I owned a brand new 2010 Tiger 1050 with all the fixings. It was my dream bike that I saw myself owning for many years. I put 4,100 miles on it in two months and then sold it. What happened? At 6’0 and a 32 inseam the Tiger fit me perfectly, the triple was intoxicating and at first my only really issues were the horrible headlights, it was a little heavier than I would’ve liked and the vague feeling transmitted to me in ****pit which was either a fault of the suspension, geometry or frame design; likely the suspension since most owners complained about this but were able to fix it with better suspension bits. No all these things didn’t really sour me, what did it for me were reliability issues.
In two months here were my warranty claims:
1. The entire front end was improperly set up with incorrect torque settings causing a popping noise when braking. A fault with both the manufacturer and the dealer who should have checked it as the bike came out of the crate already assembled.
2. An oil leak due on the right side due to cut gasket that showed signs of repair. Why even try to repair a gasket rather than just replace it if you’re the manufacturer. This raised eyebrows as to Triumph’s quality control
3. Failed water pump that needed to be replaced.
4. Top case that didn’t seal correctly.
All these items were replaced under warranty, but my closest dealer at the time was 75 miles away and sometimes I had to take a bus or train back home when I couldn’t find a ride which took up half a day. Really annoying
I know I’ve been spoiled with my Yamaha since in over 45,000 miles it hasn’t needed anything (knock on wood) outside of regular maintenance, but that is a big factor for me to purchase another Yamaha or Japanese product in the future. Even with that said, the Tiger Sport still has one part of me thinking maybe it will be different next time around.
One more thing, while I loved the Triple in the Tiger it was so linear in its power delivery that it became a little boring for me. I’ve grown to really enjoy the fz6’s dual personalities. Docile under 8,000 rpm and then a pure ripper above it. Kind of like having two bikes.
Cheers.
