Triumph Tiger 800 XCx Review at RevZilla.com
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00:00Spurgeon here with RevZilla TV tearing it up and getting dirty on the new Triumph Tiger
00:19800 XCX.
00:21New for 2015, Triumph's upgraded the protection, suspension, and also introduced an all new
00:26electronics package aimed at riders looking to tackle adventure as well as a daily commute.
00:30We're going to talk about what I love about this bike, we're also going to hit on some
00:33points where Triumph has missed the mark, and then we're going to tackle modifications
00:36that you can make to create one of the meanest dual sports on the market.
00:40Let's release this Tiger into the wild, and we're going to see what you can do.
01:05So for 2015, Triumph has updated the entire Tiger 800 lineup.
01:20The street version is going to get re-dubbed the XR, while the more dirt worthy Tiger remains
01:24the XC.
01:25Now, the XC is going to get an upgraded WP suspension as well as an all new electronic
01:29throttle by wire system.
01:30For those of you out there that want the most performance possible, there's also going to
01:34And that's what I opted for, the 800XCX.
01:37Now what this is going to give me over the base XC is going to be different rider modes,
01:41adjustable throttle controls, electronic cruise control, and an upgraded protection package
01:46to make this Tiger super dirt worthy.
01:48So to be able to test this in both on-road and off-road conditions, we came up here to
01:52Bald Eagle Mountain for all riders can serve the ride event, where we can really put this
01:57Tiger through its paces.
02:01Now the street version, the XR, that's going to be aimed at a wider road market, but the
02:06XCX is going to be left sharpening its claws with one foe in mind, the BMW F800GS series.
02:12Now the Tiger has long been known as the better street performer of the two, and with the
02:16new WP suspension, as well as a throttle by wire system, it's going to give BMW a run
02:21for the money in the dirt as well.
02:23Now I've ridden the old 800XC, and I've spent the last six months tearing around on a BMW
02:27F800GS.
02:29I'm excited to know how this XCX fares against its predecessor, as well as its competition.
02:34Now over the past few weeks, I have logged a ton of miles on this bike because it just
02:39begs to be ridden.
02:40So we're going to go out, we're going to hit the pavement, I'm going to show you exactly
02:43where this Tiger digs in.
02:59So we're starting off pounding the pavement where this Tiger has been known to dominate
03:07the middleweight market.
03:08Now for 2015, the engine remains the same.
03:10It's going to be a 799cc inline triple engine that's going to give you power all over the
03:15rev range.
03:16What that means for you is you're going to have power from 5,500 RPM up to the red line,
03:21spinning like a sport bike, and down low, this thing is going to haul like a tank.
03:25Watch what happens when I drop this into fifth gear, and I'm going to let go of the throttle
03:29completely.
03:30It drops down to about 25 miles an hour, 20 miles an hour.
03:34It's simply going to keep going.
03:36Drop down a few gears, spin back up, and it's exactly where I want to be.
03:41Now I know there's a lot of you out there that are concerned that a middleweight adventure
03:44bike, it's not going to be enough power for you, your passenger, as well as your gear.
03:49So what I did, I loaded this up with 80 pounds of gear, took off for the weekend, and in
03:5348 hours, I tackled over 1,000 miles.
03:55Then I ended up back in Philadelphia, threw a passenger in the mix, and this tiger didn't
03:59bat an eye.
04:00It's going to be able to handle any road you throw its way.
04:03Now, second thing on this bike that I love, upgraded to a WP suspension.
04:08WP is known for giving KTM their advantage both on road as well as off, and Triumph is
04:13going to benefit from their years of knowledge and experience.
04:16Up front, you're looking at compression as well as rebound adjustments.
04:19In the back, preload as well as rebound.
04:22And look at this, as we head through these twisties, you're going to be able to hit curves
04:25just like this one with no problems or questions.
04:288.7 inches of travel up front and 8.5 inches at the rear means that you can tackle the
04:32most aggressive off-road situation with this bike.
04:35And that little twisty section we just went through, it's going to be able to tear it
04:39up just the same.
04:40Now, the one thing I was super concerned with and I was actually prepared to hate it, the
04:43throttle-by-wire system on this bike.
04:45Now, I've ridden the previous generations of the throttle-by-wire.
04:48Triumph, with the Tiger Explorer as well as with the Trophy, had a lot of problems
04:53and was one of the most abysmal throttles I've ever ridden.
04:55The exact opposite is true of the XCX.
04:57I'm going to say this is probably one of the best throttles in motorcycling today.
05:01Now, that doesn't mean that this throttle doesn't take some getting used to.
05:04It does.
05:05But, you give it a couple of days, get used to the feel, and you're going to love it as
05:09much as I do.
05:18God, I love tearing it up on the pavement with this motorcycle.
05:27The updates to the suspension and the throttle-by-wire system are huge additions for 2015.
05:32There's no hiding the fact that I'm becoming quite smitten with this Tiger.
05:35Now, I've spent the past 10 years riding and wrenching on more motorcycles than most people
05:40get to in a lifetime.
05:41I know what I like and I know what I don't like.
05:44And while I think Triumph has made some great upgrades to this motorcycle, there are a few
05:48key points where I feel like they've missed the mark.
05:51First and foremost, while the overall performance has really gone through the roof with this
05:54bike, so has the weight.
05:55I mean, we're talking about a bike that's up almost 15 pounds over last year's model.
06:00That's going to be a 490-pound bike to ride around off-road.
06:04That's a little bit heavy.
06:05Secondly, the rubber on this bike.
06:08Triumph has decided to ship us this with Bridgestone Battlewing tires.
06:11It's like a 95.5 tire for a bike that's intended to go off-road.
06:15Honestly, you're going to have to upgrade the rubber.
