Triumph Tiger 800 and Honda Crossrunner in Ireland
A rugged road trip needs tough bikes. We took Triumph’s Tiger 800 to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way with Honda’s Crossrunner
IT TAKES ME a while to work out what this feeling is. It’s a light sensation in my stomach, as if I haven’t eaten; a fidgety inability to sit still; constantly looking around as I’m sitting on the dock in Fishguard; laughing a bit too much. Then I realise – it’s excitement. I’m taking the Triumph Tiger 800 XRX to Ireland and I literally can’t wait to get there.
Photographer Weeble is riding with me, on the Honda Crossrunner. The two bikes have a lot of similarities but an equal number of differences. For starters, they’re both called 800s, but the Triumph’s 800cc three-cylinder motor makes 94bhp while the Honda’s 782cc motor is a V4 and also 10bhp more powerful. Both bikes have upright, trailie-inspired styling but the Crossrunner has a road-focused 17in front wheel, while the Tiger has a mud-friendlier 19in front (but still cast, not spoked).
One other big difference is the weight of the two machines. The Crossrunner is a hearty 242kg even before the substantial Honda topbox is fitted. The thinner, lower Tiger tips the scales at 20kg less and has only my lightweight Oxford rollbag on the back. When it comes to pushing the bikes forward in the queue for the Stena Line ferry, the Triumph is definitely easier to handle.
Having taken the 2:30pm crossing, it’s getting on for 6pm by the time we roll off the ferry in Rosslare. Our overnight stop is round the coast in Dungarvan, so we press on along largely empty roads – with the few cars that are out there moving over on the wide lanes to let us pass. I’d heard that Ireland was a bike-friendly place, but I still find this amazing.
Mind you, no matter how warm the welcome and how good the Guinness, we take it steady when we get to the hotel. “We have a long way to go tomorrow,” I warn Weeble. He looks surprised. “It must be a long way… we’re going to Tipperary.” He groans. In fact, we’re heading further west, to ride a stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way. But the day starts heading inland, taking the rollercoaster R669 and R668 over The Vee – an immaculate hairpin with views that vanish at a distant, hazy horizon.
I’m enjoying the Tiger on these roads, largely because the engine’s so engaging. The ride-by-wire throttle is light but still taut, natural and accurate, delivering grin-broadening bursts of acceleration on every corner exit accompanied by a discreet but pleasant burble. The 800XRX has pre-set Road and Off-road riding modes that alter traction-control and ABS settings as well as throttle response. There’s also a Rider mode that gives Rain, Road, Sport and Off-road throttle-map options (and the option to monkey about with ABS and traction).
Going into the Rider mode to select the Sport option definitely perks the Tiger up – while we’re not talking litre-sportsbike levels of frenzied speed, it’s a properly quick motorbike. It
rewards revving the engine and working the slick gearbox to keep it in its torquerich sweet spot around 7000rpm. It’s not buzzy, just juicy and sweet. There’s enough engine braking to manage speeds for sweeping turns, but I have to call on the brakes for tighter bends as speeds rise – which they do, easily. There’s a real sense of distances shrinking as we jump on the N72 heading west.
Swapping to the Crossrunner is a surprisingly large contrast. The throttle isn’t heavy, but it has meatier feel to it – reinforcing the Honda’s overall sense of solidity. I’m almost cautious with it at first, short-shifting at about 6000rpm before the VTEC engine kicks from two-valve to four-valve operation. As we turn onto the N72 and R569, I have a word with myself. I remembered this bike being a lot of fun, after riding it on the launch, but ridden like this it’s just a bit… bland. Unexciting. What’s wrong with it?
Clearly, the problem’s me, not the Honda. It’s a different bike once I wake up and start using the throttle properly, holding onto the revs in each gear. There’s a real sense of urgency as it blurs the hedgerows with effortless smoothness. There’s no judder when it passes through the VTEC transition at 7000rpm, just a change of noise (from growling dog to honking goose) and a momentary tingle of unobtrusive vibes. The extra 10bhp is felt when the Crossrunner’s LCD tacho is in the top quarter of its range – and it feels great. I don’t let the engine dip back into two-valve running except for junctions.
I’m surprised how evenly matched the bikes feel on the narrow lanes of the Beara Peninsula, but when we head north on the broad, sweeping, spectacular N71 from Glengarriff, the Crossrunner definitely feels a fraction faster than the Tiger. The more-limited protection from its low screen accentuates the windblast and raises the sense of speed, while its 17in front wheel also gives it more “road bike” handling than the “big trailie” feel of the 19in front on the Triumph. It all makes the Honda feel subtly sportier and it’s a lot of fun to ride fast on roads like this. There are no engine modes to worry about, but there are two stages of traction control that can be selected (or switched off) while you’re on the move, though I leave it in the default, highest Level 2 setting.
