Well to cut a long story short, the new Tiger was nothing like the old Tiger and the touring potential didn't look too promising with what looked like a tall pillion perch. The riding position however was good - it felt right, so much so that I arranged to book a test ride.

Over the Christmas period my sensible head took control again and I had resigned myself to the thought that the new Tiger wasn't for me and I would look into getting a 'new' later model 955i Tiger. Meanwhile January and Febuary came and went and due to work and family commitments was unable to take up the test ride. However, at the end of March I did get the opportunity to test ride the 07 Tiger at my local dealer - 3 Cross Motorcycles. It was the non ABS version in Scorched Yellow and it looked the bees knees. The weather was quite cold and windy but at least it was dry, so with my wife on the back, off we went. It may only have been a 1 hour test ride but I was smitten and what suprised me even more - so was my wife! Everything about that bike shouted what a well sorted machine it was. The engine in particular was a real peach - so smooth and torquey, a real leap forward for the Triumph triple. It is such a comfy responsive bike to ride. Well I had to have one and within a week or so I had placed my order for an ABS model in Scorched Yellow.

Two weeks later and here it was, all mine and raring to go. The ABS option adds around £500 to the basic price but I'd already decided that if I was going to do this I was going to do it properly and to that end the bike was fitted with heated grips, accessory socket, centre stand, factory panniers and rear rack. I didn't like the look of the factory top box so decided I would stick with the Givi top box I was already using with my 955i Tiger.

The day I picked up my new Tiger, I didn't want to get off and didn't get home until after dark. It's that much fun to ride. So what were my first impressions?

Firstly, I have to admit that when I first saw pictures of the 07 Tiger I didn't like it - mainly because it was nothing like the previous Tiger. I was wrong! Triumph have done an excellent job and by doing away with any pretences of off road capability have turned out a real stunner of an urban sports tourer, which is what it is now known as rather than adventure tourer or giant traillie. The riding position is still more or less upright and I guess for some the seat height is still tall, but I find I can place both feet flat on the ground at standstill with no problem. I have the standard seat but there are a taller and a lower seat option for those with different leg lengths. My first impression on swinging a leg over was that the 07 Tiger seemed smaller; it certainly felt lighter and less top heavy than its predecessor. The fuel tank is smaller and not the bulbous style of the 955i Tiger and is also steel rather than plastic, so standard tank bags may be an option if that is your thing. On starting, the engine has that wonderful deep throated burble of the triple and pulling away hardly needs any throttle. The gear linkage certainly felt different with more movement required to select a gear but within a mile or two seemed natural enough. The wing mirrors are not as good as the 955i but are still ok. They could do with being moved outward slightly. The brakes are excellent and do instil confidence, the braided hoses giving much more feel. The rear ABS certainly works, as I found out when some clown pulled straight out in front of me at a local roundabout. We have since done a tour in France and I'm pleased to say that it copes 2 up exceedingly well. The factory panniers are a little on the small side but otherwise do the job admirably. We covered nearly 1500 miles that week and the only real criticisms were the screen and the lack of a proper rear hugger. The screen was too low for me and at around 80mph would generate a lot of wind buffeting not only for me but also my other half riding pillion. The lack of a decent hugger was an annoyance. During our tour of France we had a fair bit of rain and the rural backroads were covered in cack thanks to the French farmers. The end result was the rear end absolutely plastered along with the back of my other half's legs! We were not impressed! To see how these things were sorted click here or on the next page buton below.

This page last updated 11/11/2007