Tiger in your tank

Good to find that the Tiger 750 is finally getting respect, although I was surprised by Oli's assertion that it vibrated less than the Bonneville. I have never ridden a Bonneville but if it vibrates more than my Tiger did (the front indicators would loosen and rotate on their stalks!), good luck in hanging onto your fillings, although the Tiger vibrated slightly less than Norton's 961 two-wheeled jackhammer.

My Tiger was one of those that ‘escaped' from the lock-in, being bought new in July 1974 – with the quality of assembly perhaps being a valid excuse for the vibration, dodgy electrics (the kill switch was haunted!), the blowing head gasket (a chip to the lip of the barrel made it easy for combustion products to escape), and the leaking pushrod tubes! However, the bike could certainly handle better than a Honda 750 or the Suzuki GT750 I replaced it with after two years of valiantly (ahem!!) struggling against the bike's problems. I seem to remember it being surprisingly quick up to about 70, at which point the vibration would really get going. And it was economical – pretty sure I could get 70mpg when cruising at 70mph.

All in all, there was a really good bike under all of the quality problems; just a pity my mechanical skills were not quite up to resolving them all. Oh, and don't forget to make sure the oil filler cap is screwed tightly back on – it can get very messy if you don't!!

David Moore