More Pics of Triumph Tiger

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

I’m an admitted Triumph lover. Maybe it’s because my first bike was a Triumph – a 1999 Legend. Maybe it’s because I currently have a 1969 T100R Daytona (with kick start, right foot shift and left foot rear brake) in the garage. Maybe it’s because my ancestors were British (with a little Swedish mixed in there, too). But I can’t help but being captivated by Triumphs, even if I’ve sometimes strayed and bought other brands – Harley, BMW and Yamaha. That’s why Triumph’s incessant teasing with leaked photos and videos in recent months of its new Tiger 800 models sucked me in and simultaneously piqued my interest and pissed me off. Well, Triumph has finally released some pictures of the new 2011 Tiger, which is likely to compete against the BMW F800GS and the Suzuki V-Strom. I’m thinking not too big, not too small, but just right. Still no word on what the bikes – there’s a street version and a dirt friendly version – will cost. Given the continuing sad state of the economy and the 9.1 percent unemployment rate in Connecticut in September, finding the money to buy one will be a challenge. How many of us are riding what’s in our garage and are damned happy to have what we have?