ImNoSaint's Tiger 800XC Build

Imnosaint

Adventurer
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My first experience with a Triumph motorcycle was on a Bonneville. Not too terribly exciting given the bike's ubiquity and longevity, arguably the bike that kept Triumph in business, much like Harley's Sportster. What made the experience extraordinary were 1) my spouse was pillion, 2) we were on Isle of Man and 3) riding the circuit of the TT the week before the race.

Bucket list living.
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Since selling my previous ride, the KLR 650, I've been in one of those bikeless funks, especially since converting to ADV riding. I hit the sites, the ratings, the rankings, the owner forums, thinking all the while I'd go Bavarian, but in my digging around I found that things weren't all they're cracked up to be in the Black Forests; that according to riders and reviewers alike, there was something better. A Brit.

A Triumph Tiger 800XC now occupies my garage and is my weekly commuter, 1000 kilometers a week, longitudinally across the State of Utah.

This one a trade-in for an upgrade to Triumph's flagship dual sport, I was promised it was the best on the lot, that it's owner was impeccable in his riding and maintenance, all fodder proven false in one afternoon with a 5mm hex wrench and a downloaded vehicle record.
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This 800XC has been down hard, high and low sides, evidenced by a new LH engine cover, terribly touched-up crash bars, a bent and severed at three mounts sump plate, a new RH mirror and windscreen, deep scratches on the RH side of the headlight cluster, dents on both sides of the tank, none of which I noticed during my test ride. It's like crack, I'm sure, getting back on a bike after so long, even if it's for a sorting-out, pre-purchase ride. I should sell motorcycles.

With 11890 miles, decent Metzler rubber and a solid throttle response, torque and flickable handling, I was sold.

So, along with the ugly and bad came some good, like a pair of Givi 37L Trekker Outback Panniers and mounts.
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One last farkle is the LeoVince exhaust. It produces a nice motor note without overwhelming. Not sure on performance improvement since I don't have a baseline with the bike before.
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Despite its checkered past - show me a well-ridden bike without one - I'm satisfied with its performance and can't wait to rack up the miles in the very State that's home of the marque's namesake, the Bonneville.
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
Givi Soft Bags
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The Givi 37 liter Trekker Outback panniers fill up pretty quickly with camp gear on one side and riding gear on the other, so I went with some Givi soft bags to round out my packing needs.
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The Givi 6 liter tank bag is an electronically seam-sealed case with a horseshoe zipper hidden under a waterproof flap.
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It connects to the tank with three straps, one that goes around the frame at the base of the triple clamp and two others that connect to frame points left and right under the seat. All straps are adjustable and have quick release fasteners. I've zip-tied the top fastener to deter errant thievery, leaving the other two connectors free to unbuckle for fill ups.
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While the zipper on the bag has a sturdy and big pull, the zipper is a hassle making quick access to bag contents something better left to the panniers. Maybe this will get better over time, but I have my doubts. I wouldn't buy this again, opting for something with easier access.

Givi makes a 20 liter cargo bag that fits well atop their panniers with aligned strap ports. This is a roll top dry bag with an air release valve built in to purge unwanted air out of the waterproof bag.
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There's a sturdy carrying handle and it ships with a shoulder strap and bungee cords. I hate bungee cords.

The tail bag is Givi's 40 liter waterproof cargo bag. This carries my Alpine Stars alternative jacket or mesh depending on season, clothing and travel essentials.
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It, too, is a dry-bag design with its folding top that latches down on the sides with Givi's quick-release hardware and has two top straps that help in compression. The bag has a dividing handle and also ships with a shoulder strap. It has an air purge valve and mounting loops and d-rings as well.

