[//M]

Throwback to end 2014:

I was on my Royal Enfield Classic 500 Desert Storm, waiting for the traffic light to go green at a junction in Baner (Pune) when I saw a big, brawny and intimidating thing on two wheels going in the opposite direction. As soon as the signal turned green, I took a U-turn from the junction and followed that massive thing on two wheels. I rode as fast as I could and caught up with the motorcycle I had been drooling over in the next junction. It was a black Triumph Tiger 800 XC. I stopped to admire the industrial styling, exposed chassis pipes and the size of the motorcycle. The rider took notice and raised a thumbs-up. I could barely react to that gesture as I was still drooling over the motorcycle with all my heart and soul.

Was it the first time I saw a big motorcycle? No.

Was it the first time I came close to a big motorcycle? No.

Was it the first time I kept on drooling over one? Yes, definitely a big yes.

Years passed, I drooled over the Tiger in every YouTube video, read as many articles as I could but alas, the bank balance was never worthy enough for me to take such a plunge.

This dream, well remained a dream !

Until one fine winter morning, three years later, a couple of friends convinced me to stop looking elsewhere and chase that dream.


Fast Forward to early 2018:

After a lot of struggle in convincing myself (and parents), and arranging funds thereafter, I finally took that plunge; one that had my heartstrings longed for in the past so many years. My first big ticket purchase from my own money in a career span that was about three and half years. Needless to say, I was simply ecstatic !

Approval for leaving early from work? Check.

Sweet Box(es)? Check.

Helmet? Check.

As planned, I left early from work and rushed to the Triumph Pune dealership, thanks to the Uber driver’s commitment to drive recklessly.

There it stood – tall, dark and handsome.

Presenting - Bagheera.

[//M]

What I like:

• Comfortable riding posture, ergonomics and saddle cushioning
• The abuse-friendly nature of the motorcycle
• Touring – Big fuel tank, room for panniers and luggage, comfortable seats, decent Ground Clearance
• Reliability and aftersales support has so far been good
• Not much tantrums with adulterated fuel during highway runs
• The industrial design lends it great street presence

What I don't:

• Engine heat gets unbearable in traffic and slow speeds
• The weight is felt while taking slow turns or over dirt trails
• Parts are an expensive affair. So is insurance, general servicing, extended warranty, accessories
• Thin dealer network in India
• No riding modes on the base XR variant
• Headlights and OE Auxiliary Lights not adequate, horn is weak

[//M]

The upgrade plan and alternatives considered:

The Tiger was never in my budget but it was one motorcycle I had dreamt of owning someday.

My 2012 Classic 500 was coming up with a lot of issues every now and then so sometime in early-2017, I started hunting for an upgrade that would help me fulfill my touring needs as well as would keep me happy with the power and torque.

However, I was of the opinion that there is no One-bike-do-it-all so I started looking at two segments – one a fun weekend motorcycle for leisure rides and overnighters, need not be touring oriented and another a light-weight comfortable touring motorcycle that I could just throw around.

But my budget was restricted to 8-8.5 L so I planned to get the weekend tool first, and the tourer later when I would have sufficient resources to add another motorcycle in the garage.

Category – I (Budget 8-9L):

Primary requirement: It had to be fun to ride – as simple as that

Options considered:

• Kawasaki Z900
• Triumph Street Triple S
• Honda CBR650F
• Pre-Owned Triumph Daytona 675

Category – II (Budget 2-2.5L):

Primary requirement: It must be comfortable for touring

Options considered:

• Royal Enfield Himalayan
• Yamaha FZ25
• Bajaj Dominar 400

After multiple test rides of all the motorcycles mentioned above, I had zeroed on a Himalayan plus pre-owned Daytona / new Street Triple S combination.
I searched over pre owned motorcycle classifieds and found a couple of Daytona 675s but despite exploring this option, I was not very convinced with the Daytona as the riding posture was too committed for my liking (and fitness levels). However, there was no denying the fact that the Daytona was clearly the most fun to ride motorcycle.


