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Goodbye Triumph T120?


RSDA

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Greetings from Maine.

The season is over, but that doesn't stop me from strategizing for next year! The T120 is my tenth bike. It's a beautiful machine, but as a one-bike guy, I'm realizing that I need something that can really do it all, including significant travel. The Triumph isn't that bike.

I've owned a Tiger 800 XRX before. Loved that triple sound, particularly the "whistle" that is unique to the Tiger. Poking around on the web...looks like you get a lot of bang for your buck with the Tracer GT, and save a couple thousand bucks over the Tiger. I also like that it's a legit sport tourer as opposed to an adventure bike with street tires. It seemed that I couldn't find a single bad review. The only thing people mention is the fueling/abrupt throttle response issue.

So...seriously considering putting down $500 on a '20 Tracer. (I am intrigued, though, about the new Tiger 900 that is about to be released.)

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So, welcome to the forum @RSDA. The original ‘15 Tracer was definitely abrupt on some throttle settings, but things seem to be getting better with each model. Keep researching and feel free to ask questions. You’ll get honest answers from those with the later models. 

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Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...)

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I own a ‘15 and while the fueling isn’t perfect it’s not an issue and can be improved with a reflash if you desire. I rode a new GT and the fueling is much improved, as is the overall bike.  Having owned both Triumphs and Yamahas the overall ownership experience has been better with Yamahas. 

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I rented a Tiger 800xrx a couple of years ago while in SoCal for work. I figured it would be similar to my FJ-09 but I was surprised how different the motors felt. On paper the Yamaha is a little more powerful than the Triumph, but in reality the difference felt huge. I hate to say it because the Tiger was a fine motorcycle, but it felt tame - almost boring - compared to my FJ.

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4 hours ago, keithu said:

I rented a Tiger 800xrx a couple of years ago while in SoCal for work. I figured it would be similar to my FJ-09 but I was surprised how different the motors felt. On paper the Yamaha is a little more powerful than the Triumph, but in reality the difference felt huge. I hate to say it because the Tiger was a fine motorcycle, but it felt tame - almost boring - compared to my FJ.

Funny you should mention...

I'm going to LA around Christmas. Checked into the "Riders Share" service and discovered a Tracer for rent a couple of miles from where I'll be staying. I'm going to rent it for a day to try it out.

(Glad this service exists, though I can't imagine renting out my bike regularly to strangers.)

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11 hours ago, donk said:

Having owned both Triumphs and Yamahas the overall ownership experience has been better with Yamahas. 

FWIW, I had a great ownership experience with my Triumph. I bought a TT600 in late 2000. It had fueling issues a bit worse than the 2015 FJ-09, but the dealer let me take a test ride and I decided it wasn't as bad as the media had reported. What made the experience better than Yamaha was that over the course of the next year the Triumph dealer gave me two free ECU updates that completely fixed the fueling.

Also, Triumph is a lot better at designing fairings. Although the TT600 was a fully faired sportbike, the oil and filter could be changed without removing a single panel. And if the fairings did have to come off, it was simple and only one kind of fastener was used. The FJ-09 fairings are a mind-twisting puzzle with, what, five or six different fasteners?

When my TT was about two years old a minor fairing tab broke due to a weak design. It was just out of warranty but they still replaced the fairing with a new, improved design with no hassle at all.

Overall the TT600 was rock solid reliable for 34k miles. I'd definitely buy another Triumph.

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Hi there @RSDA!  Welcome to the forum... we’re glad you’re here.   Obviously we have a bit of a favorable bias towards the Tracer around here, but I think you’ll find it’s a fairly objective group overall.   

For a one-bike rider, the FJ/Tracer is pretty hard to beat.   It’s not perfect, but most of the common complaints have viable fixes if you feel it’s important:  Seat, windscreen, fuel mapping being among the most common.   It’s a nice mix of sport-tour-hooligan-commuter that has a TON of character, thanks to the CP3 motor... it really is a gem.  

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7 hours ago, keithu said:

FWIW, I had a great ownership experience with my Triumph. I bought a TT600 in late 2000. It had fueling issues a bit worse than the 2015 FJ-09, but the dealer let me take a test ride and I decided it wasn't as bad as the media had reported. What made the experience better than Yamaha was that over the course of the next year the Triumph dealer gave me two free ECU updates that completely fixed the fueling.

Also, Triumph is a lot better at designing fairings. Although the TT600 was a fully faired sportbike, the oil and filter could be changed without removing a single panel. And if the fairings did have to come off, it was simple and only one kind of fastener was used. The FJ-09 fairings are a mind-twisting puzzle with, what, five or six different fasteners?

When my TT was about two years old a minor fairing tab broke due to a weak design. It was just out of warranty but they still replaced the fairing with a new, improved design with no hassle at all.

Overall the TT600 was rock solid reliable for 34k miles. I'd definitely buy another Triumph.

Tbh.. Triumph triples are what triumph got good at. I bought a TT 600 4 pot and it was one of the best bikes I've ever owned for fast sweeping corner confidence.. The problem was early fuel injection and mine had it issues. Later models improved but bike got dropped.  

There's just something about triples...👍

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3 hours ago, Dodgy Knees said:

Tbh.. Triumph triples are what triumph got good at. I bought a TT 600 4 pot and it was one of the best bikes I've ever owned for fast sweeping corner confidence.. The problem was early fuel injection and mine had it issues. Later models improved but bike got dropped. 👍

Yep, the TT600 is still the best handling bike I've ridden in 30 years of motorcycling.

The early ones had EFI issues, but they could be corrected with ECU flashes at the dealer. My dealer gave the updates for free, but I know there were some dealers who charged for it. All they had to do was connect their computer to a diagnostic plug and load the update; it took five minutes.

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I changed to a 17 plate Tracer last June and the only other bike on my short list was the Tiger 800. My Riding Buddy changed his bike about the same time for a Tiger 800 XR low (He realy fancied the Tracer but is slightly vertically challenged and coudnt reach the ground on the Tracer.) After  riding both bikes I am so glad I opted for the Tracer,   

PS after I had changed that stock windscreen for a touring PUIG.

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6 hours ago, HGP61 said:

I changed to a 17 plate Tracer last June and the only other bike on my short list was the Tiger 800. My Riding Buddy changed his bike about the same time for a Tiger 800 XR low (He realy fancied the Tracer but is slightly vertically challenged and coudnt reach the ground on the Tracer.) After  riding both bikes I am so glad I opted for the Tracer,   

PS after I had changed that stock windscreen for a touring PUIG.

Great to hear!

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