2000 Triumph Tiger Motorcycle reviews

I bought my Tiger this summer with 15,500 miles on it. Finally at 18,000 miles in November, I took the bike to my Triumph dealer for service. Not having a history on it, I scheduled a 12K service to be done (valve clearances and a few fuel fitting/line upgrades) along with new oil, coolant and filters. They also discovered a new chain and sprockets were due. It was salty but now I know where I am with it. The bike runs great, has decent power and is definitely not a cookie cutter model. I did drop it in the drive by not paying attention to what I was doing, but no major damage. It shook my confidence some, but it is top heavy. Not much for dirt roads yet, but it'll do it I'm sure. I can't wait until next summer for a trip to Vermont on this beast. Show less

Have 12,250 miles on my 2002 955i Tiger. Longest trip was from Fl to Mn. With the hard saddlebags and a soft tailbag on the rack, this is a great touring bike. Unless it's a steady rain, I ride all season long to work. With the state of the roads in WI (frost heaves, potholes, patches), the long travel suspension really pays for itself. The motor is awesome-lug it from 2500rpm, roll-on at at 4000 (~60mph), or pulling on a downshift from 6-9000 rpm- This motor is perfect for commuting. Only gripes would be the seat height is tall for me (32" inseam), CG takes some getting used to, gas gauge is conservative (on E by 200miles. usually get 260 miles per tank). Show less

I have just turned 20,000 miles on my 2000 Tiger and would only think of giving it up for the 995cc Tiger ; the two are identical except for the engine size (885cc). This bike does it all, is forgiving on the gas, and costs me less than $300 for full insurance. At 90, the tach sits comfortably at 6000, well below the red line. Stop and go grunt, however, keeps the Tiger well in my heart and it can hold high revs while holding solid torque throughout the mid-range. With a superior view-line of the road (this bike is tall), you are able to see around and ahead of those *!&%!$* SUV's. The forks are a little spongy, but this can come in handy on poor roads and can be corrected with stiffer springs. I've seen some Tigers that have even been lowered. Stock tires are sticky (7,000 miles avg.), fuel injection flawless, and overall craftsmanship superior. Maintenance is app. $1,000 a year, so be ready. Included in this cost, however, was a tank bag (which is essential to the bike - it allows an amazingly comfortable leaning position), and a new can that has growl and bumps up the power. Show less

I own a 2001 Tiger with the factory hard bags, centerstand, and performance exhaust, and these additions transforms a very good bike into a truly great bike. The sound is good without offending any of my neighbors, the power increase is about 11 hp at the rear wheel, and it really wakes up the upper half of the powerband, in addition to fattening up the midrange torgue. The centerstand makes maintenance much easier, and the bags are quite useful, good-looking, and provide huge ground clearance. I find the engine smoother and stronger than the BMW air and oilhead GSes I have owned or ridden, and wonderfully versatile in the city, the twisties, or touring. The handling is great, with gobs of ground clearance, and the suspension just soaks up the bumps even when riding quickly on twisty roads. I think the brakes are quite good, but fall short of true sportbike quality, although I notice less frontend dive under braking than on other long-travel suspensions I have ridden. I find my bike handles quite comfortably on dirt roads, with predictable powerslides easy as the front end stays fairly well planted. However, it is a real handful on really crappy jeep trails. Mileage is about 50mpg, oil changes very easy to do, chain is a breeze to maintain with the centerstand, and my bike has been dead reliable. I find the seating position great (I'm 6'4"), but the seat is not comfortable for long rides. This is one of the most versatile bikes I have ever owned or ridden, and I recommend it to anyone who lives in an area with paved and dirt twisty roads, or anyone who wants one bike that does a great many things very well. Ride safe. Show less

I have owned the Tiger for 2 years and 18,000 miles of trouble free riding. It does take awhile to get used to the riding position, rode a Sprint Executive prior. Vibration is present from 4000 rpm up but does smooth out as the miles add up - it is much smoother now than when I first got the bike. There is a fix for the saddle- Sargent Seats, I got mine back in 1 week($230). Now I can do 650 mile days with no problem. The bike handles better than a sport bike in the tight stuff and I can cruise all day at 85+ mph and still get 48 mpg. The Tiger is truly a do it all type of motorcycle. I will keep updating as the miles roll on. Have just returned from a 3200 miles trip with a friend on the BMW 1100 GS and he says the Tiger is a smoother ride than his at higher speeds. Show less