Change of plans?

In the back of my mind, however, I realised buying and maintaining two motorcycles would be quite an uphill task. Add to that I won’t be able to take break from work and undertake longish tours every now and then. At best, serious touring would happen barely once a year which totally defied my logic of keeping two motorcycles. This journey of planning to get motorcycles to contemplating getting only one lasted almost a year.

After multiple discussions with like-minded friends (most of them bhpians), I ditched the idea of buying two motorcycles and decided to focus on the adv segment only. The primary contender was the Versys 650. It suited my heavy frame, felt comfortable and built to last. However, there were no test rides available in Pune back then. While I had got a chance to test ride the Z650 and Z900 from Kawasaki Pune, the Versys test ride never happened despite multiple requests.

The V Strom 650 was around the corner and ideally I should have waited a little longer till the V Strom launch but I was desperate to get a motorcycle.
Since the Versys test ride was not happening, I decided to check out sports tourers instead for the time being till the Versys test ride happens, so I started considering the Honda CBR 650F. However, the Street Triple S had me smitten and the 650F, though a very practical and a no-nonsense motorcycle to own, felt lacking in terms of outright fun to ride factor. The Street Triple S was clearly way more fun to ride !

Even though I had decided to go for a tourer / adv motorcycle, I still took the Street Triple for multiple test rides as it had made such a lasting impression on me. I also managed to even convince the showroom guys for a longer 1-1.5 hour test ride to which they agreed. I took the Street Triple out on the roads but the undulating roads in Pune made their presence felt. Though the motorcycle was a blast to ride, under my 6+ foot and 100+ kg frame, it looked very puny. I was not very comfortable. Confused, I came back to the showroom and my SA knew my predicament. As he was aware about my inclination towards touring, he offered me the Tiger instead for a long test ride. I denied it saying that the Tiger was clearly not in my budget. But he still insisted and since the Tiger was always that one dream motorcycle for me, I thought why not take it for a short spin. Within a few minutes with the Tiger, I knew this is the one.

I took a longer test ride of almost 35-40 mins covering 25-30 kms to get a feel of the motorcycle over varied road conditions. Though I was completely smitten, I still could not stretch for the Tiger. I came back impressed, returned the motorcycle and went straight to meet bhpian 599gto. I told him the sequence of events and he insisted that I should definitely consider the Tiger since I like it so much.

He convinced me to sell off my 2005 Honda CR-V 2.4 AWD that I had bought pre-owned in a jiffy but never used it much. Since I knew the CR-V was pretty old, nearing 13 years of age, and the fact that I was not doing justice to it made me consider his suggestion seriously. That way I could increase my budget and get a Tiger instead. The idea was indeed lucrative.

Thereafter, I met bhpian nitrogary and HappySmiles and sought their opinion as well. We three were in the market to buy a new motorcycle and had similar requirements so it was important for me to get their insight as well.

Next morning, I took a day off from work and went straight to the Triumph showroom to discuss about the best possible deal as the 2018 Tiger launch was nearing so there were some nice discounts on the 2017 MY motorcycles. Bhpian HappySmiles joined me and we worked out a decent discount on a MY 2017 Tiger 800XR. I actually wanted to buy the XRx variant but by February 2018, there were no XRx variants available in stock. The only remaining ones were a couple of XR and a couple of XCx. I decided to go for the XR as the XCx was too big a stretch, though the thought of that WP suspension gave me sleepless nights thereafter but still I zeroed on to the XR and booked it. Since the motorcycle was in stock, B U Bhandari asked for a couple of days for PDI and general checkup at their end.

[//M]

Vitamin M:

I called up bhpian asit_kulkarni93 and asked him if he knew someone who would buy my CRV. Since Asit knew a lot of pre-owned car dealers in Pune and at that point of time, he had started off with his startup in the pre-owned car business, he was my go-to guy. By that evening, Asit had arranged a meeting with a prospective buyer. I took my CRV and the gentleman (the prospective buyer in question) was pretty impressed with the condition of the vehicle. He took a test drive and was almost ready to pay me upfront. I was glad that we could work out a nice deal in such a shot span of time. The documentation work was taken care by Asit and the car was delivered to the new owner a day later.

