Just turned 3000 miles... lots to cover. Some questions too!

[Danny955i]

So, I've put 2000 miles on the bike so far. (2001 Girly, had been sitting for 8 years just barely broken in.)

Things I've noticed.

1. Transmission: She shifts REALLY clunky. This, of course, compared to the japanese bikes I'm used to riding. If I keep the revs between 4-7k before I shift then it's really not that bad, but anything under 4k rpm is quite noisy. I've also missed shifts and popped out of gear a few times, 5th normally. I think it's just feeling the motor out as to where to shift rather than the bike having an issue.

2. Noises: The motor has a slight clicking that occurs around 4k rpm at any speed. The rear wheel has a whistle to it, almost a humming.

3. Brakes: I first bled the brakes when I got the bike and replaced all the fluid front and rear. It seems that the brake lever for the front has no affect on the brakes until it reaches half-way to the bars. Kind of unsettling. The rear lever feels dead until about half-way down as well. I don't know if I simply need to re-bleed, or get new pads due to them being so old in who-knows-what condition in some guy's garage.

4. Suspension: The rear feels really bouncy. I've adjusted the pre-load and the damping multiple times, but I still feel as if over anything mildly rough the rear wheel wants to hop off the road. As for the front, I changed the fluid out to new 10w and there is still a lot of dive when you tap the brakes, even mildly. I suppose that's normal in a dual/off-road style bike anyhoo.. just needs some getting used to.

5. Gas Mileage: I'm used to riding my old GS500E... that thing got 50-60mpg... on this Tiger, I can get about 40-42mpg. Almost 215 miles to a tank of fuel. That's WITH a K&N filter. So.. I'm not sure if that's a normal economy to get on these bikes.

6. Tires: The Metzlers have to go. They're 8 years old and anything more than a sprinkle of water on the roads causes them to turn into big plastic rings... no traction, no stopping, no accelerating. Dry pavement they're really decent, but hard none the less... Anything above 60mph creates vibration and the front end feels squirley. Thinking about Anakee 2's, or Distenzas.

7: Speed/Gearing: Low end is good. I can keep it in 1st gear to go off road on trails and fire roads and make it out alive. Highway I'm at about 4500rpm at 70mph. Kinda high. But, then again, I'm getting used to this bike, don't know if that's normal operating rpm.

8: Squid Stuff: Wheelies... awesome, on a dime even. Powering through turns, great acceleration, arm-yanking torque. Top speed... um... 115mph on the gauge... Now, I thought this bike was a 130-150mph cruise missile. It's no concourse... but everyone I talked to before getting this bike had seen/heard of the bike having a much higher top end. 115mph @ about 8k rpm.

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So, I've been having fun on her! Lol. Needless to say of course. There are still quirks I'm finding out, but all-in-all she's a beauty to ride. I can spend 2 hours in the saddle and not feel a thing. Which is amazing to me.

I do have some questions though...

Oil: Every 3000 miles? I put Mobile1 10w-40 Racing Synthetic in when I first got her with a K&N oil filter. When should I change her out?

Coolant: I've flushed the coolant once when I first got it (rust water) and again 1000 miles after. The coolant is now brown again... is this normal? I'm running motorcycle-safe (Kawasaki) coolant in her 50/50 w/distilled water. And on the 1st flush I ran a combination of hot water and baking soda through her to neutralize any rust, then gave it a thorough rinsing with hot water. 2nd time around I flushed it and then simply stuck a garden hose down the radiator and opened up the lower pump and water jacket drain plugs, blocking one off at a time to blow the water/junk out.

Engine Speed: What is a good cruising speed that gets you the best fuel economy? I keep mine between 3-4rpm when commuting and I seem to be stuck in the low 40's on mpg. Should I be cruising around 4-5k? The bike acts much better up there, but I feel as though I'd be burning more fuel to go the same distance @ the same speed (more or less).

Tires: What is a good tire for this bike? It's a beast... so I cant go running Avon Gripsters, or some rinky-dink dual-sport tire on it. I wanna stay away from the Metzlers, only because I can't find any TRUE ratings on them, that and they're quite expensive (as you all know).

As I said, I was looking at Anakees, or Distenzas... I basically want an 80/20, or HIGHER, tire... 95/5 is kinda pointless... but a 90/10 tire would be best. Thanks guys!

