Tiger 1050

[OneCheekRider]

I just bought a Tiger 1050. It's currently being dropped off at my friend's place in NH (hello if you still lurk here!). I plan on riding it up and down the East Coast from NH to Wilmington, NC and a few stops in-between in an attempt to spend more time visiting friends and family. I wanted something reliable with hard luggage, a center stand, and a low price. I hope this one-owner example fits the bill!

I was also looking at sport tourers like FJR or Concours 14 but was concerned about their size since this will be parked in various garages for undetermined periods of time.

If it's parked in NH, hopefully my buddy can use it to ride with his stepson who just bought a G310GS and maybe I can make it out to the next NESR Mt. Washington ride!

Anywho, here's the sale ad: https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/2...#post-48849401

here is a pic from the ad:


Any tips or suggestions or did I just make a mistake?

[whynot]

No mistake. And a bargain. When I was looking at these, some people recommended a heavy duty wiring kit for the starter and battery. Some people say not needed. If you think you might go that way, Michael Heth in CA makes a great product (I have used his kits on Ducatis.)

https://motolectric.com/makes/triumph.html

[e30addict]

Nice Euro flavor sport tourer. I was considering one for a bit. Toured down to VA from VT with someone who had one one year. My take away was that it was a nice middle step between the 800 and 1200, just a little older.

[Spooler]

My 2008 Tiger 1050 is probably the best all-around bike I’ve ever owned and I frequently search for them just to see what’s out there. Enjoy it! I had many, many trouble free miles on mine, took my honeymoon on it. 3000+ mile trip 2 up down to Asheville and back in the most rambling route possible.

[OneCheekRider]

It’s now tucked away in storage until I can get out there which brings up my first issue: where to title it.

CA requires an in-person VIN verification but I’m thinking I can get around it by using a registration service. Or I can register it somewhere else but haven’t done any research on that yet.


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[OreoGaborio]

For TWO GRAND? I don't know a ton about those ones, but my gut says "Holy shit, what a steal!"

[OneCheekRider]

For TWO GRAND? I don't know a ton about those ones, but my gut says "Holy shit, what a steal!"

And the seller delivered it. He trailered ~2.5hrs one way

[MattR302]

Good deal. I had one for about a year; upgraded from my FZ6. Darek/CTbandit also just upgraded from his FZ6 to a Tiger 1050 as well. They are tall and top-heavy, but I believe you have a Tiger 1200 so you’ll be used to that.

The 07-09 models (I believe) suffered from some cracked pistons, they used cast pistons as opposed to forged ones in the 2010 models.

Starter cable upgrade: https://stoltecmoto.com/shop/triumph...ter-cable-kit/
If that’s a 1-owner bike with 40k+ miles on it, it may have already been done.

The OEM projector headlights are notoriously bad. Back then the hot mod was to swap in the quad halogen headlight housing from the 2013+ Euro models. I’m not sure if newer LED bulbs fit the standard housings. Auxiliary lights nowadays are cheap though.
Here’s an HID upgrade (I had a similar one on my FZ6 and it was great) https://retrofitlab.com/products/tri...ht-upgrade-kit

Mine came with a huge windscreen that gave me helmet buffeting; I ebayed a stock one and chopped it down and it worked great.

The stock suspension is also supposedly pretty bad. Mine (and many others) had the suspension done by Jim Hamlin of Hamlin Cycles in CT - he does Ohlins Shock and Racetech in the forks. Probably don’t want to invest that much in suspension on a $2k bike though. He’s a master Triumph tech and has owned 3 of these, You’ll find a ton of knowledgeable posts from him on the Tiger1050 forum.

[SteveM]

It’s now tucked away in storage until I can get out there which brings up my first issue: where to title it.

CA requires an in-person VIN verification but I’m thinking I can get around it by using a registration service. Or I can register it somewhere else but haven’t done any research on that yet.


