Featured What you been doing with your TRIUMPH today??

"UK fog ride" is about right at this time of year .

 

Still out of action, however I was fed up taking off the swing arm finishing kit that has that stupid arrangement for securing them every time I want to use the Abba Stand. So I used some stainless 6mm bar with 10mm domed stainless nuts that I have on the shelf, measured and cut to length, used permanent thredlock on 1 domed nut, and it takes a few seconds to remove and replace, all in 15 minutes of work. Hopefully have the pins removed in the new year.

 

Very useful, they are a faff when an Abba stand is used!

 

Nice one. I flogged my Abba Stand a couple of months after buying it partly because of the faff involved in getting the bike (securely) fastened to it that nearly ended in tears on one occasion, plus for moving my bike around and getting it to fit tight to my back wall which was my prime reason for having one a normal bike dolly from Motea was far better. As far as using it for lifting your bike to work on the underneath was concerned if that's what you want it for it's a good piece of kit

 

Hi Littleade, for quick jobs I use my Moto GP front and rear stands, I use the Abba stand for more detailed work, especially when working on other bikes, I have a full fitting kit that accommodates most makes and models. It only takes me literally 5 minutes to set the Abba up, it took longer getting those stupidly designed finishing kits off, with the silly rubber expanding bungs.

 

Ahaaaa, I had the Abba stand thingy with the hydraulic lift and wheels on it. Rather expensive it was too

 

I know the one you mean. Like you, I would not feel comfortable using that model, I would be concerned it may tip over, especially when wheeling it around.

 

Overall I felt it wasn't really robust enough to cope with a 250kg GS. Moving the bike around was just a PITA. The wheels were small and hard, not much use on anything other than an extremely smooth surface (think dance floor) the wheels would get stuck in any small imperfections on my concrete garage floor, then the legs would flex so the whole thing stopped, rather than travel over the imperfections. Add the fact that the pivot point is under the hydrolic lift, not under the centre of the bike and the whole thing wants to rotate around that point when I tried and push it around my garage. The nearly ending in tears moment was the last straw. While jacking the skylift up with the GS on the bike slipped off it's mounting point on the left hand side. Luckily the bike was only about a foot off the ground and came to rest leant up against the hydrolic lift, had it slipped put on the other side it would have sustained serious damage. Whether it was operator error or not I'll never know, but I wasn't going to risk it. The way it mounted on the bike isn't exactly confidence inspiring as you screw a shaft into the mounting points on the bike and because of the way it's designed the 2 mounting points flex apart as you screw the shaft in. Again I do wonder if it's robust enough for such a big heavy bike. Balancing a bike tall Adventure bike while attaching it to the lift wasn't easy either, so all in all it wasn't for me.

 

I have a Kawasaki ZX1000 tank in the loft of the workshop in pristine condition but.......

The meticulous owner cleaned his bike with major OCD and despite being 3 years old, looked absolutely mint, everywhere!

Finished cleaning he took it off the Abba stand and it slipped
He thought he'd caught it with his knee......
Umm, maybe his knee was doing something to support the bike but the stand was also helping by punching a neat hole through the bottom edge and sharing the load

I have yet to decide how best to tackle it as it needs a dent removing and hole filling. He was so gutted he went out and bought a new one so as to not upset himself further.

 

Yesterday, took the Triumph for a mot - all good. Oil and filter change today after a run. Got 4l of Silkolene super 4 from the sportsbike shop for £30 - thought that was a good price.

 

Today I put a refundable down payment on a 2026 Triumph Tiger Sport 800 Tour in Carnival Red. This buys a delivery slot for March 2026 about the time the motorcycle season begins in Spokane Washington.

The number of motorcycles one needs is defined by this formula, N=N+1, where N is the number of motorcycles you own. The exception to this rule is when the garage space won't hold another bike. So today my FJR up for sale after owning FJRs for 15 years 10.5 months. It is time to go smaller. The Tiger Sport 800 Tour checks a lot of boxes. It has 112 hp with 62 lb -ft of torque, 20,000 mile valve service intervals, curb weight of 511 pounds, has a center stand, good fuel range, comfortable ergos and quick shifter. It will be a good complement to my 2021 Tiger GT Pro.

Here is a photo of the Tiger Sport 800 Tour.

 

That's a damn good looking bike!!

 

Congratulations on your new purchase. I assume you test rode the 800 and if so, what are your thoughts about the difference to your GT Pro which I’m guessing is a 900?

 

I haven't rode the 800 yet but I will before I complete the purchase. My friend has a 2025 Sport 800 and he likes it a lot and has toured on it. So come late February or early March we can get out for an early season day ride.

I expect a sportier ride from the 800 vs the 900 GT Pro I own. On the other hand I expect the GT Pro is better long distance with all day comfort with a more absorbant suspension. There is a pretty good on YouTube comparing Tigers. The image says, "Getting old. Feeling Young!" At 70 year young this resonates with me. Where I live and ride the pavement isn't in great shape and I am tired of battling with heavy and under-sprung FJR1300 ES. I like the idea of having both the 800 and 900. Walk out to the garage and pick the bike that suits my whim for the day! It is also handy to have a spare with 3 week lead times for service.



I was interested in the Honda CB1000GT but it is unavailable in the US and at 70 years old it is not time to wait.

 

Thanks mate. Let us know your more detailed thoughts once you have tested the 800.

 

Nice and dry roads today and all the rain the last few days has washed the previous salt away. So was out on the Tiger for a few hours. Roads were busy but hey that’s where motorbikes come in to their own.

Visited my sons to help him with a little job and then thought to ride through Warrington to visit Walton Crematorium and pay my respects. I was confused by the volume of traffic at a standstill and the number of other bikes out on Manchester Road going in to town. Only to find out a local lad (8 I believe) had passed away and it was his funeral. He was big in to motorbikes and a social media post had asked if some local bikers could attend.

Was talking to a copper to find all this out and from what I understand there were around three thousand bikes turned up from near and far.

EDIT - local news story link https://www.warringtonguardian.co.u...-streets-filled-bikes-funeral-8-year-old-boy/

 

What a fantastic tribute from the North West bikers for this little boy on such a sad day for the family.
I don’t do Facebook so didn’t see this otherwise I would have gone.
There were many bikes passing my house this afternoon which I thought strange on winters day. I’m guessing by the number they must have been to Warrington, which is just up the A49 from me.