Learning to ride off-road with a tiger?

[rjvolt]

I did my first off-road riding with my tiger. It was very short, maybe 10 yards. I have to say it was fun and scary, mostly scary.

How many here learned to ride off-road with the tiger? My biggest concern was dropping the bike and not being able to pick it up myself.

Also what's the chance of bending the handlebars laying the bike down? I currently don't have any engine guards but plan on getting something before going off-road again. Every time I dropped my SV the handlebars got bent up, with frame sliders.

I'm hoping to get some words of encouragement. I really want to check out some fireroads but it might take a while to get comfortable with the tiger. I still love the tiger.

[aeronca]

the biggest problem is getting used to the wieght. IT'S HEAVY! i try and stick to mostly easy stuff with my steamer, but crash just the same :D take it slow, and you'll find that it really is'nt that bad off road.the first time i had mine in the dirt was on a road they were getting to build.the problem was that there were really deep ruts left from all the kids 4 wheeling over the winter. so along come me thinking it will be smooth, blasting down the road - next thing i know im ass over tea kettle in the high grass. those ruts were deeeeep. it was hard horse'in the steamer out of there but man was it fun. and yes - you will bend your bars :) good luck, and take some pic's of you ride.        eric

[HappyMan]

I've found the bike to be pretty decent off road.  However, when traveling two up with camping gear stay away from the deep sand.....I pulled through without dropping it but my only thought was that my eight year old boy was not going to help me pick that bike up in deep sand.  I can pick up most bikes when done properly but there's no way in hell I would have picked it up in deep sand and I was in the middle of nowhere!  The worst part was when I realized it wasn't getting any better and that I had to turn the bike around on a narrow trail...in the sand.  My legs still hurt!  :shock: However, in the dirt and tightly packed trails I've been quite pleased with it.  It's definitely better stripped and with half a tank of gas.  

[rjvolt]

The off-road I did was loose gravel. I'll try packed dirt next time. It looks easier.

[JetdocX]

FWIW, loose gravel is hard for anyone on two wheels.  I hate it when the forest service decides to "fix" one of my favorite roads by dumpng a bunch of gravel on it.

Sand is what it is.  Stay on top and relax.  The bike will decide whether you ride or fly at that point. :shock:

[rjvolt]

Would getting a smaller bike like a 200cc dual sport to learn on help with riding the big tiger?

I figure I could spend $2k on a cheap bike or spend $2k fixing the tiger trying to learn on it. Plus I'll have another bike! I'll try running it by the wife.

[aeronca]

it may not help, but any excuse to buy another bike is a good one :D

[blacktiger]

I've found the Tiger is really quite stable on gravel tracks. The weight is always going to be an issue and I wouldn't go anywhere that could be tricky on my own. I can't pick it up on my own. It's as if they made the fuel tank out of lead!
Have fun where ever you go with it.

[2004Tiger]

If you are an experienced road rider and never played in the dirt, going off-road on any bike will be scary and you will probably never be comfortable.

If you started years ago with small two-strokes and did some moto-x and enduros, and then moved to road bikes, taking your Tiger off road will feel natural but you won't like the extra weight.

If you are a beginner rider, park the Tiger and buy the dirt bike. In a few years you will feel OK at 60 MPH in the ruts and sliding around. Then try the Tiger.

Edit: On re-read, I see that I didn't clearly make my point: You can't learn off-road riding on a Tiger.

[paulie]

You can't learn off-road riding on a Tiger.

both my close friends who are experienced dirt riders from childhood both gave me that advice.

i won't be doing more than hardpack or gravel roads on the tiger.

i do have an itch to learn to ride in the dirt though, and i'm planning on getting a 250 or something smallish as soon as we move out of the condo and into something that has more bike storage :)

[oldrider]

So many men, so many opinions and all of them have their own merit. (all hard learned)

You own and ride a Tiger so don't buy another bike, learn to ride your Tiger, it will teach you what you can do together.

Of course be very careful but not so careful that you don't go anywhere!

Find small places, situations and challenges that you haven't faced together before, where you can plan your entry pathway and exit before you attempt to traverse it.

Just keep practicing and gradually increase the challenge as you feel comfortable together in the conditions.

A faint heart never won a fair lady and remember, when in doubt, blast out, you are probably already in trouble and you just might make it anyway!

Hope this helps.  Good luck and happy riding. Cheers John.

[flux]

Hey dude, were you in Suches this weekend at Dales?  You got a Bagster cover on that thing?

Anyway, learning to ride offroad on a smaller bike is of course going to be much easier.  I love riding the Tiger offroad, but I do have 2 complaints...its top heavy and the suspension is shit for offroading.  So, I just have to take it a little slower and not go jumping every little waterbar I come across like I would on the KTM.  The Tiger bottoms every time I jump her.  Still, it is set up good for getting dirty and I have now taken it through some gnarly stuff.  So far all I have had on is Tourances and they suck on the gravel/rock lined roads we have here but I am about to swap to TKCs this week which should be better.

[rjvolt]

Yes flux, that was me you saw.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm not looking to do anything hardcore like going 60mph, jumps or anything like that. Mostly just want to leisurely explore.

I'm still getting used to riding the tiger on-road. Haven't gotten comfortable on the twisties yet. I've only had the bike for a couple of weeks. For now I'll probably just stick to the street for a while, until I get more comfortable with that.

I'm starting to like the idea of getting a smaller bike for trail riding. :D  Never did it but the pictures makes it look like a lot of fun.

I'll try to update my progress in case someone is going through the same thing.

[pit0rz]

I bought the Tiger for a lot of reasons.  One of which was to be able to 'explore' a bit when I see a trail or dirt road and wonder where it might lead.   Riding sport bikes for 25 years usually prohibited that.
I used to ride dirt bikes a lot for many of my younger years.  My first stab at 'off roading' the Tiger was Potter Mountain Road (I use the word road loosely).  Let's just say that I learned the limits of the bike and myself pretty quickly.  With the half worn Tourances that were on it at the time we had no business trying what I was trying.
Every time I try and explore (around here anyway) I usually find a dead end or an obstacle that requires turning around.  That's where the fun really starts on a 500lb bike off road.
For stuff like that, a DRZ400 might be a better bet.  Good for learning on too.
I'll stop rambling now...

[JetdocX]

Suspension upgrades cost less than a second bike.........

just sayin'.

Then think about insurance, tires, registration, etc. :roll: