Departing late March for 15K mi / 2 month trip around the country. Was going to take 08 Uly - now vascillating on possibly my new / used 06 (only 4k mi) Tiger being steed of choice. Have all the 4yr service items done including new Anakee2's. The Uly I know pretty well - thus always travel with spare belt & rear bearings and other 'usual suspect' parts not always readily available in the few remaining Buell dealers left. What about the Tiger ?? Any parts / items to schlep along or things to watch out for, as an "antistranded in BFE" measure ? Inquiring minds...Thanks, j :?:
with 4k You really only need to keep an eye on your chain and brake pads for that kind of trip , she should run fine for the entire 15 k , you might kill your tires before you get back home too !
carry a list of people you can have bail you out at various parts of the country ..I be good for anywhere within 400 miles of NH to help if needed
Probably overkill, but you could take a spare Throttle and clutch Cable, the previous owner of my Tiger had routed a spare one of each in place, just in case
Thanks Mustang - Yeah, the tires will need replenishment. Not sure of the mileage from anakee2's - but likely not 15K - maybe 10. Appreciate your offer - reciprocal if you ever get out this way. As to Timbox2's suggestion on throttle / clutch cables. I know they break - done it on my KLR - but Tacoma Triumph said they're generally a dealer stocked item and are pretty durable - so told me not to worry about it until about 25k. He has an 07 tiger with 30K mi, and ain't replaced 'em yet. Guess I'm to used to Buells that had a 3 month back order for drive belts and voltage regulators - made me hyperaware of the 'dead in the water' possibilities. Sounds like the Tiger certainly can malfunction, but at least replacement parts are not as big a problem. Which is why I keep "eyeing the Tiger" as my trip choice. All I have left is to mount the tankbag & Palmer bracket / windscreen when it arrives. Uly has 3-4 days of wrenching before it's road ready. Hmmm - whats the question here ?? If it wasn't for the Uly's infinatly adjustable suspension, & handling SO well on the back roads (we plan to stay off the interstates for the most part) I wouldn't hesitate to just call it a Tiger trip. May be the Buells last long haul - keep it as my 'daytripper' or weekend bike. I'm fortunate to have such a dilemma. TTFN, j
Re the Annakee II's, in a recent test in a german mag, they reckoned 7500KM only from the rear, but they are probably hammering them
Come to southern UT and I'll have a cold beer waiting for you!
Same here. Stop in if you get to southeast Georgia and we'll treat you to a steak and some cold beer. Good luck.
Did 10,500 mls in Alaska a couple of years ago and all the Tig needed was, as Mustang said, tyres and brake pads.
Thanks for all the beer invites guys - I would call & provide ample warning...or chance to flee the area. Timbox2 - 7500 km ??!! Crimminy! They must be doing "track days" on those things. The original Anakees had 4k mi & appeared to have another 3k or so left. But I don't like riding on 5 year old tires - so replaced 'em. I will watch the pads and check the tires... Or is that the other way around ? Appreciate the input folks. j
Hope you have a fantastic trip J,
Pack a fuel filter in case you get bad fuel some place, and a couple of 'o' rings for the press on fuel tank fittings.
I had my bike serviced in Perth Western Australia on one trip a few years back, the mechanic pinched one of the o rings and I was very lucky it blew near a garage and I was able to get another one.
Enjoy, R
Even though it only has 4k on it, I would check the valve clearances before you go. Many need it long before the 12k service. Once checked, they should do the whole trip.
Corbin seat. You'll thank me later.
The bikes are really solid. Yeah, sometimes they break, like anything, but you can not plan for everything.
Carry a credit card and have access to this list and ADV for help in any part of the country.
Put me down for a call if you get to SW Idaho.
Order a set of air craft quality steel gas tank quick disconnect fittings from team Triumph (janesville, WI) and replace that cheap plastic one. Do it before you ever leave your driveway.
At 4K your bike hasn't even lost it's placenta sac yet :lol: My son is currently headed for South America on his '02 Tiger, somewhere in Honduras today. His El Tigre with have 70K miles on the clock by the time he gets to Panama. Damn good bike.
Strongly suggest....speaking from experience.....replace the fragile radiator expansion tank fittings, carry a radiator cap and do the voltage fix, in addition to iinstalling metal tank,fuel rail fittings. I get the best mileage out of Metzler Tourance tires. They are secure in the twisties and can handle hard packed dirt roads.
I have done nearly 20k klms on current Anakees on the Vara which is a much heavier bike in 30+C temps but I'm not particularly heavy or heavy on the throttle. Wouldn't expect the 2's to be much less for mostly highway riding.
Thanks gentleman - I'm keeping track of all the beer invites, but should probably start paying more attention to your sage advice. Valves & throttle bodies done, Tiger is an 06, didn't think I had plastic fuel fittings ? Swamper650 - whats the voltage fix? I may have missed that one. Trying to shoehorn all the maint items in between my work schedule - brutal! The good news is I'll be unemployed soon for the remainder of 2010. Yahoo! Leaving on 1st day of spring - can't wait. Though El Nin'o may provide a cool wet ride through SW & Gulf states. Oh well - thats what the "Rain"ier jacket is for. Chow' all, j
Other than maybe changing the fuel fittings before you leave (should be ok unless you try to unhook them between now and then) I'd say you will probably be fine. Maybe take them with you just in case :)
I wouldn't carry many spares, but I would carry a printout of the Girly Cross Reference parts list. The filters, o-rings, etc can all be picked up at a Triumph, BMW, Ducati, or even most auto parts stores (fuel filter is plastic but would get you buy till you could change it properly).
Since I did a fair amount of gravel on my '06 back in 2008, I brought a complete set of brake pads, clutch cable and lever. I still have the lever and cable if you need them! I rode 11,000 miles, and the only part I really needed was the left rear axle bushing. I checked it in Alaska, and it was very scored. The Motorcycle Shop in Anchorage had them in stock.
Free beer and bunk for you, or anyone passing through N. Illinois.
Cheers!
Mike
PS. Link to my Ride Report IL -> AK
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=441985 (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=441985)
Beer and food in Pinetop Arizona if your in the area
Monte
Evil' - Mike - Monte, (and all the others) Thanks for the response. I trust the Tiger - but like most things mechanical, they all have their Achilles heal. My Buell has had 2 major malfunctions on long trips - one clear up in the Yukon. I think the Tiger would have a slightly better parts network. Failing that, I'd put out an APB on TigerTriple and hope for the best. That was the thing about BWB - guys willing to send you a Buell 'get home' part and settle up later. I sense the Tiger folks are similar minded - great group!! Meanwhile, I'll keep farkling away - I'll get to the end eventually. My biggest challenge is to make space for all my fly boxes - so many fish...so little room. TTFN, j
Your Tiger will laugh it off. A couple of years ago I took mine on a long trip (8,000 miles, one month, 2 up, fully loaded with luggage) on a mix of good roads, shit roads, and no roads at all. Nothing went wrong. Not a thing. I did manage to smash the rear brake lever against a rock, gaffa taped the hanging off bits and carried on with just the front, and put a massive ding in the front wheel in an enormous pothole, which I hammered out, slung it back on and carried on, but those two things were not reliability issues, they were just abuse.
Tigers love abuse. They are hard as nails.
Thats good to hear. I like reliability. I don't plan on doing ANY single track - mostly just back roads - though not adverse to the dirt road less traveled. Riding in mostly unfamiliar country. The US & Canada are each 3.5 million sq mi. I'm sure dirt / gravel is in our future somewhere. If nothing else it will be beginning of road construction season - torn up tarmac a virtual certainty.