Should I buy a Tiger 800 XR?

[kurth83]

Any warnings or praise for it?

I am wanting a bigger adv bike, it fits my criteria, low seat, low weight, mid-sized engine, lots of electronics, road-biased (as opposed to off-road)

Also considering an F700GS.

Will test-ride one in the next few days.

And the dealer on Meridian? Decent?

 

[berth]

F700GS is being replaced by the F750GS this spring, so, FYI on that.

 

[Gary856]

Check its waist line - see if the triple feels too fat between your legs.

 

[davidji]

With the BMW I'd definitely wait for the new models. I thought BMWs 360-degree parallel twin was the least pleasant modern multi-cylinder engine. Their upcoming parallel twin has a 270-degree crank (like many current Hondas Triumphs & Yamahas), and should be much more pleasant than the old one to ride.

 

[mrzuzzo]

F700GS engine is shitty. Too much vibe and not really fun, not going to be more fun than your CB500. ALSO I believe it is made in China.

 

[davidji]

Several years ago I was making a similar choice. Did a demo ride of the Triumph Tiger 800 variants, and the BMW F650GS (which I didn't enjoy; this was before the F700GS). Came close to buying the Triumph, but ended up buying a Versys instead. Not saying you should do that. Just saying what I did when faced with a similar decision.

The Tiger 800 wasn't perfect or a perfect fit for my needs, but I think I could have made it work for me. More so for the current model. I would not have been happy with the BMW. I'm curious to try the F750GS.

 

[Dubermun]

Turbo Busa

 

[StaggerLee]

F700GS engine is shitty. Too much vibe and not really fun, not going to be more fun than your CB500. ALSO I believe it is made in China.

This ridiculous comment is made in China.

The F700 motor isn't terribly soul-stirring, but it's smooth enough and has far more pop than a Honda 500. However, you should look at the new x50 models, as they promise far more in terms of capability and refinement.

That said OP, save yourself the dignity of defending your Bavarian choice and buy the Tiger. It really doesn't matter what you like as long as it isn't a Beemer, right?

 

[mrzuzzo]

This ridiculous comment is made in China.

The F700 motor isn't terribly soul-stirring, but it's smooth enough and has far more pop than a Honda 500. However, you should look at the new x50 models, as they promise far more in terms of capability and refinement.

That said OP, save yourself the dignity of defending your Bavarian choice and buy the Tiger. It really doesn't matter what you like as long as it isn't a Beemer, right?

I used to have a F800.

The motor reminds me of my wife's Ninja 300 motor, but quicker and more vibey. Glad they are discontinuing it.

And some people don't expect a Made in China motor when they spend coin on a BMW.

 

[Frisco]

Came close to buying the Triumph, but ended up buying a Versys instead. Not saying you should do that. Just saying what I did when faced with a similar decision.

I bought a Versys over the Tiger as well. The $5K I saved was more than enough to set up the suspension and fit Givi hard bags. No regrets. :thumbup

 

[CDONA]

That new F750 motor? Looking square at the factory dirt miler, maybe?
I smell blood in the water for AFT '18

 

[Ducati geezer]

I bought a used Tiger 800. But not the XC. I bought the roadie. I love it. Enough power to get around, super easy to ride. Just wanted a smaller street bike and I don’t regret getting it. After a few years of owning it, no real complaints. It is not the most exciting bike out there, but it is comfortable and I wanted the sit upright position. I have also put luggage on it and travelled. Plus, gotta love the sound of that triple.

 

[HadesOmega]

I've ridden a Tiger 800 XCx and a F700GS I didn't like the F700GS that much the engine was gutless, the engine is vibey at higher RPM but it's got a good gearbox so you don't need to rev it too much. However I didn't really get to push the Tiger 800 much either but I enjoyed riding it.

For my birthday I was looking into renting something and going for a ride and noticed https://www.dubbelju.com/ is renting a Tiger 800, they even have a F700GS. I'd look into renting one or both and take it for a ride for a day.

Alternatively Spirit Motorcycle will let you take their bike's for a demo ride even a long one if you are serious about buying. They have the Triumphs and that's where I demo rode one.

San Jose BMW on Bascom also does demo rides too and will let you take the bike out for like 30 minutes maybe longer.

 

[NorCal_SV650S]

Buy a brand new Versys...

 

[ubermick]

I have a BMW F650GS twin (so basically, the same bike as the F700GS). A friend of mine in Colorado had an F800GS. Couple summers ago he did a two week trip in Europe, and tried to rent a GS while there. Didn't have one, and ended up on a Tiger XCX.

When he got home, he said he dropped his bags in the hallway, walked straight to the computer, and put his GS up for sale. Week later he had a Tiger XCA in the garage.

Based on his (repeated) recommendations, I finally test rode a Tiger in October. I got back from the test ride, rode home on my baby GS, and immediately started planning the Tiger purchase.