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Generally, you must register where you are a resident. However, many states permit non-resident registration and title if you can provide an in-state address. I register in in Maine, where we own a condo, but am a Mass. resident.

States That Allow Non-Residents to Register Their Car

Not all states restrict non-residents from registering their vehicles there. In fact, eight states allow non-residents to register a vehicle, including:

Delaware
Indiana
Kentucky
Maine
Massachusetts
New York
North Dakota
Pennsylvania

[breakdirt916]

Very cool I am at the sport touring time of my life and this raises eyebrows

Cliff notes on the bike/its segment?

[Garandman]

For TWO GRAND? I don't know a ton about those ones, but my gut says "Holy shit, what a steal!"

Triumph introduced the Tiger 1050 Sport in Europe but not U.S.. Discontinuing the 1050 here killed the resale value.

Had an 09 VStrom and test-rode a Tiger 900, which did not seem much faster. The 1050 was a big step up on performance.

There are several manufacturers of heavier gage electrical leads, and some people make their own at someplace like West Marine. An English guy sells them on FaceBook as well.

Recommended.

Upgrading Triumph Starter Leads.

https://stoltecmoto.com/shop/triumph...ter-cable-kit/

[obsolete]

Took one around Northern CA for a couple days years ago and still think about it. Nice grab!

[Kenn157]

Great bike Mikey! Great deal!! Hope you can get it registered wanting to keep it on the East Coast.

P.S.
You got a better deal buying my 2011 Speed Triple!

[OneCheekRider]

Probably don’t want to invest that much in suspension on a $2k bike though.

Wouldn't be the first time Properly setup suspension truly does transform a bike.

Very cool I am at the sport touring time of my life and this raises eyebrows

Cliff notes on the bike/its segment?

Haven't ridden it yet, but hoping it's similar to the FZ1's I've owned. It is detuned from the Speed Triple it shares a motor with, but for what I'm doing with this bike, peak HP isn't a concern.

Great bike Mikey! Great deal!! Hope you can get it registered wanting to keep it on the East Coast.

P.S.
You got a better deal buying my 2011 Speed Triple!

Kenn I will always appreciate that Speed Triple deal... and that's not even including the time spent hanging with you! But this Tiger 1050 will rarely get my attention whereas the Speed gets it all the time!

[Garandman]

The stock suspension was mid-grade Showa. We have Penske inserts in front and a three way in back. Pete Kates installed it, and rebuilt it for me a few years ago.

[OneCheekRider]

Finally got this thing titled and registered! Ended up being super easy and inexpensive!

Flight booked for memorial weekend to pickup bike in NH. Hope it runs!

Will be riding it to Neptune, NJ on its maiden voyage. Any route suggestions?

Also, will be adding bike to IPASS account which should be same as EZPass. Do I need a transponder on the bike or is it fine without? Man it’s been a while since I was last riding out there. Here in CA I don’t carry a transponder and it just reads my plates and charges appropriately.




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[Garandman]

I'd recommend getting a transponder. Recently had an incident with NH EZPASS where they couldn't read the transponder on my car. So they sent me a bill for the toll plus a $4 admin fee. Sent them my MA bill, noting the car had a transponder and valid account. Denied.

Also have a NH EZPass account so - duh - registered the car with them also. So now it will come up on their list.

These bikes are very reliable and durable. One known trouble spot, easily fixed, is starting. The battery cables are a bit undersized to start reliably: battery has to be strong. There are several options:

Make up new, heavier gauge (4AWG) cables at someplace like West Marine where they have DIY battery cables.

Go on the Tiger 1050 FaceBook group and order custom cables from Jeff "Pudding" Halford. He charges $40-$50 I think.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/830406960331369

Order in US from Stoltec.

https://stoltecmoto.com/shop/triumph...ter-cable-kit/

Other than checking tires, tire pressure, chain tension /lube, and brakes, you should be good to go. Bike has a low fuel light but not a gear indicator. We usually get around 200 miles on a tank. On most the low fuel light comes on really early.