06:18Finally, I think Triumph did a huge upgrade with the overall electronics package, but
06:22the interface to control those electronics, it's just confusing.
06:26And honestly, it's counterintuitive.
06:28Now, we could stand here and we could talk about this all day long, but there's no fun
06:32in that and it only paints half the picture.
06:34So let's go out, let's get dirty, and I'll show you exactly what I'm talking about.
06:45So we're here off the beaten path to discuss the places where I think Triumph has missed
06:50the mark with the XCX.
06:52Now, first and foremost, I'm a guy that likes the basics, and what that means is that the
06:56addition of electronics to any motorcycle is going to make me a little bit leery.
07:00So while I love the throttle-by-wire system that Triumph has given me with this, I find
07:03the electronic interface to be downright confusing.
07:06So what do I mean by that?
07:08Let's say I have this set up for off-road like I'm doing right now.
07:10Let's say I have this set up for off-road like I'm doing right now.
07:13I then take a break, turn the bike off, fire it back up.
07:17Look at that.
07:18It's reverted to a road mode.
07:19Now, if I'm not paying attention, I go to romp on it, thinking that it's still in off-road
07:23mode, and look at that, the traction control is kicking in and it's tossing me all over
07:26the place.
07:27Now, that's going to be nerve-wracking for veteran and new riders alike.
07:31So the second place where I really think Triumph has missed the mark with this is going to
07:34be the weight.
07:35It's up almost 15 pounds over last year's model, and we're talking about just shy of 490 pounds
07:41of weight.
07:42I'm a big guy.
07:43I'm 6'3", about 215 pounds.
07:45I still have a hard time wrestling this thing around off-road.
07:48Now, a lot of that has to do with where it wears its weight.
07:51Up top.
07:52The gas tank is going to be above the center of gravity in this bike, and it's going to
07:55be a little bit top-heavy.
07:56Now, you might be saying, well, hey, some of that weight is going to come in from the
07:59overall protection package.
08:01Absolutely.
08:02But then beef up the protection you give me.
08:04Look at these hand guards.
08:05They're plastic.
08:06They're flimsy.
08:07The same ones I have on the XRX.
08:08That's a street bike.
08:09Then I've got the engine crash bars.
08:11They barely cover the bottom of the engine, and the skid plate, while the skid plate is
08:16a huge upgrade over the sump guard on the base model, this skid plate doesn't even cover
08:20the rear shock.
08:21I want Triumph to cut weight, but I don't want them to cut it from the protection of
08:25the bike.
08:26I want a bike so beefy, I have no problem crashing it off-road.
08:29Now, there's a guy out there that's not afraid to drop his motorcycle, and that's Bear Grylls.
08:34You've seen the ads.
08:35Old Bear's out there in the jungle tearing it up on his XCX.
08:39If you happen to check out the tires he was using, he was using Metzeler Karoo 3s, an
08:42excellent 70-30 tire.
08:44However, Triumph has shipped me this bike with Bridgestone Battlewings.
08:48This gravel road that I'm on, it wouldn't even be able to handle this.
08:51But I swapped the tires out, put a nice aftermarket tire on, and now this bike can handle it with
08:56ease.
09:09So I love wrenching on bikes almost as much as I love riding them.
09:12And here at RevZilla, good isn't great, and making things better is in our DNA.
09:16So here are some thoughts on how you can improve your Tiger XCX.
09:20First things first, the rubber on this bike has got to go.
09:23It only took me 1,000 miles to realize that these Bridgestone tires, they weren't going
09:27to cut it in the off-road conditions I was looking to tackle.
09:30So I spooned on a set of the Midas E07s, and I hit the road.
09:33This is a 50-50 tire.
09:35They handled great getting me on the highway out here.
09:37And once I hit the dirt, they gave me the performance I was looking for.
09:40Second piece on this is going to be the suspension.
09:43Now while I love this WP suspension, it begs to mention that when I first picked this bike
09:47up, it was set up way too soft for me.
09:49Apparently over in England, Triumph feels that a solo rider weighs about 140 pounds.
09:54Well guess what?
09:55Here in America, I'm pushing 215, and I need a better suspension setup.
09:59Triumph makes adjusting your suspension super simple by just following along the chart that's
10:04in their owner's manual.
10:05Now lastly on this, weight and protection.
10:08First and foremost, the easiest way to drop some weight from this bike is to go with an
10:11aftermarket exhaust.
10:13Luckily for us, Triumph sent us over an aero pipe and reflashed our ECU.
10:17As far as protection is concerned, up front, the first thing that has to go are these plastic
10:22hand guards.
10:23You want to go to someone with an aluminum backbone.
10:24It's not going to add too much weight, but it's going to do a world of difference to
10:27keep your hands safe in a crash, as well as to protect those expensive levers.
10:31Lastly, the engine guards on this.
10:33You need something beefier.
10:35Yeah, you might pick up a pound or two, but honestly, they're going to be worth it.
10:39The first time you knock your motorcycle over and you know that not just the bottom of the
10:42engine is safe, but the top of the engine and the lower part of the gas tank is going
10:45to be safe as well.
10:47Now all in all, I think Triumph did an excellent job with this bike.
10:50There's huge improvements over last year's model.
10:52Honestly, they threw the kitchen sink at this, and they're giving their competition a reason
10:56to be a little bit nervous.
10:58Now if you're like me, you want all the down and dirty facts before buying a new motorcycle.
11:03So head over to Common Tread and check out all the details on the XCX I just didn't have
11:07time to cover here.
11:08If you want to see some more of our bike reviews, subscribe to us at RevZilla TV on YouTube.
11:13Thank you for joining us for this look at the Triumph Tiger 800 XCX.
11:17I'm Spurgeon.
11:18Enjoy the ride.