I just bought a 2001 Tiger and with only 1300 miles on the odo it has given me a headache. The first ride out it stalled half a dozen times, then as it began to loosen up the clutch and valves started to rattle. I went back to the dealer and they said it was normal. The first oil change cost me almost 200 dollars, now while sitting on the carport it decides to start leaking oil from the countershaft seal. All of that aside it is a beautiful bike comfy all day but will soon be replaced with another HONDA. Show less

I ride the new 2001 Tiger 955i, and while it is far from perfect, it's a great bike. The previous reviewer gripes about head buffeting and buzzy handlebars, neither of which is a problem on this bike. Since the only thing to change from the 2000 is the engine displacement, I have to conclude it is a matter of personal tolerance. That aside, on to the specifics: Power: I'm a little skeptical of the claims of 104bhp for this bike (must be measured at the crank). It does have gobs of very tractable power that seems to be available across the powerband and regardless of which gear you are in. Freshly broken in and still a bit tight, 115mph is reached quickly and the rev limiter is nowhere in sight. A top-end guess would be north of 120mph. At the low end, a sprocket change would be a must for low speed riding on or off road of any duration. Handling: With a full 6.4 gals. of juice, upright seating position for a 190lb. rider, and a lot of engine mass just below the riders crotch, this bike feels top-heavy and takes a moment of readjustment from your previous ride. Seat height is tall at 33" more or less (there is nearly an inch of adjustment) so there is no doubt about being ON the bike rather than IN like some bikes with different ergos. The first few corners are a little spooky as the bike seems too tall to turn at speed. Fear not! This bike loves to go around corners really fast and after the 15 min learning curve, you'll be playing like a pro. The Metzeler Tourance tires are an excellent choice for the road, fine for fire roads and gravel highways, poor for the real off-road stuff. Comfort: The seat is bad and there are few choices to cure it. Corbin doesn't see a market here, so don't hold your breath. An Airhawk cushion makes it bearable. The bars (non-buzzy as previously stated) feel a bit narrow. Another inch would be like power steering for this bike. A bit more pull-back would be a good thing given the seating position. Gauges are first rate by day, invisible by twilight, and might as well be candlelit at night for all the good they do. I have the Givi luggage, 1/3 the price of Triumph and ships in a week. Holds everything but gives the bike a big ass. Stock windscreen reduces air pressure on the chest. The rider's head is in the wind. With a full face helmet, the slip stream hits the chin bar and is hard to endure. The larger screens (Triumph, Powerbronze, Givi) help but only reduce the annoyance. The cure? An open face helmet. Hey, it's a motorcycle. You want a silent envelope, buy a car. Braking: Great stoppers front, anemic rear. Just as well since the diving front end unloads the rear so quickly, any hope of controlled rear braking is lost and it will lock. This can can be a useful off road trick for turning but ratchets up the drama on the street. don't like it? Keep your 36 litre panniers loaded with sand. (Some Tiger owners lower the bike about an inch by inverting the eccentric cam chain adjusters and raising the front forks. This may reduce the rear unloading a bit, I don't know for sure. Stiffening the front end will definitely help). Conclusion: A really good long range tourer that will handle the great gravel highways of the world with aplomb should you feel the need to go. don't go stump jumping with this bike. Otherwise, it's fast, friendly, economical to own ($11,000 purchase price, 50 mpg) and fun. Forget about comparos with the R1150GS they're different bikes. Just enjoy! Show less

The Triumph Tiger is a great concept. Great engine power band, with torque to rival its German sister (BMW GS). This coupled with the posture of the ride, handling, and the excellent fuel capacity make this a bike with wonderful touring potential. Hinckley Triumph enter stage left. Refinement is this bike's major flaw, with support from the dealer leading in the mid to minor flaws. Sitting still on the bike, one would expect the machine to excel in all areas intended for the breed. In fact, in many of these it does. When considering the BMW GS in competition with the Tiger for your next purchase, heed a few learned warnings I discovered with less than 2K on the odometer: At riding speeds, the buffeting from the badly placed windscreen, and poorly shaped fairing will have you reaching for the aspirins after less than an hour of ride. Many riders have experimented with Triumph's shorter and taller screens, with varied success; mostly this seems to depend on rider's height. Expect to shell out $145 USD for each of these experiments. Next, comes the handlebar and footpeg vibrations. The issue is so bad that the mirrors are useless after 40+MPH, and your hands are quite numb in no time at all. After talking extensively with the dealer on this issue, they left it at "that's the nature of the bike." I confirmed this with a few other riders. Most of these gentlemen have made modifications anywhere from using a bar snake to investing in well-padded gloves. At any rate, this lessens the problem, rather than remedies. Expect to shell out $$ for this as well. The seat will be the next thing that is noticed. This is merely a useless item that feels as if it has bottomed out after a 1/2 ride, with my modest 160 lbs. Unfortunately, Corbin does not make a seat after the 1999 year model, and will require the bike for 3 weeks in order to custom fit one. Expect to pay $300-500 USD for a custom job at one of the better-known shops around the country. Also expect to be without the seat for 3-8 weeks depending on the time of year. Lastly, on the intolerable issues is the heat. First, the heat from the engine is quite uncomfortable on the mid to upper legs. I have ridden standard-style bikes for quite some time, and this is a first for that kind of heat. Second, the black plastic covers between the tank and the seat heat up in the sun such that it will leave a mark if legs are kept there (which is the natural position for the bike). The next items are purely preferential, but are worth noting to the prospective Tiger owner, nonetheless . 1. Heated handgrips are NOT standard and will cost about $200 USD 2. Center stand (a must for a bike of this nature), is NOT standard, and will cost $230 USD. 3. 2 hards bags are nearly as much as the entire 3 bag system on the BMW. They are made by Givi, and marked up like they were made by Ferrari. 4. After market selection is non-existant. Nobody wants to invest in making accessories for this bike (Givi, Powerbronze, and Bagster excluded)! Any of these items ordered from Triumph, expect to wait at a minimum of a month. I received the heated handgrips and bags after 4 1/2 weeks, and the grips were missing the wiring harness. They came three weeks later. I am still waiting on the sport screen I ordered after 5 weeks. To summarize, those planning on buying this bike, should view the MSRP that you'll pay (and you will pay FULL MSRP for this "premium British" bike), as merely a starting point. You will have some time and $$$ to go before making this a truly usable bike that reaches its potential, albeit with a bit of buzz in the grips. OR, for a few hundred more (after adding in the over-priced Triumph accessories), you could get the GS, with all the issues ironed out on the show room floor. Show less

This bike has a smoother engine than my BMW k-bike and a couple of other two cylinder dual-purpose bikes that I was able to test ride. Like the other reviews I've read, the seat could stand a little more padding. I've put 5000 miles on it this summer and fall and really enjoy the usable powerband and long range between gas stops. I haven't had to adjust the chain yet, but it would be nice if it came with a centerstand as standard equipment. [Are you listening Triumph?] Also a digital gear indicator like BMW has would be handy also. I've owned a VFR 750 Honda and find the Tiger just as much fun and also easier to ride long distances with less arm and back fatigue. Anyone past forty knows what I mean. I put a set of AEROstich standard tank panniers on and in cool weather they act like leg guards and keep you warmer. Ride safe. Show less

A well made bike that has the potential to be the best dual sport machine on the market. Still it lags a little behind the BMS GS in some categories. (definitely not the sticker price!)What it needs- The underbody protection of the old Tigers, The oil cooler relocated, up under the headlight would be great, tubeless tires for that quick fix on the trail, more room between the front tire and the fender, packs with mud and there goes your handling. A few of these almost trivial changes by Triumph and they have the best dual sport bike on the market. Of course a little more power and a stock Corbin seat never hurt anything either! Show less