Sorry for the TERRIBLY long write up :).

[Sasquatch]

Welcome to the group.  Here are some points to your questions.

Transmission.  Lube your clutch cable and lever pivot, make sure it is adjusted properly.  The transmission is not as smooth as some bikes, smoother than others.  Mine started smoothing out about 20k miles.

Brakes.  Bleed them again.  I found the only way to fully bleed the brakes is with a vacuum operated power bleeder.  Air wants to go up, yet the bleeder ports are way at the bottom.  Pumping the lever does not move enough fluid to fully get air bubbles out the bottom.  Buy yourself a mighty-vac and discover all the uses for such a great product.

Suspension.  turn in the rebound adjuster on the bottom until it subsides.  It is a long travel suspension.  But the shock sucks in stock form.

I get 42-45 mpg riding at 75-80 mph and I am a really big guy and ride her loaded.  My dad (average size guy) gets more like 50.  Get some Seafoam and run a few tankfulls with it in there.  Mileage will improve in time.

Tires:  Continental Trail Attacks.  The only tire that lasted over 4k miles for me.  Got 9,500 on the rear.

Oil, careful, everyone has an opinion here.  Mobil one is good oil, book says something like 6k miles or higher, I dont remember.  I usually change mine between 3-5k miles.

Coolant, keep flushing until it is clear.  I use G-05 coolant mainly because I have a bunch of German cars that all require it.  It is good stuff.

[KuzzinKenny]

Hey Danny955i !! copy this for yer service intervals............

http://www.triumph.co.uk/uk/2057.aspx

as for go`in 115mph on 8yr old tyres  :shock:  i did post to you on TR.net about old tyres dryin out and crackin !! there`s no point of chuckin yer bike down the road after all that work just for the sake of 2 new tyres !! and i forgot to add tubes to that as they dry out too !!

stay safe !!

KK

[pit0rz]

Welcome Danny.  I tend to keep the revs in the 4K to 5K range, seems a bit happier there.  I usually get 42 - 45 mpg on avg.

I'm on my second set of Avon Distanzia's and am very happy with them.  I got 8K miles out of the last set.  Rear was completely shot, the front could've gone another 2 or 3k but I like to replace them together.

Keep flushing the coolant until you get rid of the rust color.

Oil: I'm on the Shell Rotella bandwagon.  Seems like good stuff and cheap at Wallyworld.

+100 on the mighty vac Sasquatch mentioned.  I bought one a few yrs ago and it sure makes bleeding brakes easier.  I even went one further recently and bought a pneumatic one that uses my shop air.  Harbor freight to the rescue!  :P

[Danny955i]

Thanks for the insight gentlemen!!

I heard using Rotella was ok to use in non-wet-clutch bikes... I.E. Harley's and Ducati's... etc. I'd like to stay with synthetics only because that's what the bike reccomends.

I'll have to look into one of those vaccum pumps to suck all the air out of there. Sounds like the right way to go.

The funny thing is, for 8 years old... the tires have ZERO dry-rot on them. Tube condition is unknown, but as for the tires themselves, their only real issue is that they're very, very, very hard. I don't know if that's due to the ply/weight rating of the tire, but they're like rocks, heat up poorly and are god-aweful in the rain.

I'll have to check out those Avon's and do a little research. I may wanna go with the Anakee 2s but we'll see what it comes down to on the price. Not that tires are anything I want to skimp on... lol, but anything is better than what I have.

Thanks again!

[TheMule]

I'll have to check out those Avon's and do a little research. I may wanna go with the Anakee 2s but we'll see what it comes down to on the price. Not that tires are anything I want to skimp on... lol, but anything is better than what I have.

Might try the Shinko 705s so far most everyone seems pleased and a full set can be had in the $100 range delivered. They are reported to be a 75/25 tire though.

Congrats on the bike, I love the black frame and spokes on the early year girlies.

[Stretch]

I heard using Rotella was ok to use in non-wet-clutch bikes... I.E. Harley's and Ducati's... etc. I'd like to stay with synthetics only because that's what the bike reccomends.

Rotella T (blue jug) is perfectly fine for wet clutches.  