Both this and the 20l cargo bag serve my purposes well - they're lightweight, watertight, nicely detailed with Givi's branding and design and high functioning, especially compared to their tank bag.
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Having developed a reasonable fear of bungee cords after almost losing an eye, I use Rok Straps to secure the Givi bags to the panniers and tail of the Tiger. They're a two-piece strap with webbing that has a looped end and a quick-release buckle on the other that snaps into an elastic element that also has a looped end. Great and quick tie downs with reflective stitching on the elastic ends.
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
Auxiliary Power
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While the Tiger has a European cig lighter port adjacent the ignition switch, I installed a RioRand 12V/5V socket and power port on the handlebar as well, to power the iPhone and InReach GPS. I'm not crazy about the quality, but it never failed me on the KLR so I thought to give it a go on the 800XC. I also added a waterproof iPhone 7/8 mount.
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
Metzler Karoo 3 Tires
Read through UTADV and you'll see the three consecutive failures of the rear tube in a new Shinko SR244. Come to find out, the tire itself, though the right size, would slip on the rim and bind the tube which would then fail along the creases.
That's when I vowed to not skimp on rubber. The Tiger left D&K Motorcycles in Bountiful yesterday shod in new Metzler Karoo 3s, lauded as a solid 70/30 tire that's very capable in sand. Fits my bill. I'll update as the miles piles on. The guys at D&K in Bountiful are great, by the way, and their service is impeccable.
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Imnosaint

Adventurer
From the Road

VIrgin, Utah
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Stansbury Island
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The Arizona Strip
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The Pacific Coast Highway
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Yosemite
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The Shafer Trail
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Moki Dugway
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Boulder Mountain
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Read the stories at UTADV.
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
SW-Motech Convertible Pegs
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These on-road/off-road pegs convert easily to numb engine and road vibration on the slab and to provide excellent grip in the dirt. They’re also height-adjustable, dialing in for my left foot a better ride and shift position with a little tweak of the gear selector length.
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
Metzler Karoo Round Two
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The Tiger got just over 7,200 on the first rear Karoo, the majority of those miles slabbed. I considered going with a less aggressive, road-oriented tire, but just don’t want to give up the outstanding dirt characteristics of this one while it leaves me wanting for nothing on pavement.

The front Karoo is still at about seventy percent.
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
Puig Levers 2.0
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The Tiger took a tap from a rental car in the parking lot of a motel and down it came on its right side, shattering the stock RH hand guard and bending the brake lever among other damage, just under two thousand dollars worth. Doesn’t take much.
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I decided to replace both levers with Puig 2.0 hardware consisting of levers and lever mounts for each side.
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These are beautifully crafted CNC-machined billet aluminum with laser etched accents and a raised six-position grab adjustment in contrasting red anodized aluminum. These standard levers are 160mm long with a cut-out design to break away in the event of a collision leaving enough lever to still control.
 
Metzler Karoo 3 Tires
Read through UTADV and you'll see the three consecutive failures of the rear tube in a new Shinko SR244. Come to find out, the tire itself, though the right size, would slip on the rim and bind the tube which would then fail along the creases.
That's when I vowed to not skimp on rubber. The Tiger left D&K Motorcycles in Bountiful yesterday shod in new Metzler Karoo 3s, lauded as a solid 70/30 tire that's very capable in sand. Fits my bill. I'll update as the miles piles on. The guys at D&K in Bountiful are great, by the way, and their service is impeccable.
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Looks like you've had the chance to put some miles on the tires now... what do you think?
Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Looks like you posted your thoughts while I was asking the question
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
SW-Motech Kobra Handguards
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Triumph’s stock handguards did little more than keep the breeze off your knuckles if they were adjusted right. When the Tiger took a tumble shattering the RH guard I decided to install SW Motech’s Kobra Handguards, the same hardware I used on my KLR.

These installed in minutes with impressive tolerances on the milled mounting hardware. The backbones are powdercoated aluminum Barkbusters. The guards are high-impact resin that have small removable ports to accommodate LED turn signals, the next modification I’ll be doing to move the turn signals to the handlebars creating a space to mount fog lamps like I did on the thumper.
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Imnosaint

Adventurer
Looks like you've had the chance to put some miles on the tires now... what do you think?
Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
After 7200 miles, just shod the rear with another Karoo 3, so, there's your short answer.

I'm impressed with their all-around performance. I've put a thousand miles a month on these since March in every imaginable condition save quicksand. From a Southeastern Utah tour to a cross-Sierra trek from the coast I've experience solid grip, off-camber bite off pavement without "walking" on pavement. Still have about 70% on the front tire.
 
After 7200 miles, just shod the rear with another Karoo 3, so, there's your short answer.

I'm impressed with their all-around performance. I've put a thousand miles a month on these since March in every imaginable condition save quicksand. From a Southeastern Utah tour to a cross-Sierra trek from the coast I've experience solid grip, off-camber bite off pavement without "walking" on pavement. Still have about 70% on the front tire.
Thank you!

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

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