2013 Triumph Tiger Explorer...3000 miles later

[garyahouse]

Hey Gramps.

You know there's something to be said about that 3 cylinder Triumph motor. Yamaha has even jumped on the triple bandwagon as of late with their new FZ9 and their media blitz about their future plans for this style motor. Should be interesting watching what's coming down the pike from Yamaha. I was just thinking that it wasn't too long ago that Triumph was on the ropes and if I recall, they almost called it quits. Glad to see that they're producing some world class equipment. Keep us posted.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[mitch96]

What kind of fuel miles do you get?? Range on a tank??

mitch

 

[Gramps]

What kind of fuel miles do you get?? Range on a tank??mitch

As with the FJR it depends on how heavy you are on the throttle, with that being said I probably average 45 mpg & get around 200 miles/tank.

 

[jcyuhn]

I spent 2K miles on rented Tiger Explorer earlier this summer. Overall, it's a very impressive bike. The riding position is very neutral and comfortable; not too much bend in the knees and the bars are a comfortable reach and height. The seat is actually pretty good for a stock seat, but the foam is a bit soft. We stopped every 2 hours or so and as a result I had no problems. Most of our riding was on small, twisty, low speed roads, for which the bike is well suited. I had requested a Tiger 800 - which would have been better on the small roads - but the 1200 can be tossed from corner to corner quite well. It definitely turns more quickly and easily than an FJR.

The 1200 triple engine is impressive. It is smooth and has strong power from idle all the way up. Acceleration feels on par with the FJR, though a bit more linear - the triples don't come on the cams as strongly as typical Japanese 4 cylinders. At idle and low RPMs I thought the engine sounded a bit agricultural, but it purrs along nicely at middle speed and up. It uses a drive by wire electronic throttle, and tip in is very smooth and very gradual. Sometimes almost too much so - I kept twisting the throttle and nothing much happened. It was tough get accustomed to my FJR after returning home.

The stock windscreen doesn't provide nearly as much protection as an FJR, so it's not as good a high speed mile eater as an FJR. Wasn't much of an issue on my ride, we didn't spend much time on the motorways.

A very minor compliant is in common with a Sprint ST that my wife rides. There is so little friction in the throttle and cables that on choppy pavement it's difficult to hold the throttle steady, every bump causes your hand to rotate a little bit. This makes the bike surge with the minor on/off throttle changes. It actually feels like a bad lean surge, though the fueling is actually pretty good.

My bike had the Triumph panniers. The left side is generously sized, but the right is mostly displaced by the muffler. You can fit a helmet in the left, the right side will hold your rainsuit and a toothbrush - that's it.

My $.02