I tried an XRX and an XCX. Ended up with the XC version, since it's got FAR better suspension. Currently, she's sitting in a warehouse in Vegas waiting for Haulbikes to get their shit together.

Test ride both. Be aware that both the Tiger and the BMW are getting decent refreshes for 2018. TFT screens and the like. BMW is getting a "better" engine - parallel twin is being replaced by a v-twin. Slight bump in horsepower. The big question mark for me is that they're moving the tank up top (always been under the seat). The BMW's biggest plus for most was that low centre of gravity - it'll be interesting to see how moving the tank changes that.

The only knock I've heard about the Tiger (offroad) is the tall first gear. Apparently being addressed in 2018. And of course the stock seat sucks (as does the BMW). And the stock windshield sucks. (As does the BMW).

Test ride both. Test ride them again. If one of them totally does it for you, there should be good deals to be had (not from Marin Speed Shop on Triumphs, though. AMHIK) and if not wait for the 2018s.

 

[Rumbo Sur]

I've ridden a Tiger 800 XCx and a F700GS I didn't like the F700GS that much the engine was gutless, the engine is vibey at higher RPM but it's got a good gearbox so you don't need to rev it too much. However I didn't really get to push the Tiger 800 much either but I enjoyed riding it.

Alternatively Spirit Motorcycle will let you take their bike's for a demo ride even a long one if you are serious about buying. They have the Triumphs and that's where I demo rode one.

Interesting how Hades is about only one here getting into the Tiger 800 with real riding experience ... and only maybe ONE current or previous owner of the Tiger and NO ONE talking about features of the bike vs. it's XC brother ... or comparing character to the 700 BMW. Price wise , I feel the BMW's are seriously over priced. Triumph's are too ... if me ... I'd buy a demo or nice used one.

I've not owned the Tiger 800 but ridden both XC and "roadie" model with the 19" front. Pushing hard on our technical Bay Area back roads, preferred Roadie model and security of the 19" front.

Also tested the F800GS and 700. Great bike in many ways and the F800GS is the better bike OFF ROAD ... but OP said off road not an issue. But he should know that his XR Tiger is perfectly capable on easy fire roads ... and more.

But to me the MAIN appeal of the Triumph over the BMW is it's character. The sexy snarl of the triple on the pipe reminds me a F-1 car. It's revvy and fun, yet placid in town. The BMW? It's "placid" all the time! :laughing

No offense BMW guys but the Tiger, to me, just feels better. Both handle well on road ... both are over weight a bit but as a road bike quite nice.

Versys? Sure, good value for sure. But to me, the Triumph just has a better feel. As always, YMMV.
Any Actual Triumph Tiger 800 owners out there?

 

[kurth83]

Rode it (2017 Triumph XRx) today, too harsh a ride for me, it soaks up larger bumps amazingly well, but you feel every little one.

My CB500X is much smoother for smaller bumps, but by contrast is worse for larger ones, but I can stand up for those.

Since Honda seems to tune a suspension the way I like I am thinking the upcoming NC750X could be a contender, or maybe they will make a 700ish adv bike sometime. The Yamaha Tracer 700 is on my list to try too, if it ever gets here to the US.

 

[redtail]

Test ride the Triumph. I rode one at Ace in Concord and came real close to buying one since I was impressed by it. The reason I didn't was due to an EFI issue the bike had when I came back a few days after my test ride. Strange it wasn't evident when I test rode it.

At the same time I was considering a new Versys, the test ride on that one went well too. Since it was NOT going to be my only bike, the Versys was a better fit. To be honest, after buying a Ducati from Ace that had horrible fueling, the EFI issue scared me off. The dealer said they fixed it, remapped it and all was well but I'm glad I went with the Versys in my situation.

 

[ubermick]

Rode it (2017 Triumph XRx) today, too harsh a ride for me, it soaks up larger bumps amazingly well, but you feel every little one.

Yup. The Triumph roadie suspension is low end Showa stuff. Felt it was sluggish and poor on the overall compared to my baby GS. The XC suspension is (much) higher quality WP components, far more capable (and adjustable).

Rambo is right, the 19" is better suited for attacking the twisty roads, but the 21" on the XCX certainly wasn't bad on my test ride going around China Camp, and that was with zero adjustment prior to riding it, so certainly wasn't set up for me.
I'm a 90% asphalt rider with an eye for longer touring, but the XCX was certainly good enough for me to pull the trigger. Great deals to be had on them, mine is a 2016 XCA with 6k miles, and I got it for $10,500 including shipping. I've seen XCXs going for $9k used, and $11k new (SoCal).

 

[kurth83]

I would consider an XC but the seat may be too high to test ride it. There is a low seat for it, but I don't want to buy it just to test ride a bike.

Tomorrow I will move on to trying either the F700GS or the NC700X.