The 182,000-mile Tiger 800 that’s finally had to be retired
#R5K member’s Tiger faces the chop after 181,944 miles
Iron Butt UK President and #ride5000miles member, Phil Weston has said goodbye to his trusty Triumph Tiger 800 after 181,944 miles of service.
Having bought the Tiger new in 2014, the Bristol-based adventurer has ridden across the UK and Europe, plus a tour of the USA and Canada and had made it a personal goal to eclipse 200,000 miles.
But with the final two rides seeing the freelance building site manager cover 5000 miles in five days, the bike bit the dust on the A30 in Cornwall – developing a fault in the bottom of the engine that wasn’t economically viable to repair.
“I could hear a clunking noise and it sounded like metal on metal,” Phil winced. “They reckon it’s something in the bottom of the engine and if they take it apart, you could open up a can of worms. I considered a new engine, but the whole point was to get that engine to 200,000.
“I’ll take it apart for my own curiosity, but the rest of the bike will be sold on as parts.”
Not one to tread water, Phil is already back in the saddle aboard a Yamaha Tracer 900 GT, which he actually purchased in January 2019 in anticipation of the Tiger conking out much earlier than it did. Expanding on his plans for the new machine, Phil (70) said: “I’m going to ease off a bit, I think. I will still do 1000-mile days and ride around Europe, but I won’t do multiple days of high mileage.
“I don’t think I’ll go into Europe until next year, but since lockdown I’ve been to Scotland a few times and done about 7000 miles,” he continued.
Phil reckons his first proper ride on the Tracer will be a 1000-mile day, with a special stop-off en route: “Lancaster Services was my first-ever bonus location on an Iron Butt rally in England. I’ve got a picture of my Grom, the Tiger and my old Fazer 1000 there, so it’s a tradition to uphold.”
‘They reckon it’d be opening a can of worms’ R5K MEMBER PHIL WESTON