I had a Yamaha XS400 at the time. A pleasant little bike. I quite liked it, really. But in no way was it a fit machine for travelling distances. At about 65mpg, the fuel tank capacity of just over two gallons gave a range of under 150 miles. Not enough to reach Liverpool from High Wycombe. And I had decided that I was going to the IOM that year. It was to be my first trip there and helped form the specification of my next bike. It had to be good on fuel, with a range of at least 200 miles. It had to cruise at 70mph on A roads and have a low seat height. And I like a torquey engine with plenty of grunt. For once I had enough money to buy either new or low mileage second hand. I had a choice of Yam XS650, Morini, Guzzi V50 or Triumph 650 Thunderbird. I went to Motorcycle City with my list and was told what I really needed was a Honda CB650 four. When I refused this he said he'd arrange for a test ride on a V50 - I’m still waiting for it.
Next stop was Anglo Bike for a Thunderbird test, and also because they said they had a low mileage XS650. When I arrived there I found they only had a low mileage Tiger 750, which I was convinced wouldn’t handle after trying other, Jap, 750s. I tried the Yam - it was really rather lovely. A great engine but poor frame, excellent controls but uncomfortable riding position, lovely transmission but only adequate braking in the wet - in all it seemed a nearly bike. So I tried out the Tiger. And fell in love. The affair continues to this day - how can an industry go down the drain when they make something quite so lovable?
This was my Isle of Man bike: great gobs of torque, stable on the straights, light enough to flick through bends, a big fuel tank of three and a half gallons and the most comfortable riding position I've ever found for touring, with the slightly raised bars and mildly rearset pegs (not stock).
The 750 Tiger is a long stroke pushrod parallel twin with a claimed 44hp at 6000rpm. Weighing 400lbs, this is sufficient for a top of speed of around 110mph. Fuel consumption is a worst of 65mpg and best of 85mpg, helped by the use of a single SU carb of immense size robbed from a car. Oil is held in the frame tubes, which is a good idea if you have to suffer the indignity of a dry sump engine, whilst ninety weight oil stops the gearbox seizing up (usually). And why on earth is the engine fitted with five gears?
There was no annoying vibration! None of the high frequency stuff that numbs fingers on bad Japanese bikes, just low frequency vibes that blurs the mirrors but did little damage save for the occasional fractured exhaust pipe (on the way to the BMF on a Sunday when the sun actually came out - something had to go wrong, didn’t it).
The bad news. The finish is horrible. The powder coating on the frame cracks, allows water in and then rusts underneath and peels off in long strips. The chrome is very nearly as grotty. It pits and rusts far too easily but at least it doesn’t peel off. I’ve seen chrome on older Jap bikes that is in much better shape. The silencers rotted in only three years, but they're a lot cheaper than Jap stuff.
The rectifier burnt out - it became so hot that it melted a steel mudguard, but its replacement has given no problem. The alternator is not really powerful enough, in traffic with the lights on and the stop lamp in use, there’s not enough power left for the ignition.
The Tiger also eats its drive chain, they last only 5000 miles and need plenty of adjustment. Roadrunners last for 10000 miles rear and 15000 front. I’ve found the combination of a ribbed F2 front and new AM21 rear suit the Triumph’s frame perfectly. The original Girlings were only average, the Marzocchis a little worse and the Konis fitted now much, much better. The seat is deeply padded and comfortable, the gear change is rather heavy and stiff (as is the clutch).
The primary chain tensioner is horrible - a bad piece of design that breaks far too frequently. It is also hard to adjust. If I go on a long run I always take a spare. It always needs four star petrol to stop the engine and sometimes even that quantity of lead is insufficient when the engine is very hot. The big tank is very nice on a long run and is more useful for carrying a tank bag than the US job, which, I feel, oaks a little out of place on a Tiger. Reserve is worth 20 miles.
It drinks oil in vast quantities. I don’t know where it goes to, it doesn’t leak much so I suppose it must burn it off although it doesn’t show in the exhaust. I’ve had to replace the base gasket twice in four years, and the pushrod O-rings have gone three times, which is beyond a joke. The gearbox and crankcases are oil tight and there’s a slight mist from the cylinder head, but never any of the huge gushing leaks that used to be found under all British iron.
The good news. The Tiger is immense fun to ride. It’ll take you where you want to go and let you enjoy the going. It prefers touring but is good enough for commuting in town or for scratching in country lanes. It hates motorways, which is good because so do I. There is no electric start which is a blessing - electric starters on bikes are forever going wrong. The throttle response is good and there’s bags of torque. There’s also plenty of engine braking, so disc pads last for ages.
The footrests are solidly mounted, which prevented damage to the engine cases in a crash - the handling is pretty good and it has to go over a long way before the pegs touch down. There is a rather a lot of wandering and twitching from the frame and forks - it shimmies, weaves, bounces, but after all the frightening moments are over you realise you've just taken the bend at a speed that would leave most Jap four owners thankful that the NHS is still free.
Sedate riding produces none of these frightening antics and is soon adopted by all except the committed head-bangers. The chassis is very stable in a straight line for which the combination of long wheelbase and modest power can probably be thanked (not to mention the 19" front wheel). The ability to go around corners has been exploited by me on a few occasions when a slight madness overtakes me.
My first Mad Sunday was a rather sedate affair as I permitted absolutely everyone to overtake me, the second year was a little more hectic as I was in the company of a friend on a BSA A10 who became fed up with the slowness of the powerful superbikes - so if that was you on the Moto Martin passed by a bike that’s a cross between a road drill and a dinosaur, that was my mate's idea of a gentle cruising speed.
A British parallel twin is an ideal tool for the kind of roads found on the Island. Similarly, it proved suitable for a touring holiday in Ireland the only catch being a lack of bike dealers. I broke a throttle cable in Ulster and was told the nearest Triumph dealer was in Liverpool, and no they wouldn’t let me make one up. By the way, when in Ireland, do tour the Dingle Peninsula, narrower roads that the Ring of Kerry, so more fun for bike riders.
Now, to smaller details. The centre stand is brilliant, stable, strong and easy to use - the Tiger is light enough to encourage use of the centre stand for most of the time. The machine is so well balanced that removal of either wheel allows. the bike to rest on the other wheel without any props. The side stand allows the bike to lean too far over.
The indicators break with great ease. The rear brake pedal pivot seizes. The seat is low enough for short people to touch the ground and the pillion isn’t stuck out in the airstream. A smaller rear sprocket is recommended (mine is 10% smaller and could go even smaller to make the engine feel less revvy).
The Tiger makes a jolly good rally bike. It’s exciting enough to ride on the roads and light enough to manoeuvre in the fields. The slim profile makes it easy to filter through both campsites and London traffic jams - the Tiger really is good in traffic for a 750.
All in all, the Tiger is a good size and weight, it’s comfortable, quicker than it feels, economical, spares are cheap and readily available. Happy on minor roads but not motorways. Amazingly poor quality finish. But above all, it’s very lovable nice one Meriden.
R Evans