There were a couple of issues with my bank loan processing, but bhpian Amey_Kulkarni was quick to help. Thanks to him, my loan was disbursed quickly and the payment to the dealership was made.

Accessories bought at the time of purchase:

I zeroed onto a few accessories –

• OE Aluminium Panniers and Top Box
• OE Aluminium Radiator Guard
• OE Front Fork Protectors
• OE Aluminium Sump Guard
• OE Centre Stand
• OE Engine Dresser Bar
• OE Tank Pad
• Barkbusters Storm Aluminium Hand Rails

These were fitted at the dealership and the motorcycle was ready for delivery that evening.

[//M]

The delivery experience:

I left early from work, went straight to BU Bhandari Triumph.

The delivery event was pretty eventful. Getting home the Tiger was indeed a dream come true. The delivery was scheduled at 6 PM so that couple of my friends and a few bhpians could join me after work. Despite being the Holi weekend in March 2018, I was really glad that so many people could join me for my big day. Since my family was not in Pune, I was really overwhelmed that my other family – a bunch of automobile enthusiasts – were there to make my day special.




Bhpian HappySmiles and my Sales Advisor Cyril Joseph handing over the keys to me




Fellow bhpians and friends who joined me for this big day








Yours Truly, after taking delivery






We took the delivery and headed straight to a friend’s cafe for dinner. It was celebration time after all !




Bhpian Monaro CV8's Street Triple 675 giving company

[//M]

Dealership Experience:

My personal experience with B U Bhandari Triumph was amazing. I was given longer test rides of multiple motorcycles, Street Twin, Street Triple S, Street Scrambler 900, Tiger 800 multiple times. The booking experience was very smooth and the delivery event was well taken care of as well. They arranged for a small puja despite extended work hours considering the festival of Holi the following day.

Multiple negotiation rounds, dozens of coffee and smoke breaks, the showroom guys always happily obliged to all my tantrums and requests.

Price & Accessories:

I got a 30% discount on riding gear and 30% off on the OE Aluminium Sump Guard, OE Engine Dresser Bar and OE Centre Stand.

Additionally, the OE Aluminium Panniers and Top Box, OE Aluminium Radiator Guard, OE Front Fork Protectors and OE Tank Pad were freebies as part of the deal.

Total OTR price including all accessories at the time of purchase was INR 12 Lakhs (inclusive of Road Side Assistance) after discounts. Riding gear was an additional INR 35000 (post discounts) for an All-weather Jacket, All-weather pants and All-weather Gloves.

Later, as I have clocked up miles, I have added a few more accessories –

• Front Beak that costed me INR 8000
• Arrow Exhaust that costed me INR 48000 inclusive of labour charges
• Additionally, a Tiger owner was relocating abroad and he wanted to get rid of a couple of accessories he had bought for his brand new motorcycle. Over a discussion, I realised that he has OE Auxiliary Lights and Heated Hand Grips in sealed box which he has never opened. So I stuck a deal with him and bought the Aux Lights and Heated Hand Grips for a total of INR 10000.

Extended Warranty:

I purchased Extended Warranty for 2 years from One Triumph Gurgaon in February 2020 for a princely INR 36000.

[//M]

More about the subject matter:

The variant I had picked up was the Tiger 800XR which is essentially the base variant. So it misses out on electronics like Riding Modes, Cruise Control etc.

The 800XR has switchable ABS and Traction Control as standard equipment from the factory.

At the time of compilation of this review, the motorcycle has completed 18500 kms over a period of 28 months of ownership since March 2018. This is considering the almost negligible riding over the past four months, due to the nation-wide lockdown since March 2020.

My usage has mostly been highway rides and occasional short Sunday morning rides. The motorcycle has spent some quality time around the Western Ghats and Konkan Coast in Maharashtra, jungles of Jharkhand, places around Gurgaon, parts of Uttarakhand and the erstwhile kingdoms of Mewar and Marwar.




