Hi from the Scottish Borders

[Callamity]

Maybe it’s the time of year but I am starting to feel the limitations of my Bonnie T100 - not so much outright performance as comfort, weather protection, handling, roadholding etc.  My eyes have wandered over the Tiger Sport.
I am a retiree living in the Scottish Borders who returned to bikes 5 years ago after children robbed me of my BMW R100RS in 1985!  It has been great to be back and I deliberately chose an unchallenging bike to get back in the saddle.  However, it is a more of a machine for going from A to A than A to a more distant B. 
So, here I am to listen and learn.  I don’t have the resources to buy new and probably couldn’t justify the outlay even if I could.  So, I am looking at the 2013/15 generation but detect it maybe has a few shortcomings.  I want to know what to look out for and favoured remedies for fuelling, screen and any other common gripes.

[Timbox]

HI mate,
Welcome. Having ridden a Bonnie I know what you mean, nice enough bike if your staying pretty local on B roads.  Ive got the later Sport and never having ridden the earlier one cant really comment, Ill let the others with that bike give you their opinions.

[Paul2bikes]

Ayup m8, I have a '14, it is a great bike with huge torque just where you want it. The stock screen & seat are a personal thing but easily fixed if they haven't been already. Mine is all set up for long distance touring if you need any help in that direction.

The red ones are the quickest mind.

[Paullie]

I have the 2014 Sport and love it. It actually comes in colours (admittedly only two), unlike the later Sport. There are small differences, no ride-by-wire and so no modes. But frankly, they are not enough to make me want to switch from a bike I like already. What you will find, like most Tigers, is that they reward a certain amount of customisation to suit you. In my case screen, seat (tried several, now waiting on a 4th, but I do do long distances), footrests, lighting, and some electrical mods. With this I can handle 300 miles a day in reasonable comfort, which is my target daily distance for longer trips.

But making longer journeys comfortable is as much about clothing as the bike. I don't use heated clothing (don't ride in the salt anyway), but I do have good-quality stuff from the likes of Merlin, Halvarsson, Alt-Berg and Triumph itself. All this stuff has withstood all-day rain in the Scottish Isles.

If you go shopping for a bike, try and get one with a full service history and ideally a bike known to the dealer that sold it. Triumph dealers tend to be a bit more expensive for their secondhand bikes, but they offer better backup than the non-franchisees (not always, but generally). Don't be afraid of miles, a well-serviced one with miles on it will be better than a low-miles bike that has been ignored. Usually you can tell, by all the extras.

Good luck. BTW, I've heard good things about the T100 and often fancied one as a commuter. But I have 2 bikes already, cannot justify a third.

Later - no fuelling issues BTW. But my bike is absolutely standard, and plugs, air filter and throttle bodies all maintained to schedule. Also best-quality fuel used (most of the time).

[Callamity]

Thanks all for your offerings.  Sites like this can often distort impressions because they are problem filled while there are many more happy punters are out and about and not posting.
Do the 2013 on bikes generally have fuelling issues?  Right or wrong, I get the strong impression many are snatchy around town.  I really need to test ride one but the current model is liable to mislead because it is obviously ‘sorted’.

[Paul2bikes]

If you are buying 2nd hand, get a test ride. My ST1050 had snatchy fuelling but my Tiger sport does not.  You might find you need a delicate throttle hand after a T100 though.

[Paullie]

Originally Posted by Paul2bikes

If you are buying 2nd hand, get a test ride. My ST1050 had snatchy fuelling but my Tiger sport does not.  You might find you need a delicate throttle hand after a T100 though.

+1. I wouldn't say mine is snatchy either, but give it a little bit of throttle and it will take off, so you have to be a bit careful.

[Callamity]

 

However,

 I finally made it having found a nice, very low mileage 2018 Tiger Sport a month ago and have been dodging the dismal July weather ever since.  I count myself a very happy bunny having made a cracking buy.