When we first received our long tiger, it was generously equipped with various parts from the victories of the accords directory. An obvious omission was the intense grip ($ 250), which is what we aspire to complete once, while riding home an Ancheim Supercross January for a cold night. The weather in southern California quickly got warmer, however, and we found ourselves hoping things were a little warmer.
Poking around online revealed a few possible cures. A Spanish-Italian design firm called DragonTT offers a set of fairing shrouds ($125 unpainted) meant to deflect the hot air escaping the radiator, but these were designed for the older models and don’t look much different than the ones Triumph added for 2015. Another measure entails lowering the temperature at which the radiator fan turns on using Tune ECU software; unfortunately, there are currently no maps available for 2015-and-newer Tigers with the latest ride-by-wire EFI system. That leaves Triumph’s accessory plastic frame guards ($105), which look like they might provide a layer of insulation between the rider’s legs and the hot steel frame. We’ll add those to our wish list.
Our only other immediate complaint concerned the fork that in stock trim bottomed under even moderate braking. Stiffer fork springs would surely solve this problem, and WP will be happy to sell you a set for $120. But first we tried the cheap-and-easy fix: raising the oil level to reduce the volume of air in the fork, thus creating a more progressive “air spring” as the fork nears the end of its stroke. Adding 20cc per leg worked wonders, to the point that we’re reconsidering the need for stiffer springs.
| THE NUMBERS | |
|---|---|
| TOTAL MILES | 7588 |
| NEXT SERVICE | 12,000 miles |
| MAINTENANCE COSTS (INCL. TIRES) | $468.88 |
| REPAIR COSTS | $0 |
| AVERAGE FUEL MILEAGE | 43 mpg |
| PRICE AS TESTED (2016) | $13,700 |
