Freedom Cycle and Yuill Brothers Transform a Triumph Tiger 800!

[Moses Ludel]

The Triumph Tiger 800 is no slouch as a showroom stock adventure-touring motorcycle.  I thought the model quite cool with my ongoing affinity for British motorcycles.  Last week, a visit to Freedom Cycle at Reno, Nevada, revealed what the Triumph Tiger can really do while looking like a genuine Paris-Dakar machine from the day!

 

The dealership did the R&D on several prototype parts and modifications that make this machine not only more functional and nimble but also a magnet for attracting true adventure-touring enthusiasts. Check this out:

 

 

 

Bucket List with "Long Way Round" and "Long Way Down" on it?  This might be the machine...500 pounds fully wet!

 

Moses

[Speed]

Not really my thing,but....I always wanted to ride the route of the original highways across the US,including the bits and pieces of abandoned roadway (split the fence,ride through,fix the fence,on we go,same process to get out at the other end.),on a Rickman Triumph 650. (Borrowed one from a friend once,fell in love with the bike immediately. Feels as light as a typical 250 Street/Trail,will run 75 all day long,handles loose/rough ground I can barely even walk on,low gear gave me about 2.5 mph at idle,averaged around 45 mpg-what more could I ask?) I'm a little too old and crippled up for that sorta thing these days,at least for any distance. I imagine there's a LOT of forgotten America to be seen on stretches out of sight of I-80.

   Speed

[Moses Ludel]

Speed...The Triumph Tiger 800 would be that motorcycle...Modern upgrades like EFI and such could assure fuel efficiency.  This bike would not cause on-highway suffering unless the tires are too off-road oriented.  The ride quality should be very good.  I'll take one for a demo spin at some point and comment.

Moses

[Speed]

Sounds good. Did Triumph ever get back to their roots? Back in the early 90's I tried a new Triumph out and really wasn't impressed.It was a nice enough bike,I chose the most "traditional" looking one,but on the road it felt and sounded exactly like all the Japanese bikes in its size. It was relatively fast and smooth,but I couldn't even HEAR it at speeds over 60. It even LOOKED like a Japanese bike with Brit badges. I know-I was expecting "Traditional" and got "Modern". But if I wanted modern,I could have bought any of 4 other versions of it for close to half the price. I DID notice recently that it appears they've gone back to the vertical twin design,at least on SOME models. That's good. In MY opinion.

   Speed

[Moses Ludel]

Speed...Triumph has incredible marketing pressure.  U.S. buyers are often nostalgic, and this drives what you discovered.  Emission demands make traditional/vintage tuning impossible, EFI is a norm now, and quieter exhaust systems are mandated.

At the dealership, I rubbernecked on a new "Thruxton Special" in red.  The bike triggered late-'sixties/early-'seventies memories of Triumph, BSA and Norton cafe racers.  I owned three BSAs in the 'seventies, each was, coincidentally, a drum brake '69 model in single, twin and triple cylinder configuration (Victor 441, Lightening A65L and Rocket 3 A75R).  I still am stuck on those original Brit bikes, though they each begged improvements.  (The Victor was allegedly a "scrambler" that had barely any front fork travel and vertical rear shock/springs, pitiful next to my Honda XRs with Prolink rear suspension!)  

Motorcycles are interesting---the best bike, in my view, is the one beneath your seat!  I could ride any year H-D, Brit bike, German bike or Japanese bike and have a good time...I would state flatly, however, that some of the worst cycles I have ever ridden were vintage Japanese bikes, models like the Suzuki X6 Hustler or the Kawasaki H1 and H2 two-stroke triples.

Moses