Tiger Escapes from Zoo

[TheMule]

Las Vegas Zoo officials report that on Thursday March 26 an 8 year old female tiger escaped the Zoo of Las Vegas. Officials stated on Thursday that although the Tiger is middle aged it is still very powerful and extremely fast and should be approached with caution.

Accounts suggest that immediately after leaving the confines of Las Vegas the tiger headed north at a very high rate of speed. High winds and precipitation destroyed any sign left by the tiger but reports indicated that the tiger is very much alive and prowling the rim rocks of southern Utah.

Locals report brief glimpses of the tiger as it passes them at high speeds. The throaty growl of the tiger can be heard echoing in the red rock canyons around Kanab Utah.

My new to me 2001............

[fano]

   Beautiful. Another green Tiger in Utah.

[TheMule]

fano,

I've seen pics of your flying tiger in various places. Unfortunately my Girly came with conti roadattacks that are pretty new and I can't afford to pull new tires off just to replace them with something I'd like better (conti TK80's are the next set). The bike came pretty "kitted" out with lots of great aftermarket stuff. About the only things I plan to add are a set of headlight protectors and a skid plate. Not sure I will ever fly my tiger as high as you but lots of gravel and dirt in her future.

thanks,

Todd

[haulin' daze]

Great intro!  

[Tom Herold]

Very nice indeed, welcome to the herd.... er... pride.... or whatever they call a bunch o' Tigers.... :D

[HappyMan]

You dont' need traction while in the air.  Road Attacks should be just fine for that.  :roll:

[HockleyBoy]

Nice looking bike, welcome aboard.

[TheMule]

Wow!!

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I'm pretty excited, the tiger in only a short few days has been an incredible amount of fun. I finally finished getting someone else's grunge off the bike and keep discovering upgrades and aftermarket parts I didn't know I got. The deal keeps getting better and better. To date upgrades I know of include:

Thunderbike crashbars w/ light mounts
MRA windscreen
Wilbers Racing shock
Full set of factory luggage
factory Heated grips
PIAA lamps
Seargent Seat
Upgraded exhaust
K&N Airfilter
gas fittings upgraded to metal

As I said earlier I'll still have to get a skid plate and some headlight protection.

My other (and previously only) bike was a TW200 that I put some long miles on but now I'll be really be able to get places.

thanks again everyone,

Todd

[aeronca]

looks good, welcome aboard :D

[TheMule]

The Tiger is still prowling.......  although the conti road attacks have dulled the tiger's claws (way less than confidence inspiring off the pavement) the Tiger scratched it's way to Gunsight Point today to mark it's territory.

[TheMule]

The southern Utah Tiger was sited this week in Zion Canyon with a cub. Apparently the Tiger has adapted to southern Utah and has set up a permanent territory....

[AK Tiger]

Ahhh man, reminds me of when my daughter and I used to go on extended bike camping trips.  Treasure these times my friend.  All too soon she'll be grown and married...  

[TheMule]

Ahhh man, reminds me of when my daughter and I used to go on extended bike camping trips.  Treasure these times my friend.  All too soon she'll be grown and married...  

10-4 my oldest is 15 and already is so busy its hard to find time with her. The years sure slip by fast.

[Medic09]

Tell us more about the transition from your little Yamaha to the big Tiger.  That's quite a change.  I've read your ride report on the Alaska trip, so you can make a comparison few can.

[TheMule]

Mordechai,

Where to start? Obviously from a mechanical perspective we are comparing apples to oranges here. Totally different applications, the TW is a low and slow trailbike that will go anywhere any other motorcycle will go (it'll just take longer). It is a marvel of simplicity, durability, and reliability. I love my TW. At the risk of starting another "its a dirtbike...its not a dirtbike" thread I think the Tiger is a sportbike that likes to get dirty once in a while. The Tiger offers beautiful fit and finish, one of the top three motors that have ever been put in a motorcycle (the 1050 and the 675 being the other two), and the ability to tackle a lot of situations. I love my Tiger. Both bikes offer an incredible amount of fun...........in totally different ways.

Now, about the transition from the TW to the Tiger. After several years of driving full throttle everywhere I went on the TW the day I picked up my Tiger I was doing 92 in a 45 within a couple of blocks, I had to learn that I didn't need to twist the wrist quite as much on the Tiger to get upto speed. Also, I about flew over the handlebars as the front end dipped down, rolled a lot of blue smoke off the rear tire, and concerned a few folks at a redlight  on the Tiger as I made my first unintended quick stop about 20 yards before the intersection..........the triumph actually has brakes that work!

Did I mention that the Tiger is huge compared to the TW? Being inseam challenged the Tiger is a borderline hernia machine when it comes to wrestling it around.....compared to the TW. However, rotating the rear axle kept me planted pretty well until I put a lowered Hagon on the back that allowed me to return the rear axle to its' intended position.

I constantly hear folks whining about buffeting, uncomfortable seats, vibration, etc. etc. etc. Spend 750+ miles in one day on the TW and all these issues are non-existant on the Tiger, it could have been made by Cadillac.

My biggest day on the Tiger to date was 500+ and I found it to be very easy. I love to see the country going slow and in out-of-the-way places on the TW. I also thoroughly enjoy eating up the miles and playing in the twisties on the Tiger. Traveling long distances on the TW takes a little more planning, a totally different mind set, and patience. Traveling long distances on the Tiger takes a little more money, the ability to ignore trails over rough terrain (at least for me), and that's about it.

I pretty much always ride solo, in fact the past month was the first time since 1983 that I've ridden with someone else. To me the definition of Adventure involves self reliance, a little adversity, and doing things others typically don't. I see folks on Tigers who go on real adventures, heck I see folks on harleys going on true adventures. I also see a few folks doing things on little bikes that constitute real adventures. Everyone's definition of Adventure, dual-sport, etc. is different.

Your question is a very interesting one for me as the transition has a lot to do with adapting to a different machine but has even more to do with changing one's approach and mindset to motorcycling. Both types of motorcycling offer an increbible amount of enjoyment which, in the end, is why I currently have both of them. Unfortunately the bills may require selling a bike in the near future. Which one will go? Likely the TW because both my daughters have expressed interest in taking a tour with dad and the TW just won't run with that pack. Ideally I'd keep both, but life is life, I feel incredibly blessed that one of the toughest things I'm currently facing is having to sell a motorcycle. Hard to really complain about that in the big picture. Know anyone interested in a somewhat modified TW?

I don't know if I answered any part of your question and I apologize for waxing on about motorcycles. In the end I think we all ride motorcycles for basically the same reasons but few of us do it enough.

If you every head west and find yourself around Kanab, look me up,