping issue, and I’m not convinced. If it wasnt for that I would have bought it, its a fantastic handling beasty with the sweetest gearbox I’ve ever ridden.

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By: Wilson R

Wilson R — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:12:02 +0000

I’d buy the 21″ wheel bike if I wasn’t so close to being layed off from my job. It certainly would make a great do-it-all bike.

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By: Wilson R

Wilson R — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:09:51 +0000

Rather than guess, Honda should actually ask the people that ride what they want in a motorcycle. I think that Honda is on it’s way out as a motorcycle company and it’s just a matter of time before they become a car-only manufacturer. Putting V-Tec on a bike is a pretty good blunder and proof that they don’t really know the market.

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By: Kjazz

Kjazz — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:05:15 +0000

Speaking of 21″ wheels, I wonder if the narrower 21″ wheel actually has about the SAME contact patch size as a smaller, say 19″ or 17″ wheel….?? The reason being the larger diameter making up for what is lost in width. Any ideas on that guys? I know the R1200GS’s 19″ hoop stays plenty planted while horsing it around the twisty roads and never feels vague at all or like it’s gonna wash out.

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By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:16:40 +0000

Too bad this Triumph wasn’t available this time last year. I had grown bored with my F650GS (too wimpy) but liked the adventure bike concept and riding position. My brother’s F800GS was just what I wanted, but even used models were fetching over $11K. I rode a Tiger 1050 and loved it, but it was very tall and felt awkward with my wife on that tall rear seat. I had the exact same sensation when I rode a 1200GS. I ended up buying a lightly used Multistrada 1100 for less than $8K with 2000 miles. No regrets. This bike is incredible – light, fast, and comfortable. But, I’ll bet that Tiger 800 would have been just the ticket!

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