Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

but the T ig e r was a b las t t o ride o n b en d . A s I g a in ed con f id en c e in the the m o re p r ed i c t a b l e hard - packed surfa ce . As I g o t more comfort able w ith th e feel, I was able to cran k the ro ad, I w ic k ed it u p on the more open sp e ed s up into t h e 70 m p h r ange , w ith the back end sn apped sid ewa y s in the more sweep ing corners. C are wa s still nee ded on the br a k e s b e c a u se the front t i re doesn 't offer anyw h e re ne ar the grip of a k nob by dirt ti re . T h e suspension was p ut to the test o n thi s section o f w as h boa rd , w hich had a n ice array o f erosion ruts r u n n i n g unpred i c ta b l y a c ros s th e ro ad . It was n ow h ere n ear as plu sh as a motocross b ik e, b ut it co pe d w ith se c tio n s, b u t the ro ad surface was about as torn- u p as th e dirt ro ad w as earlier in t he da y , d espit e the asphalt. At this p o i n t I pu t t he p oo r T r i umph to the u ltimate test , a nd started j u m p ing the dra in age ru n o ff hum ps . Yes it' s a beast to jum p, b ut th e Tiger ha ndled it p retty w ell d esp ite the fact th at a few of the landin gs completely bottomed out the su spension . I d o n ' t t h in k that T ri u m p h had j u m pi ng in m in d when t h ey desig ned th e T ig e r , but the com p romise between as pha lt m o s t o f t h e bu mp s ju s t fine . Th e po wer of th e t h r e e - c y lind er m oto r w a s a blast o n t h e d irt roa ds. W ith and d irt is actu a lly pret t y goo d . Li k e I a lmost 10 0 horsepower at m y dispos a l , it w as a co m p let el y u ni que feel, a n d p r odu c ed some sp e ctacu la r rooster tails o ff t he re ar ti re. It wa s a re lief t o b e back on the pa ved ro ads aft er o u r dirt st int, ma in - templating wheth er o r not there was a sa id , th is wa s the r oa d that r eally d efi ned the b ik e for m e . I was con be t t er b i k e f o r th e co m b i n a t i o n of road conditions that we encountered , and I rea ll y co u ld n ' t think of one. The Tiger is the p erfect bike for situations t ha t offer less -tha n -i deal c o nditions; ly b e c a u se I d idn 't drop the b i k e , wh ich a t tim e s se em e d i n e vi t a ble . it's that si mple. Our rou te too k us to a road tha t w ould defin e t h e d ay and the b ike (Above) The Tiger is adomed w ith stripes befitting its namesake and comes standard with brush guards and an adequate windscreen. (Below right) Du a l 310mm f ro nt d iscs help haul the Tiger down from speed, while the front tire i s more street - t han d irt-oriented. d i re ct c o m petit ion w ith the T ig er in o nce a n d for a l l. It was ab o u t 30 m iles of sing le-lane b roken as phalt , st rewn with lo o se gravel a n d r a is ed d rainag e humps ; I can ' t r ecall e v e r rid ing on a ti g h ter road. The corners were com p l e t e l y b lin d a nd un p re dictab l e - I h ad no id e a wh a t w a s going to be around the next bend . I only saw one other ve h icle o ther than our small group for the length of t h e road , but it was still p lenty unnerving n ot k nowing what was a rou n d each The o nly other b i k es that are in the U .S . marke t are t he BMW Rl150GS and the Moto G uzzi Quota , an d both weig h si g ni fi c a n tly m o re than the T ig er. There is a lso a slew of si n g le -c ylin d er, street-oriented dual purpo se b ike s , but t h ey don 't o ffer the p ower o r th e comfort of the T ig er. T h e T iger is ava ilab le in two color combinations - Jet black an d Rou lette green - and i s adorned with T ig er str ipes just to remind you of what you're on . The MSRP is $10,799. CN Moto r and Transmission • The motor is the same 955<:c, liquid-cooled , in-li ne thr ee cylinder that resides in the Speed Triple . The bore and stroke dimensions are 79 x 65mm , respectively, with an 11.7:1 com pression ratio. The previous model had the old 885cc motor from the previous-generation Speed Triple . The engine cases are a new design, which are formed by a high -pressure die-cast me thod to help with du rability and manufactu rin g consistency . Triumph has redesigned man y of the components on the Tiger in an effort to help reduce noise emission, including the engine covers, oil pump , and alternator. • The T iger features a new m ult i- po int sequential fuel- injection syste m . Th e system features an oxygen sensor t hat m on itor s the inco m ing air to optimize the fuel/air mixture. The new exhaust system features a crossover balance pipe to help increase mid -range power output. • The slx -speed transmission features a revised shift mech anism to help the bike change gears smoother and more positively. • Triu mph claims that the new Tiger powerplan t produces 104 hp, up from the previous Tiger's 86 hp. Chassis • The Tiger features a steel perimeter frame mated to an aluminum convention al two sided swingarm . Up front , the bike features a 43mm fork that isn't adjustable - however the monoshock rear suspension does have p rovisions for preload and re bound adjustment. • Anoth er interesting feature is the adj ustable seat that features almost a full inch of adjustmen t from 33.1 -33. 8 inches, making the bike more versatile for a larger range of riders. • The front wheel is 19 x 2.5-inches with a 1 10/ 80V 19 tire , and the rear is a 17 x 4 .25inch wheel with a 150/10V17 ti re. The dual front disc- brake roto rs measure 3 10mm and are squeezed by two- piston calipers. The rear brake is a single 285m m disc mated to a two-piston caliper. • At 6.3 gallons, the fuel-tank capacity is huge, and should offer a long cruising range, so you won 't get stuck in the middle of nowhere. Options • The options list for the Tiger is extensive, with plenty of products to customize the bik e for various conditio ns. • To mak e the bik e more tourinq-cepeble, there is a set of color-coordinated panniers and a top box, and if that' s not enough storage there is a 16-liter tank bag. A more protective windscreen and heated gri ps are also availa ble for those cold days. If you do decide to ride the Tig er off-road on a regular basis, there is a front and rear mudgu ard· ext ension kit. TRIUMP H TIGER 955; UST PRICE DISPLA CEMENT ENGINE TYPE BORE x STROKE COMPRESSION RA n o CARBURETI ON IGNmON TRAN SMISSION STARTING SYSTEM FUEL CAPACITY WHEELBAS E RAKE/TRAIL SEAT HEIGHT FRONT TIRE REAR TIRE FRONT -WHEEL TRAVEL REAR·WHEEL TRAVEL FRONT BRAKE REAR BRAKE FINAL DRIVE CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT $10 ,799 955<:c Liquid-cooled, in-line three-cylinder 79 x 65mm 11.7: 1 (3) Multipoint sequential EFl Digital inductive Six-speed Electri c 6.3 gal. 6 1.0 in. 28/92mm 33. J - 33.8 in. 110/80·1 9 150/10-17 N/A N/A Dual disc Disc Chain .474 Ibs. cue I e n e _ s • M AY 1 6 , 2001 45

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