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Thumper, our serial bike buyer has been at it again! This time it is a mighty Triumph Tiger of 1996 vintage that has caught his beady eye…
As has become the tradition it was a late night ebay session that saw him fall for the charms of tuneful triple from Hinkley. Only this one wasn’t in Hinckley, it was 114 miles away on the Norfolk/Cambridge borders and it was bloody freezing. I got roped in to give him a lift but rather than freeze my nuts off on my Thundercat I used his car instead to run him down. The sunlight and snowbound fields that lined our route combined to give the day a slightly surreal feel, and this was only strengthened as we passed a wind turbine farm shrouded in an icy mist. Weird, but I really think wind farms add a certain something to a landscape and don’t quite get what all the protesters are on about.
The interesting bit of the A14 (really), lined with snowbound fields, and an icy misty – classic biking stuff…
There is something about wind turbines…Anyway on arrival in snowy Camberidgeshire the bike was all that the ebayer had described, money changed hands.
Nice and shiney and ready to goSo Thumper slipped into his cold weather gear and 114 chilly miles and one huge breakfast, an Olympic at a Little Chef in accordance with tradition on these runs, Thumper was home and happy with his new toy.
Togging up, like an SAS man getting his combat gear on…
The Tiger and the snowman
The snowman looked impressed…are you or me going to own up this was taken in a Little Chef carpark???
Its traditional! I had the salad anyway…
Just to prove abike was ridden at some point…
Back home in sunny Brum! is it me, or does the TDR look just a little bit jealous???Listen out for the growl of the Tiger this summer!
Boy, it was a bit on the chilly side! – Had to have some topping up fuel in bacon, egg & pot on tea form, just to keep the circulation going – you understand !
A big Thank you to Radar for taking me to collect the Tiger, and posting the thoughts and imagery of the day – the wintery scenery was spectacular at times.I will have to let you all know what the Tiger is like to live with, and the outcome of my first project – operation shortarse – lowering the beast by 20mm.
But first impressions of the Tiger are of being silky smooth, with that creamy triple burble as a glorious fanfare. No sportbike, obviously, it’s weight and height taking some getting used to.
Quite honestly, it’s the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden – a real mile muncher.
It also returned a respectable 44mpg on the way home too.Now just two small problems remaining,
1/ how to make space for the 4 bikes in the garage, &
2/ how to make up for the fact I was having all this fun on Valentine’s Day….. OOPS
Take cars all.
quote:
Originally posted by GixThumper which bike have you sold????
Hehehe, that’s not the way it works, you should know that by now Gix.
Nice looking bike and (’cause he let me have a go) I can tell you it’s pretty good too. Handles nicely and sounds great when you open it up.
Hope you spend many more Valentines days with your new love Thumpy, and thanks for letting me get my leg over her too.
[:p][:p][:p]so long as he hasn’t sold the black duc, he promised me a ride on it! Have never ridden a duc and I wanna go! lol
Hoping to have a go soon, he has converteed it to “short-arse” spec, so my feet might even get close-ish to the ground lol!
Yes Gix, he still has the 750 Duke, but get to the back of the queue! I have ridden a M600 (fun), a 907ie (lovely) and a 748 (I just didn’t fit), so I want to add a 750 to the list!
Well, it is true, the Duke is still tucked up safely in the museum !
You’ll have to have a go Gix, it is very racey, but not the sort of missile you are used too – but still bubbling over with character/Talk about chalk and cheese, the little cati & the big tiger.
Really enjoying the this trumpet now.I did lower the bike, by rotating the eccenting chain adjusters, and slidding the front forks through a few extra millimeters.
I decided to change it back again however, when Toggsy came back after a road digging excurtion got his attention big time. The centre stand [an extra on this bike] was trying to plough its own furrow on some of the twisties on the around-the-block test circuit!So back to normal ride height now, and I’ve almost got used to it!
Glorious engine note, and a superbly comfortable magic carpet like ride.
Fun to be had this year lads & lasses.Hey Max, I’m no Charlie Boorman yet (although I fancy the opportunity)- I keep getting an altitude related nose bleed every time I stand in the Pegs!
Bloomin’ love it though. Had a fab ride on suny Sunday, doing a 170mile round trip bimbling around on my way to visit folks near Ross-on Wye.
The route took in the Malverns, and I managed to find this beautiful 16th Century pub called Live and Let Live near ‘Collins Green’. Wonderful.The Tiger was so in its element wheather rumbling around the bendy country lanes at modest velocity with that Tiger tripe burble, or booming past some traffic on the entertaining A roads.
So comfortable – I can understand riders riding some mega miles on these machines. 40 mpg too.
A most enjoyable exploration of country side and bike. Happy days eh !
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