So, my ride for the weekend, Tiger XC...

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Adventurer

Gentleman Dog
Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
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Location
Kempen Germany
Bike
KTM 1290 Super Adventure
I don’t normally post bike tests I do because they are initially the property of Biker Lifestyle, however I have been asked by the big cheese to post this one, just a loose draft and a few quick pictures for now, to be quite honest I was having too much fun riding the bike to actually stop for pictures the whole time, I promise to take better ones at the press launch on Wednesday.
I, along with quite a few WDs, have been waiting in anticipation for the latest offering from Triumph for quite some time, this weekend we were lucky enough to score BOTH models, we needed them for the centerfold photoshoot…so, on Friday the XC was dropped off at my place….cool..I was going to use it for training on Saturday, what better place to see what it’s about. (Don’t park a bike like this in my driveway and expect me to just leave it there all clean and shiny)
Well, my short quick ride to the filling station gave the first inkling of what this triple was about…it is sweet, smooth and begs to be revved. So, Saturday morning I headed off for our offroad training at Danielsrust in Magalies…Ok…enough teasing…

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This 800 is simply amazing to ride, on the highway it will cruise at whatever speed you want, wind protection at speed is adequate, I am tall and the wind hits just above my visor, slight pressure on the shoulders, great for vented jackets in the heat of the day. Off the highway I found myself wishing for the robots to turn red, just so that I could scream off the line, that triple has an amazing sound, coupled with a gruff intake roar as it revs to just under 10 000rpm, although the exhaust is standard it emits a reasonable scream, which would only sound better with an aftermarket creation, the motor is silky smooth, with a discernable increase in urgency around 6000rpm.
Enough with the tar roads now….onto the dirt I found the 800 tracked well, I had already set up the rear shock to make it firmer, the front forks are not adjustable but appear to be quite firm, not the huge dive experienced on it’s rival in the market. The motor does not have huge low rev torque though, through technical stuff a fair amount of throttle/clutch juggling is required, but once you have adapted to this way of riding the Triumph is very good, it goes where you aim it without any fuss. I did a few ‘step – ups’ and ‘step – downs’ and did not bottom it out once, ground clearance is ample, this XC came fitted with Triumph’s bashplate and crashbars. Tyres were Bridgestome Battlewings, not my tyre of choice, they were pretty slippery at times, nothing a decent set of 50/50 tyres wouldn’t cure though.

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Low speed maneuverability was very good, cones and figure 8’s were easy, the Triumph has a good turning circle, throttle response is good, no snatchiness  or fear of stalling.
The XC came without ABS, I understand later models will have it fitted. Double discs up front and a fair sized rear disc, brake response is top class with minimal nose dive.
Our training day ended with a detour through a big mud hole…the Triumph started the day all pristine, ended it off with some mud therapy..
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After a long day of training the road home is normally a sore butt/sore body trip, not so this time, I contemplated taking a longer alternative route home, maybe a route with lots of stop/starts…the saddle is very comfortable, sitting position is ideal, however I would fit bar raisers, standing had me a bit crouched over.
The XC came fitted with bash plate, crash bars, extra spotlights and a headlight protector, all available ex-Triumph, all I would add would be stronger hand guards and more offroad orientated tyres. It already has wide foot pegs with removable rubber inserts.
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Triumph is going to take quite a bit of market share from the opposition for sure, the Tiger 800 has been a long time coming, but well worth the wait.

 
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