Legs on Fire...

[Chris Canning]

I agree as well Chris, things have moved on, thankfully in most cases, however, as motorcyclists you generally have a better knowledge of what you're buying and expect a similar level of understanding from sales people.

What I dislike and I suspect this may be what Phil is alluding to, without putting words into his mouth, the attitude of the sales people in many places is such that I personally often feel like I have ATM stamped on my forehead when I'm approached and often the immediate thrust of discussion is about financing before any talk of bikes commences. I felt the same was true in the car sales showrooms last time we bought a car.

I came into the store to consider a motorcycle not a "lifestyle" and I have money in my pocket, I do not wish to discuss monthly repayments, how a PCP arrangement will work for me nor what my credit rating is. I suspect it's a generational thing as much as anything else and we have to adjust our expectations accordingly 

Assuming your average biker knows anything about bikes is a major mistake...having worked for a UK importer and suffered....dealing with the public...90% you wouldn't trust to blow your tyres up never mind know how their bike worked, nearly every conversation would be the same and the quickest way to end it...was talk about suspension...mention preload/compression/rebound I could guarantee they'd be gone inside 25 seconds....the other 10% were well clued up i'm Glad to say.

Have to say my experience of dealing with Euro manufactures or should I say dealers has been very good, having said that I travel 50 miles to my preferred KTM dealer as opposed to the one just around the corner.

[London_Phil]

So Anyway......

[Sin_Tiger]

So Anyway......

Aside from reflective tape on the inside leg of your jeans I'm out of ideas mate, haven't kept up with the latest Tigers, Ivor might be the man to weigh in on that.

[Chris Canning]

I confess to having a liking for an XE Scrambler but sadly i've Run out of space 

[Bixxer Bob]

Assuming your average biker knows anything about bikes is a major mistake...having worked for a UK importer and suffered....dealing with the public...90% you wouldn't trust to blow your tyres up never mind know how their bike worked, nearly every conversation would be the same and the quickest way to end it...was talk about suspension...mention preload/compression/rebound I could guarantee they'd be gone inside 25 seconds....the other 10% were well clued up i'm Glad to say.

Have to say my experience of dealing with Euro manufactures or should I say dealers has been very good, having said that I travel 50 miles to my preferred KTM dealer as opposed to the one just around the corner.

I'd include most of the dealer's spanner monkeys in that statement Chris.  You can get a bike serviced at the dealer for around 100 quid an hour.  You can get it repaired if it goes wrong as long as the laptop can tell them what to change. However, it can be running like a dog but if the laptop says it's fine you're on your own. 

Two examples.  My Explorer.  It took a year of hawking it round the dealer, then a renowned bike repairer, a vehicle electronics expert, and even the great Clive Woods.  In the end, I fixed it myself.  Just this las week, a friend's 2 yr old Speed Triple died.  Completely dead with a blown 30amp fuse.  Dealer told him to buy better quality fuses.  No-one else would touch it.  He was advised to break it for spares.  I spent a morning pulling half the damn thing apart to eventually find where the charge lead from the rectifier to the battery had rubbed through against the frame.  All it cost to fix was 6 inches of insulation tape and a tie wrap.

[mat-tiger1]

Aside from reflective tape on the inside leg of your jeans I'm out of ideas mate, haven't kept up with the latest Tigers, Ivor might be the man to weigh in on that.

I must admit that i've not suffered from this myself Phil but other owners (usually those in warmer climates) have encountered "crotch boil" (which can also be an issue for some on the newer 900's.)

The solution they say is to fit either a plastic deflector blade in the original cowling in order to deflect the heat up, and away from the rider's legs or there also appears to be aftermarket suppliers of replacement cowls that do the same job.

https://dragontt.com/producto/deflectores_tiger_800_xr__1/ or https://dragontt.com/producto/deflectores-tiger-800d/

Hope this helps! 

[mat-tiger1]

Following some investigation on the subject, i've also seen this mod used to deflect the heat away from the rider without the need for cowling adjustments. 

https://www.tiger800.co.uk/index.php/topic,27567.0.html

[London_Phil]

Interesting stuff, thank you. I contacted the manufacturers of the replacement side pieces, and tey do a kit for Gen 1 Tigers, but they will likely not fit behind the Heed crash bars. I will look at the other idea, but I do think the R/R heat needs to be taken into account, as they run hot anyway, and any reduced flow will potentially cause issue.
I have used TigerTool to reset the fan on  value from 103 to 93, and will see how that goes...Best option is to stay out of the city......

[ssevy]

If your fan is kicking on at a lower temp it will be running more often, and so there will be more hot air blowing on your leg.
I would reset it to 103 and then duplicate the ride under similar conditions to see if this is the cause.


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[London_Phil]

Hi ssevy

I did it after the hot leg episode, as I read its a common thing to do.
Realistically there is nothing wrong with the bike, the Gen 1's are especially known for generating a lot of heat, and riding in London during a heatwave was never going to be comfortable on such a bike.
The fact that the later models had heat mitigation, and either the last gen or/and the 900 have split or curved Rads to direct heat out the sides, rather than directly over the rider suggests it was a design weakness, but not an actual fault with my bike.
Going to move to the country, that will fix it......

[ssevy]

Ah, sorry, missed that part. Maybe get some of those shiny silver pants they wear in a foundry?
Think of the conspicuity!


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[London_Phil]

All the rage in Hoxton..Hipsters be hipstering....

[ghulst]

either the last gen or/and the 900 have split or curved Rads to direct heat out the sides, rather than directly over the rider

I see a possibility for a project here...