Newbie, looking for a gravel road setup

[f-five]

Recently picked up a clean 99 tiger and looking to set it up for a mix of blacktop and gravel roads.  I'm 6'6" and enjoy riding these taller bikes, I have experience with big KTM adventure bikes but completely new to the Triumph thing.  I have already purchased a service manual, added some extra preload to the fork springs, 10wt oil, shinko 705 front tire, mirror risers and just purchased some pegs from Mustang.  Currently working on the breather hose fix and proper chain adjustment.

Stock gearing is 18/48, any real requirement to gear this thing down?

Skidplate, required or just nice to have??

Aluminum handguards required??

I know there lots of folks with years of experience with these bikes and looking for any other ideas or recommendations??

Thanks in advance!

[Mustang]

welcome
nice clean used tiger , looks like you found a garage queen  :D

[dj_squelch]

Nice ride!
I'm 6'4" and I plan on getting some pegs from Mustang as well.  I also plan on ordering an Alaskan butt pad to give me just a smidge more height between the pegs.  Here's a link to the one that fits the tiger:

http://www.alaskaleatheronline.com/serv ... %22/Detail (http://www.alaskaleatheronline.com/servlet/the-16/Dualsport-Deluxe-dsh-15%22x22%22/Detail)

[John Stenhouse]

Ali hand guards are a must, if not the ali ones get the BM or Later Tiger placcy ones. Panniers will keep the back from trashing itself but tend to end up scratched, at least mine are. Tiggers do tend to like a nap now and then, but with the crash bars you have and some hand guards they are fairly crash resistant. Sump guard if you are going to take it over big rocks.

[atokad]

F-five,

Biggest improvement I have made for gravel roads to date, re-do the front forks.  I did Race Tech emulator, Race Tech Straight rate springs, drilled the dampening rods.  That combined with a newly mounted Heidenau K60 front knobby, rear Metzler Tourance increased my confidence on gravel washboards roads by about 200%  :D   For the really loose and deep gravel I air-down the tires. 28 front, 32-33 rear.  I carry a small electric air pump in the rear bag to air them back up when I am back to paved roads. Next is a rear HyperPro shock (WILL BE HERE IN 5 DAYS - WOOT!). After I get that on I ought to be able to take on most anything, well, not really, but it is SO worth it to do the suspension for someone your size. As for the skid plate, I really wanted it for a long time, but the longer I am without it, the less I feel I need it.  I think the money is much better spent on suspension.

Tuning the suspension to your weight would increase your satisfaction with the bike immensely.  I am 6'4" and 230, have stock pegs, Corbin custom (looks like you have) seat, BMW handguards (get rid of those Mickey Mouse stock hand guards, at least for tip-over protection), MRA Vario/or Palmer large screen (depending on my ride distance and weather), stock mirror stems, and Rox Risers (you could probably benefit from these) to get the bars up and back.  I am confident I could ride around the globe with that setup and have no plans of ever getting rid of this bike.

Welcome and enjoy!!


Colorado forest service roads can be deep, loose gravel .......... or hard packed, rocky and wet.



 

But, always has scenery guaranteed to please!

 

[Yankee Dog]

If you are truly talking about your typical gravel road the only thing you really need are decent tires and a portable air compressor. Because the best thing you can do in the gravel is run low air pressure in your tires. Use the little compressor to bring your tires back up when you return to the pavement.

[brad1098]

I would not gear down.  Stock gearing is good for gravel.  If you gear down the bike will scream at 70mph.  

I did 200 miles of gravel last fall with stock +1 gearing.  It was a tad tall for gravel but short for hwy bursts.

[f-five]

Thanks for all the advice.  I just got my pegs today, so those will go on asap.  I will add some real handguards and ride it.   I will keep the stock gearing and keep my eyes open for some racetech emulators and springs.   A skid plate would be nice insurance but I see lots of them out there without.  I can understand when I look at a skid plate that cost 20% of the bikes total book value.

[BigDan]

Sorry to interrupt, but what is the point in mustang pegs?

I see many people who plan to off-road usually get them. I don't get it?

[Stitch]

I'm extremely happy with my "Mustang" pegs and not just for off-road use. For us taller people, the inch lower is a noticeable difference in ride comfort. More favorable is the machining of the foot face of the peg. Its just right for grip on the soles of your boot, no more sliding around on stock pegs. The machining was excellent meaning I did not have to persuade anything to get them to fit into the peg brackets to mount them. You also use the original hardware. They were shipped promptly and came with instructions. The only thing I had to do was a little prep for some aluminum paint (just preference to match the bracket they pin into). They are price right, a quality product, and made by an individual who has pride in making a product to make our ride that much better.

The last part is the "value" in Mustang pegs.....

[AK Tiger]

I'm pretty happy with my Tiger.  2005 Girly w/ about 55K miles on her as she's currently set up.  Been to Prudhoe Bay (AK), Key West (FL), 6 provinces in Canada, etc.  The bike has NEVER let me down nor left me stranded.  I'm not as tall as you folks (5'8") so some mods may not work as well for you.

*  Panniers and top box (Happy Trails)
*  Heated grips (Twisted Throttle)
*  Engine protection bars and skid pan (Touratech)
*  Windscreen (+8") and headlight protection (Cee Bailey)
*  Mirror spacers (??)
*  19 front, 43 rear sprockets.  70mph = 4,000 rpm
*  Honda regulator/rectifier
*  Shinko 705's front and rear
*  2 litre spare fuel tank though never needed
*  Li-Iron battery.  Wow, what a difference!

I hope this helps.

[dino246]

Ive done some dirt and snow with her. I've done a few mods with more dirt in mind, my best friend and I are planning a trip to Mexico to watch the WRC rally one day. The list of mods include
Rox risers
Touratech bars and sump plate, tested in south Texas, worth every dime
All bulbs converted to LED
MOSFET regulator with maxi fuse and 2 gauge positive wire to battery
Mirror risers
ATV aluminum hand guards, also tested
Shinko 705's
EBay foot pegs, not as good as Mustangs but only 30 bones
Madstad screen
Home made Rad grills
Race tech emulators with Hagon springs, springs too soft, getting sonic springs for longer damper rods for more front travel
In dash volt gauge
ITG triple layer foam air filter with air box mod
Iridium plugs
19 tooth front sprocket
4" LED spot lights
Future mods include
Wilbers 461 shock with remote preload
HT boxes
Sonic springs
Longer damper rods
Heated grips
K60 tires
LED driving lights