Test rode the new Triumph Tiger 800XC

Last month, I started looking at the new Triumph Tiger 800XC as a possible ride for my cross-country trip which is just around the corner in July. This bike has gotten incredible reviews in the trade and by new owners. I first spotted the Triumph at the International Motorcycle Show in February in Chicago and loved the way it looked. Once I sat on it, it seemed like the perfect fit for me. I talked to the dealer at the show and as soon as they got a demo, I was going to come out and take it for a ride.

Last week, I finally got to the dealer and took the Tiger for a 45 minute ride. I wanted to make sure that I could ride on the highway for hours on end without feeling like I was riding on an off road bike. The instruments on the bike was familiar since I've been riding Triumphs for several years now. The engine started with barely a whisper and as I rode out of the parking lot, I already felt comfortable on the bike, as if I'd ridden it many times before. Then as I shifted to second and then third, I realized that this inline triple engine was very different than anything I'd ever ridden before. It was in fact, the smoothest engine I've ever ridden on, even more effortless than the BMW r1150r boxer engine. It didn't matter whether I was on 2nd, 3rd or 4th gear, the engine ran so smoothly, I didn't feel like I was pushing it at all. I kept looking at the indicator on the dash which identified what gear I was in. It was then that I realized that I missed the torque and feel of my V-twin Ducati and Moto Guzzi engines. After getting over the slight disappointment of the torque, I got on the highway and there, the Triumph Tiger really came to life for me. I loved the smooth triple engine and I was able to ride through the highway traffic with no effort and really appreciated the lightness of the bike.

I returned from the ride and wished that the Triumph Tiger 800xc had a little bit more power. If I wasn't looking for a cross country ride, I think I would have considered this Tiger more seriously. As I parked the bike, I looked over and saw the Ducati Multistrada 1200 that I test rode last fall staring at me.

Did anyone really get to ride much in April?

I heard on the radio that it had been 50 years since we had this much rain in April. I was walking back to work on Michigan Ave. last week on a rare sunny day and I saw a group of riders buzzing through town on their sports bikes. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon and I had a twinge of jealousy as the last of the riders weaved through the traffic past where I was walking.

Noticing a few bikes out and about in Chicago

BMW spotted on Fulton Market and Clinton.

More pictures and laughs from the 2011 International Motorcycle Show

I had heard about these guys during the past few years of riding in Chicago. A group dedicated to the spirit of classic bikes, namely cafe racers. No cruisers. I liked that. They do a ride every summer called Mods vs. Rockers (scooters are part of the fun) but I always seemed to have something going on. They had a nice set up at the show this year. Lots of cool Triumphs, BSAs, among others. Nice graphics too. I'll have to be more mindful of the schedule this summer to make this ride.

Joining me at the show again were my friends Mike and Anthony. As usual, Mike was happy to sit on a Ducati. Last year, he almost pulled the trigger on a Ducati GT1000. Now that they've discontinued the model, his eyes are wandering. The Hypermotard looked good on him. Anthony spent some time at the Harley Davidson exhibit. He is talking about upgrading his Sportster to a Heritage Softail – so that his wife can be more comfortable on the back. Always so thoughtful.

Anthony also brought his leather jacket that he got at the show last year. He got a nice, "Born to be Free" patch stitched on the back this time. And upon finding the seamstress that put his American Flag patch on his sleeve last year, he jokingly mentioned that the sewing was a little sloppy because there were a few pieces of threads hanging loose. Before I could stop laughing, she rushed towards him with a lit lighter. I think Anthony thought she was going to torch him but she smiled and told him that that's how you "fix" loose threads. Sure enough, she went over the patch with the lighter and "Voila," the loose threads burned away. The look on Anthony's face when she approached him with the lighter was priceless.

Hard to believe a place like this exists; past, present or future. Power on Deus!

Deus Canggu
In Bali surfing and motorbikes have always been fused together. In the early days surfers only access to remote breaks, other than on foot, was on 2 stroke trail bike. Today most surfers still get to the same breaks on two wheels.

Deus promotes and celebrates a custom motorcycle culture that first appeared in Europe and America in the 1940s that has recently been revived by groups of young enthusiasts in Japan, America, Australia and now Indonesia.

The company has built the Temple of Enthusiasm in Canggu, Bali. The 2000sqm site is a clever combination of new and 100 year old traditional Indonesian wooden houses, taking references from the kampung, or traditional Indonesian home village. This somewhat eclectic collection of buildings house the showroom, art gallery, workshop facilities, photographic studio, artists studio, and even a surfboard shaping bay. Connected by a wide verandah full of tables and chairs that is the Deus Cafe, where Canggu locals, pro surfers and artists rub elbows with riders gassing up on caffeine whist out on their Bali excursions. A melting pot of ideas and ideologies, a Warung of Knowledge.

While the sale of custom motorcycles and surfboards are at the core of the business visitors to the Deus showroom will find hand built fixed gear bicycles and a range of Deus brand clothing, bags and accessories as well as a range of items which feature timeless design and reflect the Deus culture. Art is a very important part of the Deus mix and besides our own art gallery which will be filled with prints and paintings by artists such as, Andrew Wellman, Robert Moore and Dustin Humphrey, not to mention regular exhibitions by these and other invited artists, we have an artists workshop where invited artists will come to work and ultimately hold an exhibition.

We are united in our belief that modern motorcycling & surfing have been hijacked by marketing forces and we harbour a desire to introduce a new generation of rider to that same pure enthusiasm that kick-started our own love of motorcycling & surfing.

Now, another reason to plan a trip to Bali...