A pre-ride for the IBW 2016 on a Triumph Tiger to Madikeri and back to Bangalore left us wanting for more.
With my mind set on riding to Goa and attend the Indian Bike Week 2016 was very likely to happen with the Kriegers. When Vish (from Beaux Adventures) put forth the requirement amongst our common friends group to ride to IBW on the Triumph Tiger, I agreed without giving it a second thought and so did Kiran. It hit me only later that I hadn’t ridden the Triumph Tiger before and the fact that the bike weighed almost twice and costed six times than that of a Duke 390 gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Requested for a pre-ride to get acquainted with the bike and Vish gladly agreed. Kiran and I decided do the ride on a weekend and so a day before Saurabh and I took delivery of the bikes. As I started up the bike and got moving, the frightful cost of the bike kept echoing in my mind and yet had a smile as I rode the bike giving that feeling of butterflies in the stomach. Rode one home carefully to show it to my folks. It was decided that we were to start the following morning at about 6 am from the city centre.
Day 1 : Bengaluru to Madikeri
Saturday, 6th Feb 2016
Could not really get enough sleep during the night possibly due to the excitement. Was ready and got to the meeting point. Vivek and Saurabh from Beaux were to ride along with us and so they gave Kiran and me informative tips of riding the bike. We set forth by fuelling up at Shell petrol bunk close by and continued on. Kept a steady pace of 60 km as we rode out of town and then increased to 80km/hour. Stopped for half hour at Vaishali restaurant, Mysore road for breakfast. Next stop was at Mysore ring road, where Kiran suggested we have the bikes washed for it wasn’t. After the wash, the four Tigers gleamed in the noon sunlight. Continued on to stop for lunch just before getting into Madikeri. By about 2:30 pm, we were at the destination of halt – Kiran’s lovely home at Madikeri. Having settled down, Vivek suggested we ride to the Taj resort which Kiran seconded.
It was a 8 km ride into the Taj resort and was worth it purely in terms of the natural landscape and scenery there. The place was neat, well maintained and extremely quiet. No honking, no mobile phone sounds, no human chatter. Talking there seemed like a crime. This place is perfect for couples or elderly folk looking for solitude. For heavens sake, don’t take your kids, entire family/relations or your loud mouthed friends to have a party there. We had tea with pakodas which tasted good but rather expensive. We rode back, parked our bikes safely and hired a rickshaw to a nearby restaurant for dinner and booze. Walked the way back which was fun. Retired for the night. The whizzing sound of the Tiger was still lingering in my head for a good hour until I fell asleep.
Day 2 : Madikeri to Bengaluru
Sunday, 7th Feb 2016
Vivek had to start early and so he headed out early by 5am, while the rest of us took our time and started by 9 am. Kiran mentioned that he too had the similar experience the previous night – the whizzing sound of the Tiger in the head. Had breakfast at a restaurant in the town center and started our ride back. By now, I was familiar with the nuances of the Tiger and enjoyed the ride back immensely. Kept to a decent speed limit of 80-90 km throughout and it returned a mileage of around 20 km to a litre of petrol. Got back into town (via the NICE road and Hosur road exit) by about 4:30 pm.
Impressions on the Triumph Tiger
A tall heavy motorcycle that is very intimidating to rider and by-stander alike. Am 5’11” in height and the bike fit me perfectly. Riders who are below 5’8″ will find it difficult to manage when standing still. Start the bike up and give the throttle a slight twist and the Tiger’s roar will give an orgasmic rush. Once the bike is set to motion, it just floats almost as if it were flying at ground level. Unlike on the Duke or other bikes, wherein on slowing down on a higher gear the bike tends to shudder, the Tiger however maintains a calm composure even at speeds as low as 30 km.
The seats are almost like sofa cushions and wouldn’t give the least bit of discomfort irrespective of the distance traveled on it. On highways, if overtaking another vehicle is required, twist the throttle up a bit and a sudden surge of power kicks in to make overtaking too easy. With Metzeler tyres on, the bike allows for easy cornering and flicking it side to side without faltering even a little bit. When nearing/approaching a speed breaker or traffic signals on low speeds, the bike is so well balanced that there is little need to put a foot down unless coming to a dead halt. Surprisingly, didn’t feel any sort of discomfort, tiredness or lethargy after the trip.
In short, the Triumph Tiger is very impressive but expensive. The Kawasaki Versys 650 that launched recently is a very good viable alternative. Similar tall stance to that of a Tiger and yet close to half the price.
