Monthly Archives: April 2014

Triumph Tiger 800 Roadie

After two years with the Tiger 1050 I decided to try something a bit smaller and lighter for the summer.

Triumph Tiger 800 First DayHere she is as I got her home (OK, I have removed the enormous AMC topbox…)

62-reg with a personal plate. The previous owner bought a Fazer 1000 so didn’t want the “T800” plate. 4,500 miles only and still 6 months of warranty left.

Here she is with the obligatory Givi:

Triumph Tiger 800 with GiviFitting was not difficult – just drilled a couple of extra holes in the AMC rack and bolted the Givi E250 adapter on top. The box sits a lot lower than on the 1050, in fact the whole bike is lower, lighter, revvy-er (is that a word?).

It’s a very different bike to ride, more like a big Street Triple than a small Tiger. The bike will not pull away on tickover (as I discovered in the petrol station) and 85mph in top gear is 6k revs (6k revs on the 1050 is closer to 100mph).

The gear indicator is brilliant. The time display is a little small in the top left corner and the trip meter doesn’t automatically switch to “miles to empty” when the fuel light comes on. Buffeting is pretty bad so I’ve lowered the seat which makes it better at 80 but worse at 40. I might have to experiment with a few screens…

LED spotlights are great but I don’t use them much. Tyres are Pirelli Scorpions (OEM) which are OK but the rear is squared off.

Here’s a picture of the AMC box:

Triumph Tiger 800 with AMC topbox

Here’s the obligatory exhaust – you didn’t really think I’d stick with the standard can for long did you?

Tiger 800 Arrow Exhaust

Look – no baffles…

Tiger 800 Arrow Exhaust

Tiger 800 Arrow Exhaust

After a month, I’ve just about come to terms with the bar risers and decided to keep them!

Tiger 800 Bar Risers

Triumph Daytona 1000 (Now sold)

This is one of Hinckley’s press bikes from 1990. It uses four-cylinder 998cc version of the short-stroke 750 Daytona/Trident engine.

Daytona 1000_1 1024x683This bike was shipped to the Isle of Man for the TT Races in 1990 by MCN where Chris Dabbs and Keith Heuwen attempted to convince the punters that this was Triumph’s answer to the CBR1000F etc.

There’s a video from Duke (www.dukevideo.com) documenting the whole episode. They say: “Top tester Chris Dabbs puts the 1000cc sports superbike through its paces in every way possible and makes some comparisons with the Yamaha FZR1000. Ex-GP rider Keith Huewen joins Dabbs on some ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads in the UK before flat out timed runs at Bruntingthorpe testing ground where the Daytona does 156 mph with our camera on-board! Then it’s off to the Isle of Man where the handling of the new superbike is fully explored. There’s even footage of an – unplanned – crash test (not Dabbs’ or even the bike’s fault we might add!!) Comprehensive, informative and fun. Don’t miss it!”

Daytona 1000 Video[There’s a DVD and a download as well]

Dabbs did indeed crash the bike by riding it into a straw bale – the dent is still evident in the silencer!

I’ve ridden this bike and it’s not bad for an early 90’s “superbike” and probably would have done well against the CBR of the time. Unfortunately for Triumph, the FireBlade appeared soon after and shifted the goal posts (slightly…)

It is top heavy with a long stretch to the bars but comfy as long as you are tall enough (I am). The pilot’s eye view is a bit strange as Triumph appear to have bolted an extra cylinder on the right hand side of the bike. When you look down, the engine protrudes from beneath the tank about 1″ more on the right than the left!

Daytonas 1000 + 900 1024x683I like Daytonas. Here’s the pair.

Update March 2014

The bike has an MOT and is now for sale at Bridge Moto in Reading:

Bridge Moto Ad Mar-14

Update April 2014

Gone from their website so I assume sold…