Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Other Bikes Sprint and Tiger opinions

Ok, giving some thought to adding another steed to the stable. The beloved America will always be first in line but for something completely different I've been considering a Sprint or a Tiger. Problem is, there just aren't a whole lot of places to check them out in person in central IL. I've seen favorable reviews from members on both but I kind of wonder how they might work out for me. I run a bit on the XXL side (6'2", 250#) with a few 'structural issues' and am curious about riding postion comfort. How much pressure is put on the wrists? Are the knees cramped for taller riders? How about high-mileage days? Or are these bikes just too small for me?? Although not a substitute for actually trying them on, any insight on these bikes is appreciated.

The Tiger is a tall bike, but sounds like it just might fit you. I test rode the Sprint a couple years ago, after about half an hour my back was starting to hurt. But that's just me. I know a bunch of guys that have one or the other (and two guys that have both) and they all love them. Definitley one of those things that if you can, get out and at the very least sit on them.

Soren

One thing is for certain. You cannot go wrong with that 1050cc. triple.

I rode both the Tiger and Sprint the same day and Im sold on the Tiger.The riding postion on the Sprint hurt my back as well, next year I will for sure be looking at buying the Tiger.
The Sprint is a great bike and you cant beat the Triple engine it all depends on which one you prefer........

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I run a bit on the XXL side

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+1 and i love my tiger.. and it is great for riding alone or 2 up...

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One thing is for certain. You cannot go wrong with that 1050cc. triple

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Ryan is right in that one...

you can ride the tiger for miles and miles...pain free

your not leaned over its more of a up right riding postion

and also rember there not like your america.... the sprint and the tiger are far superior bikes!!!!they are much faster and quicker .. and handle much better ..alot better!!!

and you can look at this site

web page

its for tiger 1050 biker tons of info

Ed

I love the Sprint's , beautiful and unique in all variations of the run...but the Tiger, is roomy and very versital....it is like a more open Trophy to me anyway. I would buy both but If I had to choose only one it would be the Tiger

I have the Tiger-it's unbelievably comfortable. I rode to the NE rally which was 6 hours for me and only stopped twice to stretch my legs(and back). I could never have done that on my America. I test rode the Sprint this past summer. A great sport touring machine but there is considerably more pressure on your wrists. I suppose there are higher bars available. Get the Tiger + ABS. The Black ones are fastest!

I rode both of these bikes at Triumph's demo day at Martin Motorsports last year. It was no contest - I loved the Tiger, hated the Sprint.

I'm 6'2 and 178. My hips cramped like crazy the whole time I was on the Sprint, nothing seemed to be in the right place - I couldn't wait to get OFF the bike. By contrast I felt like I had been on the Tiger before and walked away saying, "gotta get me one of those."

I think the Tiger holds its value better than other Triumphs, too.

Tigers are the best all around bike Triumph makes. Listen gto Biker-I know him and he's right on for you. Big guys love them.

Rode a tiger when the demo truck came to MCC. Liked it a lot, I'm 6'4 340. If I wasn't poor I'd have one. A guy I work with bought one and he loves it, he's a tall guy too, at least 6'2 or 6'3 not as fat as me though.

I'm not a big guy, & man that latest generation Tiger is a fun ride.

I like them both.

Tiger hands down test rode one. fast, comfortable, handles real nice. & it would be my first purchase after cashing in the winning lottery ticket- blue with full touring hard bags, arrow exhaust. aahhh dreams.

I'm 5'11", 32" inseam, and thge Tiger fits perfect. I really need to add one to the stable-they are that good.

I have a 2002 America and a 2007 ABS Tiger. Both are great bikes, but the Tiger is definitely a sportier, long distance machine. I have done 650 miles in a day on both bikes. The difference is that on the Tiger I could do 650 miles a day for a week straight and feel fine after that week of riding. Not sure I could say the same for the America.

The Sprint is a great bike also, but I couldn't take the forward lean for very long. Even on my Tiger I installed SW-Motech Handlebar risers, which brought the handlebar up an inch and back an inch.