Design & Styling:

The Tiger will not win any beauty contests, but it has an industrial appeal to it. The tall, brawny proportions lend it massive presence. So do those exposed tubular steel trellis frame and chassis pipes. The sculpted silhouette lends it a muscular touch, reminiscent with most adventure motorcycles.

Quality of parts, Fit & Finish:

In one word, the quality levels are exemplary. For someone who is coming from a Royal Enfield, it makes me wonder in disbelief how the Tiger has zero vibrations and harshness. It literally feels indestructible and I suppose that is how Triumph engineers wanted it to be. Given the places and terrain I have been to on my Tiger, this thing has proven to be very reliable so far.

Wheels and Tyres:

The Tiger 800XR variant comes with alloy wheels which are pretty sturdy going by the nature of the motorcycle. I am currently on my second set of tyres – Metzeler Tourance Nxt – and so far it has been a wonderful journey with these tyres. These have good grip levels, even the wet grip feels good, and have been tested over hard black ice too. All I can say is the tyres had far more grip than my RST Touring Boots over black ice. I was pretty confident while riding slowly over black ice despite the weight of the motorcycle.

Space and Comfort:

There is indeed a lot of room to move around for both the rider and the pillion and the seats are very comfortable. I had never imagined that riding over 200 kms between two stops is even possible. I have done slightly over 300 kms at one stretch comfortably between two fuel stops on the Tiger so far. The riding posture and general ergonomics are pretty comfortable.

However, I want to experiment with handlebar risers before the next long ride, which is probably quite some time away considering the current COVID-19 scenario.

The taller riding position (830mm seat height, can be lowered to 810mm) may not be suitable for shorter riders. Though, I have seen even shorter riders managing biggies like the R1250 GSA and Africa Twin with ease.

I will however not be able to comment on pillion comfort as I have personally never experienced the pillion seat yet. Few of my friends who have sat behind me were all praises for the comfort levels.

Headlamps:

The headlamps do not have adequate beam. Even the OE Auxiliary lights that I had bought as an accessory are just about satisfactory. I have been looking for another pair of Auxiliary Lights now, maybe Baja or Denali but these are quite expensive. Since I almost never do highway rides after sundown, the absolute necessity of an additional pair of Auxiliary Lights has never occurred to me.

Storage & Practicality:

There is enough space under the pillion seat to store documents and a microfiber cloth. I usually keep a small first-aid kit, a copy of all documents (Insurance, PUC, RC Card etc) and one microfiber cloth under the pillion seat.

Engine Performance:

The inline triple is vibe-free, almost as good as inline 4 motors when it comes to smoothness. It is also torquey which makes it very competent in tricky situations. However, low-end torque could have been better considering the nature of the motorcycle. The 94 bhp on tap feels sufficient enough to wake up this beast from its sleep with fully loaded panniers and a tank full of fuel.

This thing never feels lacking in outright power; it just pulls ahead vehemently as soon as one twists the wrist. The NVH levels are very well-controlled too. Only negative bit about the engine is that it heats up a lot in traffic. Not unbearably hot, but still very hot to make a rider uncomfortable.

Exhaust Noise:

I had the stock exhaust till about 10000 kms. When I got the second service done, I replaced the stock exhaust with the Arrow slip on exhaust. Now the exhaust note is the perfect mix of bass and that typical inline triple whistle. I personally love it !

Gearshift and Clutch:

Every shift feels perfect, vibration free. The universal 1-Down, 5-Up transmission on the Tiger is a joy to use. The clutch and front brake levers are adjustable like in most motorcycles these days so clutch action is precise.

Fuel Efficiency & Tank Range:

I have been getting a constant 20-21 kpl throughout my ownership period. The lowest I have seen is 16-17 kpl and the highest I have been able to squeeze is a very handsome 27-28 kpl, as per Tank-to-Tank method calculation. The 19-litre fuel tank has a range of about 375 kms and the sweet spot is the 90-110 kph zone.