[Garandman]

As far as riding, depends on how much of a detour you want to make.

We drive to NJ regularly and almost never use I95. We take MA pike and 84 to 684, over Cuomo Bridge (used to be Tappan Zee) to Garden State Parkway. That's all highway.

If you head west first, you can follow down through W MA and CT. Lot longger, probably GPS routes made on Advrider.

[nick5446]

I think the only state around here that you actually need the transponder is NY, and that's only on some highways, possibly NJ too (just guessing because they tend to do the same as NY). Rest of New England you don't need a transponder.

If you've got the time, VT and the Catskills would be a good route. I can get more detail than that if you want it, or check out https://www.newenglandriders.org/b-o-n-e/

[OneCheekRider]

I think the only state around here that you actually need the transponder is NY, and that's only on some highways, possibly NJ too (just guessing because they tend to do the same as NY). Rest of New England you don't need a transponder.

If you've got the time, VT and the Catskills would be a good route. I can get more detail than that if you want it, or check out https://www.newenglandriders.org/b-o-n-e/

Catskills is not a bad idea! I was looking into a ride to Mt Washington to relive some fond memories but aside from the way-outta-the-way roundtrip, looking like weather is still an issue this time of year.

I have a transponder, so I'll bring it and put it in the chest pocket of my riding jacket. I'm assuming that will work well enough.

[loudbeard]

Check out Butler Maps. Well worth the trip down the rabbit hole. Great riding from home base through NH and VT and on down through the Catskills. If you have the time I think you’d do real well to just follow the Appalachians as far as Boone, NC then start tracking your way to Wilmington.

[loudbeard]

Also maybe check this out?

https://a.co/d/hU9BMZ5

Anyhow. Definitely opportunity for a great ride!

If you want some advice on getting from Boone to the beach with good riding, I can help there, used to live in Rockingham, NC.

[OneCheekRider]

Flying into Boston this week, planning to start the journey Saturday if anyone wants to tag along for a leg. Assuming I go solo, I'm undecided if I book it straight to NJ or throw in the Catskills along the way.

Serious question: How frowned upon is lane-splitting out there? I admittedly used to do it on my commute in Boston without issues but that was over a decade ago. It's second-nature to me now and I'll probably end up doing it out of habit alone. Will "sorry officer, I didn't realize it was illegal" card work with my CA license?

[nick5446]

Serious question: How frowned upon is lane-splitting out there? I admittedly used to do it on my commute in Boston without issues but that was over a decade ago. It's second-nature to me now and I'll probably end up doing it out of habit alone. Will "sorry officer, I didn't realize it was illegal" card work with my CA license?

I was in a similar conundrum when I moved back from the west coast. I ride in/out of Boston almost daily most of the year, and I lane split most days. My general rule(s) of thumb: I only split when traffic is stopped/nearly stopped, I only travel at 15-20mph when doing it, and I don't typically split in tunnels or on bridges as the lanes get pretty narrow. This basically leaves me splitting to the front of red light traffic, or when the highway is really bad (which is usually when I avoid the highway anyway). You're far more likely to have someone accidentally merge into you than you are to have a cop try to stop you, or have someone intentionally try to block you. There just aren't many bikes on the roads around here, so people are super aware.

Knock on wood, but I think bikers have a bad (good?) enough reputation around here for running from the law, that they generally don't even bother to light you up.

[Garandman]

You see kids riding around on sport bikes with no plate and no helmet in Boston, with no action by Boston Police. If you ride as @nick5446 suggests, unlikely to get stopped.

Filtering to the front of a line is common.

But be careful when lane splitting in heavy traffic. Even though it does not disadvantage them in any way, some drivers take it upon themselves to obstruct the space.

Wearing hi-viz really helps, as their initial view is that you are a LEO, and by the time they discover you are not, you’re past them.

You will also be terrified by how many drivers are texting. Last week had a guy swerve violently into my lane to avoid the car in front of him. He never even put down the phone!