Tom

My other bike is a 06 955i Tiger. Awesome bike. Am 6'1" 230 34 inch inseam.
Bike fits me well. I have done some mod's which includes adding bar risers. Also just ordered a Bill Mayer seat for the bike after trying re-foam etc. We know how Triumph stock seats are. You might want to consider a 05 or 06 Tiger as an option as a lot of low mile bikes are available. The 955i is a great tour bike. My buddy has an 06 he has already put 30,000 miles on. Have not ridden the 1050 Tiger or the Sprint. Got the 06 over the 07 Tiger because I felt it was better for me as a two up bike. If it's just for yourself would go Tiger. Can pretty much do anything you want with that bike. But best bet, ride both if possible before deciding. Either way, once you own a Triple there is no turning back. The sound, power, and performance is amazing.

Love my '07 Tiger w/ ABS.

From what I've read, the '08 Sprints had their bars raised a good bit for rider comfort. I think they also improved the lights/lamps from the earlier models.

The Tiger's lights/lamps are ultra-crappy. I tried a "Twinlight Driver" to have both high beam and low on at same time. It helped, but commuting in the wee hours, I stilled longed for more light. I eventually went with HID for the low/dip beam. Yeah, the projector lens scatters a bit, but the difference is literally night and day.

The Tiger is very comfortable, has a lot of "Grrrrrr" in the awesome triple engine, and will easily do triple digits for speed (from what I've heard )

I would suggest at least adding accessory lighting or a HID conversion.

happy roads.

Hey Brad. Where did you get the HID lights from? I'm considering doing that install after I buy the SW Motech crash bars.

Matt,

I ordered from Apexcone's retail site: http://ddmtuning.com/ddmhidkits.html

I just did the single H7 HID with the 55W ballast upgrade.

The instructions are shite, but there's some nice pics at Tiger1050.com at this spot: http://ddmtuning.com/ddmhidkits.html

The "How To" forum at Tiger1050 also has good info on HID install.

It's all plug and play except for drilling a ~1" hole in the bottom of the housing cover. I used a Dremel to get the correct size and then cut a small notch for the plug to fit through. The grommet seals it up nicely.

The biggest pain is trying to find a nice spot for the ballast..which is pretty slim.

I thought about getting a Sprint to keep the Tiger company.

But I'm thinking of maybe picking up a Daytona 675...and maybe hitting a track day or two.

Silly me.

Yeah there's a lot of companies that sell the HID's. What color bulb did you get? tiger1050 is a good site for tech info. so where did you put the ballast? Maybe if there's a tech day this year I'll get it and maybe someone there who already knows how to install it will help.

My memory is failing me...I got either the 6000 or the 5000...I'll check when I get home.

I used the supplied double-sided tape and a zip tie to secure to the side of the frame right below the speedometer assembly. The cables are plenty long enough.

I think some have put it in the the nose fairing.



For the OP, the Tiger handles really well in crappy conditions. Back in December I took my Tiger up into MA from CT, and ended up riding in the Berkshires where they just had an ice storm (stupid me). Rode over ice and sand for about 10 miles of very slow twisties. Not a slip, slide, or "oh, sh1t!". I actually had a blast.

The H7 HID kit on my Tiger is 5000K...very white.

Just a note: DDM Tuning is the online retailer for Apexcone.

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like a Tiger might be closer to what I'm looking for. Now if I can just find one to test ride in the spring.

"I run a bit on the XXL side (6'2", 250#) with a few 'structural issues' and am curious about riding postion comfort. "

I am right there with you on the XXL side of things. I have both a TBA and a new 2008 Tiger. Both are comfortable but the Tiger is comfortable longer. My legs are long at 35" so the TBA riding position rolls my butt back and I sit directly on the tailbone. The Tiger with mid pegs allows the weight to be distributed more on the cheeks and thighs.

I have ridden the sprint and liked it. just need to have the bars higher ( btw that is easily done)

Either fit me so the might fit you.

Oh, I chose the Tiger for two very personal reasons: 1: don't like the heat on the legs during the 100F+ summers in Kansas (all faired bikes have this) 2: Tiger fit me just a hair better. (still think the sprint is one of the best looking bikes out there though)

Even if you flipped a coin I think you would be happy with either.