Suspension and Ride Quality:

The suspension is sorted and the ride quality is sublime despite the XR variant not having the revered WP suspension setup available on the higher variants. The adjustable Showa setup is pretty comfortable over long highway runs as well as over dirt trails. The ride quality is extremely comfortable over any kind of terrain. The 180mm travel helps in tackling most bad patches pretty well.

Handling:

Handling is surprisingly good; this behemoth can shake a leg when asked to. Sure it is no supersport category but the Tiger leans with great agility out of switchbacks and serpentine curves.

However, there is no denying the fact that it is a heavy motorcycle with a higher centre of gravity so making it swing a leg requires some amount of mental planning before you hit a corner. But once you get used to the weight and overall dynamics, the Tiger will surely impress you with its surprisingly good lean angles.

Braking:

The Nissin callipers need a worthy mention as they have been supremely efficient over wet roads as well as over snow. This, along with the switchable ABS, assures confidence while riding the motorcycle faster or over trails.

Off-road performance:

The 800XR variant that I own is the more road-focused Tiger with alloy wheels, 19-inch front wheels, road oriented tyres, lesser GC than the off-road oriented variants. Despite all this, even the base XR variant is more than capable to handle ruts, slush, snow, sand, tricky sections and general off-roading. It is however not a hardcore off-road variant, the XCx is more suitable for this purpose.

For my needs, which essentially revolve around long-distance touring and heading to some remote places in the mountains with relative ease, the Tiger 800XR makes a lot of sense. It feels unbreakable, manages every terrain in its stride, has a big fuel tank, has sufficient room to carry luggage, is fun to ride and has the convenience of tubeless tyres. Ticks most of the boxes for me !

Ground Clearance:

The Ground Clearance is more than adequate for most purposes and the Tiger has never felt lacking in GC despite the fact that the road-oriented 800XR variant that I own has lower GC than the off-road oriented XCx and XCa variants.

Any niggles/issues:

No niggles or issues with the motorcycle or after-sales so far. Only a few areas of improvement which I have already highlighted are the headlights, horn, engine heat and weight.

I have got used to the weight but the other three concerns remain.

These seem to have been improved upon in the new Tiger 900.

Aftermarket support / service:

This is one area where I had been very sceptical but to my surprise, my personal experience with Triumph has been excellent so far. I had purchased my motorcycle from the Pune dealer and had also got the first servicing and a general monsoon check-up done from them. No complaints with the quality of workmanship / service.

I got the 2nd and 3rd service done at One Triumph Gurgaon. I had also got a handlebar screw replaced and Arrow exhaust fitted at the Gurgaon dealership on separate occasions. Again no complaints whatsoever but the Pune dealer was a wee bit better when it came to managing customer relations.

Cost of parts & spares:

As expected, running costs are pretty expensive. The first service (1000 kms / 1 month) costed me INR 6500, second service (10000 kms / 12 months) costed me INR 8000 and third service (20000 kms / 24 months) costed me INR 23000.

Apart from this, a handle lock screw came loose as someone had fiddled with the motorcycle while it was parked. The part replacement cost was under INR 500 but the labour cost was steep at INR 2700, as it involved opening up of the fuel tank and handlebar lock.


















Tyres were replaced at 14000 kms and a new set of Metzeler Tourance Nxt tyres costed me INR 21500 from Pathpavers, New Delhi.

[//M]

While I have covered as many details as I could, allow me to document the rides I have done on the Tiger so far. These include riding over slushy terrain in the Western Ghats to the snow covered trails in Uttarakhand, with plenty of highway rides in between.


The maiden ride to Mumbai








Some TLC at a friend's workshop








Various Team-Bhp meets around Pune














With fellow bhpian Amey_Kulkarni's Triumph Street Triple 675 and nitrogary's BMW R1200GS

[//M]

The Pune Chapter:

The initial few months that I had the Tiger 800 in Pune, it had been a wonderful time riding with a bunch of riders I met around Pune, including several team-bhp members. We did plenty of weekend rides, weekday late-night coffee meets, couple of overnighters and enjoyed long hours on the saddle in peak monsoons.

