Had an interesting meeting with our Triumph RM yesterday...

[flux]

Who's tired of talking about 675 Tigers?  Not me!  

I had about a 45 minute interview with our Triumph Regional Manager yesterday... we are in Triumph's ear canals, I assure you!  He took a full page of notes regarding what I think people want in an offroad-oriented "GS-Killer".  

A few things on that list were:
*exhaust pipes that do not route under the machine
*low weight and nicely balanced center of gravity
*wide footpegs with teeth not rubbers
*no buffeting a la 1050 Roadies
*mirrors that have the ability to fold in like KTM mirrors
*21" front and 18" rear spoked wheels
*I love my eccentric adjuster so I told him I want it back
*an accessory wire under the cowling... he asked me about the accessory plug on the side of my '02 and I told him I never use it
*enough juice to power some electrical stuff

Triumph factory accessories I recommended:
*aluminum skid plate
*aluminum-backed handguards
*headlight guard and all the other readiator/oil cooler/etc guards
*Triumph-badged soft bags w/ raincovers or durable hard bags like Pelican cases
*aux lights/mounts
*different heigh windscreens
*heated grips

After he interviewed me, we went out back where my bike has been parked and he took a bunch of pics and closeups of various bits.  What I told him was I needed one bike that could do almost everything... single track, water xings, backroads, interstate trips with my wife to get the hell outta Dodge.  

So... I asked him if Triumph was actually considering this bike or if he was blowing smoke.  Yes, Triumph is listening, although they may be waiting on the economy to slightly improve.  So send emails, letters, whatever!

[Bixxer Bob]

My view,  Flux has it sewn up.  Cut and paste his list into an Email and send it to triumph....  I know I will :D

[Sasquatch]

There are many of us who have no desire for a 675 though.  I want MORE power, not less.

The rest of the list looked good though.

If I had to replace the Girly today, I think I would be plunking my money down on the new Ducati Multistrada.  I have a KTM for the dirt, my Tiger is my road machine with the occasional dirt road thrown in for fun.

[HappyMan]

Right on with the list.  What email are you using to send to Triumph?

[flux]

I have to say Triumph has also had thoughts about converting the 1050 Tiger into 2 different directions as well... one a more street oriented bike and another being a 1050 offroad Tiger... so that possibility is still there.  I think right now Triumph is just weighing their options.   8)  

HappyMan, I work at a Triumph dealer... haven't been emailing anyone... all this stuff is in person.  But I will find the best email for you to use when I get a chance.

[Colonel Nikolai]

I really like Flux's list. As far as the quibbling whether the future Big Pig needs MORE power not LESS: Personally I don't think she needs more power, but less weight. Suzuki did something kinda amazing with their TS 125 way back in the day: it was a 125 cc bike with a dual tranny: it essentially had 12 speeds. 6 on road, 6 off. It was a monster in the dirt and could go 85 MPH on the highway. If we want a bike that can do it all, that would be the way to do it without getting a 1050.

If I want more power, I will ride my Sprint. What led me to the Tiger in the first place was a long road trip on the Sprint where she performed admirably (at one point going from Salt Lake City to the Nevada border in 1 (one) hour: you do the math what speed I was cruising). But there were many gorgeous roads I wanted to travel that were strictly off limits to the Sprint, mighty as she is on the tarmac. Crap, I'd just like to be able to roll into a gravel roaded campground after dark and not drop it in a rutl! That's asking a lot from the Sprint.

I don't need a flying Tiger, just one that can handle some washboards and a river crossing here and there. Flux's list is almost there.

[EvilBetty]

There are many of us who have no desire for a 675 though.  I want MORE power, not less.

+1

[Colonel Nikolai]

EB, the dual tranny discussion didn't make an impression?

Every-body-wants-to-rule-the-world.

[flux]

The dual transmission thing is interesting.  I'll have to ponder on that for a bit.  

If it was simply a 12 speed trans... how does that make it 6 on and 6 offroad?  Or did it have 2 clutches?  I'm kinda confused how that would work.

[Nick Calne]

100 Bhp is fine.  And that's as much if not more than your 885 or 955 engine.....

I want less weight.

Ideally, I want <175 kg, 100 Bhp, 200 mile tank range and some off road ability.  Triumph need to understand that it's gotta happen or it's a KTM next for many of us.  As an Englishman that's as close to a treasonous act as I can envisage committing, but I like the occasional blast across the byways on the downs....

So 675 is good because it weighs less than a 1050 motor, consumes less fuel so needs a smaller tank to get to 200 mile range....

That said a GS Killing 1050 tiger with proper off road ability would be fine too thank you very much.

[Mustang]

The dual transmission thing is interesting.  I'll have to ponder on that for a bit.  

If it was simply a 12 speed trans... how does that make it 6 on and 6 offroad?  Or did it have 2 clutches?  I'm kinda confused how that would work.

high range and low range setting ......uses the same 6 gears for both

[aeronca]

it's the wee-strom vstrom debate. in the end the wee won. i like the vstrom better. But, i think the 675 tiger would edge out the 1050 in a more ds kit. i just hope if they do it, they go all out and make it a true ds. untill then i'll not get my hopes up.
like happyman i would love to know whom to write to, and let them know my feelings.

[Colonel Nikolai]

You are correct, Mustang. The old TS125 has this long, double-ended paddle on a rocker on the top of the clutch housing: if you hit it with your toe (the front paddle), it would use the street settings, heel (back paddle), offroad settings. I can't remember if you had to be completely stopped or not to make the shift from one to the other, but it was really easy to do.

[Nick Calne]

Had a look at the Triumph website to find out where we need to send our collective wisdom.  There doesn't appear to be a specific email address so it looks like a letter will be better.

Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
Normandy Way
Hinckley
Leicestershire
LE10 3BZ
United Kingdom

The people to write to are either Tue Mantoni, the chief executive or Simon Warburton, the Head of Product Management.

Perhaps if we could agree something, we could write as a group from tigertriple.com? (With Geoff's permission of course)

What can we agree on?  Perhaps that the next tiger of any kind needs to able to handle some off road action?

[HappyMan]

Thanks for getting the info.  I think a letter is a great idea.  I'd like to see a consensus that we could send to them.  It's a good idea, otherwise it just becomes a bunch of crazy ideas from a bunch of guys that wouldn't pay for all our dreaming....

To narrow it down, while I'd love the smaller motor I do believe from a marketing standpoint their 1050 will make them more money.  I'd like to see a smaller, lighter, DS oriented Tiger with whatever engine they choose.  Low center of gravity.  Something more like the BMW F800GS.