However, don't use formulations labeled 'Energy Saving' or 'Energy Conserving'.  Those may cause wet clutches to slip.

[blacktiger]

So, I've put 2000 miles on the bike so far. (2001 Girly, had been sitting for 8 years just barely broken in.)

Things I've noticed.

1. Transmission: She shifts REALLY clunky. This, of course, compared to the japanese bikes I'm used to riding. If I keep the revs between 4-7k before I shift then it's really not that bad, but anything under 4k rpm is quite noisy. I've also missed shifts and popped out of gear a few times, 5th normally. I think it's just feeling the motor out as to where to shift rather than the bike having an issue.

2. Noises: The motor has a slight clicking that occurs around 4k rpm at any speed. The rear wheel has a whistle to it, almost a humming.

3. Brakes: I first bled the brakes when I got the bike and replaced all the fluid front and rear. It seems that the brake lever for the front has no affect on the brakes until it reaches half-way to the bars. Kind of unsettling. The rear lever feels dead until about half-way down as well. I don't know if I simply need to re-bleed, or get new pads due to them being so old in who-knows-what condition in some guy's garage.

4. Suspension: The rear feels really bouncy. I've adjusted the pre-load and the damping multiple times, but I still feel as if over anything mildly rough the rear wheel wants to hop off the road. As for the front, I changed the fluid out to new 10w and there is still a lot of dive when you tap the brakes, even mildly. I suppose that's normal in a dual/off-road style bike anyhoo.. just needs some getting used to.

5. Gas Mileage: I'm used to riding my old GS500E... that thing got 50-60mpg... on this Tiger, I can get about 40-42mpg. Almost 215 miles to a tank of fuel. That's WITH a K&N filter. So.. I'm not sure if that's a normal economy to get on these bikes.

6. Tires: The Metzlers have to go. They're 8 years old and anything more than a sprinkle of water on the roads causes them to turn into big plastic rings... no traction, no stopping, no accelerating. Dry pavement they're really decent, but hard none the less... Anything above 60mph creates vibration and the front end feels squirley. Thinking about Anakee 2's, or Distenzas.

7: Speed/Gearing: Low end is good. I can keep it in 1st gear to go off road on trails and fire roads and make it out alive. Highway I'm at about 4500rpm at 70mph. Kinda high. But, then again, I'm getting used to this bike, don't know if that's normal operating rpm.

8: Squid Stuff: Wheelies... awesome, on a dime even. Powering through turns, great acceleration, arm-yanking torque. Top speed... um... 115mph on the gauge... Now, I thought this bike was a 130-150mph cruise missile. It's no concourse... but everyone I talked to before getting this bike had seen/heard of the bike having a much higher top end. 115mph @ about 8k rpm.

1, the transmission is clunky and especially going into 6th which seems to give a double click. It's normal for these and nothing to worry about.

2, Don't know about a 4K click on the motor but your rear wheel noise is most likely your chain is too tight. These need to be looser than the book says.

3, Always bleed these with the caliper off the bike and held higher than the rest of it. Also, due to the age, could be worth putting new seals everywhere.

4, Try a thicker oil in the forks. I run a 10W, 15W mixed 33% & 66% to give roughly 13.66W. Also, try putting more oil in to reduce the air gap which will reduce the dive on the brakes. 100~105mm, fully compressed with the spring removed.
The rear just needs the damping up quite high. Otherwise I find the rear shock works quite well.

5, A 19T front sprocket will help with fuel mileage. Ride this bike using the low torque of the engine. They really start to drink fuel above 6K but they do go quite well up there. 6k equates to 95mph in 6th with the 19T sprocket.
I run a K&N, Irridium plugs and a 19T front and I get 55~60UKmpg.

6, The Tourances are good tyres but yours do seem too old to be any good now. The Distanzias are brilliant and give real confidence on TarMac.

7, Check that your hasn't been fitted with a 17T front sprocket. The standard is 18 but as I written above I'd recommend a 19T.

8, Of course a 19T sprocket will hamper any wheelies attempts. the top speed of these things is around 120~125 because the aerodynamics are crap.

I hope you'll enjoy the bike as much as I've enjoyed mine over 56K miles. They're a great mile muncher. Just find a screen that works for you and, maybe the gel seat.