I have been using my 1996 Tiger (90,000+ km) mostly street but am increasingly moving onto forestry roads, bumps and gravel. I have 'aggressive' tires and a spare set of knobbies. What would people suggest for additional off road preparation? Note ... I hope to take an Alaskan trip inside 12 months ... :lol:
Bring along a pal to help you lift it when you drop it in the sand/mud/loose rock/(insert your favorite hazard here). :lol: :lol: :lol:
When did you last have your rear shock serviced. I would look into improving the suspension front and back. Emulators in front and for the rear take a look at
http://www.sasquatchrider.com/ (http://www.sasquatchrider.com/)
btw http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,6505 (http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,6505)
A Ride Report by our own Patrick (Prielo on ADV)...
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=454122 (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=454122)
So, what kind of long term mileage have people heard of Steamers getting? I have 90,000 km now and some say I should expect 200,000+ ...
I have 86,000 mls and it would have gone for a lot more had I not decided it needed some care :roll: after the previous lack of servicing :evil:
Now it's in intesive, must post up the pics this weekend.
Replacing the original exhaust with a 3-1 light weight system is a big improvement (just did this and realized I should have done years ago). The 9-10 kg you save in weight (and weight high up on the bike as well) makes the bike more controlable in low speed off roading, and easier to pick up when you drop it.
Dag
That's a great idea ... any ideas for suppliers?
I really noticed the weight this summer on some fire roads here ... not bad at all in the rocky and hard stuff. On the freshly graveled or sandy, however, a nightmare of nervousness. Lot's of diving when braking ...
Quote from: "OK Tiger"That's a great idea ... any ideas for suppliers?
I really noticed the weight this summer on some fire roads here ... not bad at all in the rocky and hard stuff. On the freshly graveled or sandy, however, a nightmare of nervousness. Lot's of diving when braking ...
There are few pipes made for the Steamer, but you can use a Motad Venom for the Daytona and rebuild it slightly. Patrick Rielo did this. There's a link to him earlier in the thread.
I used a light weight 3-1 system from Norman Hyde. It was made for Sprint. In the top image in the link below you can see the tube has been bent slightly and compressed a little about 10 cm behind the footpeg. That's where it was (brutally) modified to get a steeper upwards angle than it had originally.
http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,7023
Rocinante, the mod doesn't look bad at all. I'm impressed. Did you use a mandrel to do the bend?
Quote from: "Colonel Nikolai"Rocinante, the mod doesn't look bad at all. I'm impressed. Did you use a mandrel to do the bend?
I went to a exhaust dealer and they let me use their pipe bender. I regret a little that we did the whole bend in one spot instead of bending it little by little. The pipe walls are paper thin and compresses out of shape very easily.
But what the heck, the compression in the tube probably reduces the air flow back to stock pipes or there about, hence no need for carburettor adjustment.
That's my excuse anyway....
Dag
Some good ideas here. You really should think about getting more engine protection. Get some wider aluminum plate rigged up to fit in front of the existing pipe style. Even if you never need to bounce it of a boulder, it keeps the mud off most of the engine.
How about gearing...depending on how rough you're going to go, you'll certainly want to lower it down some.
Since you have a separate set of rims for off road, you could have something big on that one - I run a 53t. Then maybe drop to 17 on the front. OR...chop your front sprocket cover apart so you can more easily swap that out...go down to a 16 for those times when you're going off road a lot...and go up to 19 for highway work...
Anyone have a link to how to split the front sprocket cover?
Quote from: "Colonel Nikolai"Anyone have a link to how to split the front sprocket cover?
http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,5024
scroll down to about the 8 or 9th post of Patrick's .......... :thumbsup
What are your 'aggressive' tires?
Thanks Mustang! The only thing I don't like about that mod is how the new threads are made. Seems like it can't last? Have you ever done this mod yourself?
I used a rubber stopper I got at the local hardware store. You lift the lever, press the rubber in, and clamp down the lever to expand the seal. No threads...
But when I can work out a better method I most certainly will. I don't like the thought that if I dump it over the plug could be popped out.
Okay that's thinking outside the box. I'd be a little worried about heat and particles of the rubber coming off in the oil. I assume you carry a spare?
Quote from: "Colonel Nikolai"Okay that's thinking outside the box. I'd be a little worried about heat and particles of the rubber coming off in the oil. I assume you carry a spare?
Spare? :lol:
I guess I probably should...
I did something like Mustang, but had a thick walled tube welded on at an angle, to fit up with a regular dipstick type stopper. It looks very clean & easy to fill with a standard oil bottle. The dipstick likely has to be sourced from a wrecker, then cut to fit to the bottom of the reservoir. I fabricated mine from scratch.
Quote from: "fishnbiker"I did something like MUDHEN, but had a thick walled tube welded on at an angle, to fit up with a regular dipstick type stopper. It looks very clean & easy to fill with a standard oil bottle. The dipstick likely has to be sourced from a wrecker, then cut to fit to the bottom of the reservoir. I fabricated mine from scratch.
MUDHEN DID IT..............not me!
Quote from: "Mustang"MUDHEN DID IT..............not me!
Now, why you gotta go and be that way...don't want to take credit for my hack job? :lol:
I actually think I may have gotten my inspiration from you, fishnbiker. When did you do that mod? Someone on the Yahoo group posted it a long time ago...
fisnbiker how did you get the surface of the sprocket cover so nice?
The sprocket cover was block sanded out with #80 grit to provide a good substrate for 3 or 4 layers of JB Weld, then block sanded, up to #240 with wet/dry. 2 or 3 coats of low gloss black spray to finish. Old time car body experience helped. Carefull planning on the cut also made the cover fit with a gap only as wide as the Dremel cutter tool used to make the bends in the cut. About 1/8" gap, could be packed to keep it clean, but I'm not THAT anal.
BTW, there was a comment on the clutch being part of this assembly. The hydraulic aspect of the mechanism makes no gasket necessary on the top 1/2 to keep the adjustment right. The hydaulics take care of it no problem. A good wipe down should be done each time the cover comes off, to keep grit out of the clutch slave & push rod. I put a gasket portion in the first time, but it fell apart at the first sprocket swap & made no difference other than a bit of the chain lube leaking through the seam. Hey, it's English, it's supposed to leak!
This mod has been on the bike for about 25,000km, 2 years, with maybe 40 ~ 50% being on gravel.
Very impressed at the clean look of the cover. Good work.
Just wait untill you see the next project ... I re-arranged a Girly 3 into 1 header to fit the Steamer. Now cutting up the engine guard to fit over top. Pix in a few weeks.