Our base on the west coast is Killarney, starting point for a thousand Ring-of-kerry coach trips – a nice town that’s set up to welcome tourists. Which is good, because the next day is a wash-out – and, even worse, I get a puncture on the Crossrunner almost as soon as we leave the hotel. Thankfully, we’d allowed six days for our trip so we can write this day off while the local Honda dealer fits new rubber to the bike, and water lashes the hills.
Next morning dawns clear, bright and sunny – it feels like a different town in a different season, so great is the contrast between the wet day and the dry day. We set off early, heading out to try the Ring of Kerry anti-clockwise, as most coach trips circulate in the other direction. It’s a fantastic ride, with big-screen views bathed in brilliant sunshine as the road runs beside a sea lapping at a shore framed by hazy green mountains.
For me, though, the best riding starts when we get off the main N70 at Lough Caragh and head inland, away from the Ring. The roads are narrower, wilder, bumpier and I’m glad to be back on the Tiger. There’s an
“The best riding starts when we get off the main road”
effortless, sure-footed flick ability to it and though the suspension is basic (there’s no adjustment on the upside-down forks and only preload at the shock, adjusted with a screwdriver) it still soaks up the worst the road can throw at it.
At one point, heading over the Ballaghbema Gap, gravel in the centre of the single-track road and bigger bumps abounding, I even stand on the pegs. It feels natural, easy – sensible, even. It’s what adventure bikes are for, even road-focused ones like the Triumph. I don’t feel any less in control, though I’m not a regular off-roader used to standing to ride.
By the time we’re on the even more scenic Dunloe Gap I’ve switched to the Honda. Despite its semi-adventure styling, I’m not tempted to stand on the pegs, even when the road briefly becomes a pot-holed gravel track as we near Kate Kearney’s Cottage. The Crossrunner’s suspension has less travel than the Tiger’s, though more scope to set it up to suit you (preload and a combined damping adjuster on the conventional forks, rebound and a remote preload adjuster on the shock). It’s ideal for the broad, smooth roads, works OK on the narrow and bumpier ones, but does struggle on these ultra-rough ones.
Thankfully, as we head north it’s on the kind of sweeping roads that are the Honda’s natural habitat, riding out onto the stunning Dingle Peninsula, stopping at Inch Beach then climbing over the Conor Pass before looping back to our hotel after a truly fantastic day of riding. The original plan had been to spend two days here, riding the route then revisiting our favourite bits, but having lost a day to the rain, next morning we have to move on.
We go north, past Tralee and taking the ferry across the Shannon River from Tarbert, then heading up the west coast to Spanish Point. The plan had been to visit the Cliffs of Moher, but a brief look at the clock suggests it’s sensible to skip them. Instead we continue north on the N67, which is quiet as most tourists are hugging the shore, then turn further inland on the R480. I can’t believe just how empty the roads are – even skirting Ennis, the capital of County Clare, there’s barely any traffic.
This is a long, uninterrupted stint of riding and the Honda’s seat is just starting to feel uncomfortably firm when we stop to fill up before getting on the M7 motorway. The Crossrunner has the larger tank (just under 21 litres) but it always flickers its fuel light well before the Tiger – usually between 120-130 miles. Ridden steadily, it can return 47mpg, but ridden entertainingly it’s nearer 40mpg. The Tiger fluctuates less, between 43 and 46mpg.
I’m glad to be jumping on the Tiger for this stretch of the journey. The seat is narrower but softer and more comfortable. It’s 5mm lower than the Honda, but with lower pegs actually has a little more leg room. The screen is taller, adjustable and quieter and – best of all for motorways – it has cruise control as standard, easily set with a flick of the right-hand thumb. It definitely has the edge for crunching out the miles as we cross Ireland to our final night’s stop on the edge of Carlow.
Next day, we head through the majestic Wicklow Mountains (think Peak District, not Pyrenees) before heading round Dublin to get the ferry. It’s been a fantastic trip, showing the strengths of two superb but subtly different bikes. The Crossrunner shines on the broader, smoother roads – but has to be ridden hard to get the best out of it, or it can be a little dull. The Tiger 800 XRX is more versatile, taking even the roughest roads in its stride. It’s always engaging, entertaining and easy to ride. It’s the bike that, when we dock in Hollyhead, I commandeer to get me home.