I will let the pictures do the talking.

[//M]

Breakfast ride with bhpians to Pimpalgaon Joga Dam, near Malshej Ghat












Sunday morning ride to Raigad Fort and Varandha Ghat


























A short spin to Khandala






Couple of solo rides around Pune

[//M]

A wonderful ride with fellow bhpians to Masai Plateau and Panhala Fort in peak monsoons

[//M]

The Ranchi Chapter:

Soon some development happened in the career front sometime in July 2018 and I had to relocate to a new city in August 2018. Since I had considerable time before I had to join a new organisation, I decided to head home. What better way to travel than to ride across states, I thought.

Well, I wasn’t wrong.

On a heavy monsoon morning, I started off from Pune at 4:30 am and rode down till a friend’s place in Bhilai (Chattisgarh) where I was supposed to stay for the night. The solo door-to-door 1000-kms ride took me 14 hours and it was indeed a pleasure riding the mammoth feline across Maharashtra, into Chattisgarh.






The next day, I started off from Bhilai at about 8 am and was home, in Ranchi, by 4 pm after completing approximately 650 kms.

The roads were fantastic throughout, not that I really bothered. The motorcycle performed extremely well and by the time I reached Ranchi, I was fresh as a bee.














My parents saw my Tiger for the first time since I bought it, so I got to witness their shock, surprise and awe. I also got to witness weird glances from the neighbours.

The brief time spent in Ranchi was again a fantastic experience. Most of the riders whom I rode with were either school buddies or family friends. We had graduated from bicycles to superbikes and had seen this journey unfold together. Riding with these guys was simply nostalgic, fun and a pleasurable affair.
























Soon in early October 2018, the Ranchi chapter came to an end when I had to relocate to Gurgaon, which was supposed to be my new place of work. Again, what better way to experience the Taj Expressway en route !

I started off from Ranchi early and after a 10-hour ride covering 725 kms, I was in Lucknow. I could have clocked a few more miles, but I decided to stop at Lucknow for the night. The reason was simple – food trail !




I parked my Tiger at the hotel and hired an e-rickshaw for the evening. The e-rickshaw was a perfect option to navigate through the crowded bylanes of the old quarters of Lucknow. I stopped at the original Tunday Kababi at Chowk, tasted the heavenly biryani at Idrees, explored the street food at Aminabad and finally had a late dinner at Dastarkhwan, Hazratgunj. Yes, all in a span of few hours. The plan was to eat small portions everywhere so that I could explore maximum number of eateries.

The next day, I started off at 9 am from Lucknow after a brief spin with the Tiger around Rumi Darwaza and Imambara. The Taj Expressway from Lucknow to Agra is an absolute bliss. So much so, that the Yamuna Expressway from Agra to Greater Noida felt pale in comparison. The Taj Expressway can very well pass off as an airstrip.

Exploring the City of Nawabs
















The fantastic Taj Expressway between Lucknow and Agra






Yamuna Expressway from Agra to Greater Noida




After around 7 hrs of riding, I reached Gurgaon covering almost 550 kms.

[//M]

An overnighter ride to Hedavi beach with fellow bhpians from Pune

[//M]

The Gurgaon Chapter:

Ever since I have relocated to Gurgaon, I have managed to do a few short solo rides to Kasauli, Nahan and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh; Harsil Valley, Mana and Malari in Uttarakhand and Jodhpur, Kumbhagarh and Udaipur in Rajasthan. I have also made a couple of trips to Chandigarh and back.

With the Qutub Minar in the background






The colourful bylanes of Lodhi Colony






















Some clicks around Rajpath and Central Delhi
















Surajkund and Tughlakabad Fort










Gurgaon - Faridabad Road

[//M]

A solo weekend trip to Nahan, Solan, Kasauli and Shimla from Gurgaon