One of the perils of this job is falling in love with a motorcycle which, luckily, doesn’t happen all that often (at least to me). “They” say that love conquers everything but, since my love for the 2013 Triumph Tiger 800XC doesn’t seem to be able to conquer the lack of funds in my checking account, I am forced to conclude that “they” are lying through their teeth.

After about a week of riding the Tiger 800XC my friends started commenting on the permagrin etched on my face whenever I rode the bike. After two weeks they grumbled about the exuberant way I’d talk about the bike every chance I got.

I can’t tell you how they felt after week three because, by that point, they had stopped talking or hanging around me. I didn’t care though because I had my little Tiger 800XC, my best mate, my (to steal a line from Ted) “Thunder Buddy” and I didn’t need anyone else.

So what about the Tiger 800XC made Cupid want to smite me with his arrow of love? To be quite honest I’m not entirely sure. I’m not an off-road kind of guy as my last off-road adventure ended with me having a concussion, nerve damage and a broken engine case on a borrowed Husqvarna.

I’ll go off-road onto some gravel or hard packed dirt roads but I don’t live for those excursions and I’m never truly comfortable when I’m on them. I’m much more of a on-road hooligan kinda guy which it the polar opposite of what this bike is made for.

So why did I fall for the Tiger 800XC?

When I first picked-up the Tiger 800XC I was let down by the seeming lack of power. To be fair I had, literally, just stepped off the Triumph Trophy which, even though it weighs as much as a Freightliner, has the grunty 1215cc triple giving it some mojo when you twist the throttle.

The 800cc triple in the Tiger 800XC seemed anemic and woefully underpowered by comparison; even though Triumph claims 94bhp and 59 lb.ft. of torque. Of course I soon realized it was my expectations and the way I was riding the bike that was the issue and not any real lack of power.

Riding the Tiger 800XC like one of Triumph’s liter class triples and you’ll be disappointed. You’ll also be disappointed if you ride it like its smaller cousins, the 675cc triples. The bigger triples produce plenty of torque at low rpm; the smaller triples produce lots of hooligan-inspiring hp at the top of the rpm range; but the 799cc triple in the Tiger XC likes to be right in the middle – it’s the perfect Goldilocks motor. Once I started riding the bike with that powerband in mind I immediately started to enjoy myself.

Whether you are on a back road or the interstate (80mph in 6th gear = 6000 rpm)keeping the bike right in the mid-range will reward you with plenty of power for just about any situation you may find yourself in.

That lack of top or bottom end, combined with the Tiger 800XC’s gearing, meant that I, being somewhat wheelie-challenged, was unable to loft the front wheel. My inner child threw a temper tantrum every time I tried and failed.

Connecting the motor to the rubbery round things is a 6 speed transmission that is, quite honestly, the best transmission I’ve ever used. People always talk about “snicking” into gear but until I rode the 800XC I’d never truly experienced a “snickable” transmission.

Up and down shifts are accomplished with so little effort that they almost seem to happen before you physically move your foot to make them happen. Every other manufacturer needs to buy a Tiger 800XC just to take the transmission apart and copy the magic.

The last participant in the “putting the power to the wheel” menage-a-trois is the clutch. The Tiger 800XC clutch is light but with good feedback and progressive take-up and a friction zone that is easily modulated.

Sometimes a bike whose suspension is made to tackle the humps and bumps of off-road travel wallows through paved corners like a fat hippo in a puddle of mud. Somehow the Triumph engineers have figured out how to create a suspension that is both forgiving off-road and confidence inspiring on road. Yes the tall 21” rim means that handling is a bit deliberate and slower than you’d ideally like if you were tackling a road like Deal’s Gap.

And yes if you decide that you are going to muscle the bike through some tight left-right (or vice versa) transitions you will slide the skinny 90/90 series front tire. But slow your brain down a bit, relax your grip on the bars, act like the bike is just an extension of your body, ride smoothly and you will be amazed at the fun you’ll have.

Not being an off-road kinda guy I decided to test the bump absorption abilities of the Showa 45mm upside down forks and rear Showa mono-shock the best way I knew how; speed humps. I figured that with 220mm of travel in the front and 215mm in the rear, taking those annoying speed humps at speed should be no problem for the Tiger 800XC.

So I went over at 25mph, then 35mph, then 45mph, then 55mph. At that point I figured that I should probably wait until a later hour to try higher speeds since I was in a residential area with a speed limit of 25mph.

Once darkness set in I took the Tiger out on the prowl for some speed humps to ingest. I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say that the Tiger 800XC can handle speed humps at speeds at least up to 80mph; which is where my welcome ran out and I had to vacate the area.

One downside I found is that the bike exhibits the same ultra-light throttle spring that I’ve found on other Triumph’s I’ve tested this year. That light spring makes it difficult to maintain a steady throttle over bumps and results in some jerkiness when bumps are encountered.

I was quite impressed that the bike would handle hitting those big speed humps (not the little bumps but those “tables” they like to use in residential areas) at speeds around 80mph and not exhibit any form of shake or wobble or nastiness. I was really impressed that it could do this and be smooth and controllable in the corners without any sort of adjustability to the front suspension.

As with any motorcycle, the first thing that catches your attention is the looks. You can create the best bike in the world but if you style it like Grandma’s bedroom few people will want to buy it; unless your target market is motorcycle riding Grandmothers.

Some liked the styling of the Tiger 800XC, with it’s angular bodywork, black rims with silver spokes, and strong “Roman nose”; others disliked it because of it’s angular bodywork and woodpecker beak (some called it “Woody”…which is ironic as that what the bike gave……oh forget it). I personally like the styling a lot and wouldn’t change a thing.

Another nice feature of an adventure bike is comfort. While the seat on the Tiger 800XC could be better, the seat to pegs to bar relationship is perfect. Triumph helps make those dimensions fit you perfectly by making both the rider’s portion of the seat and the bars adjustable.

I left the bars alone in the position they were in when I got the bike and raised the seat to it’s higher position and was perfectly happy with the bike. Slap a slightly bigger/better shaped windshield on there as well as a better seat and you could ride this bike on the interstate across the USA with no problems.

Of course you’ll have to buy a throttle lock since Triumph doesn’t put cruise control on the Tiger 800XC. I know that sounds like a minor complaint but after riding the Trophy, Tiger Explorer, and Victory Cory Ness Cross Country Tour within a few months of the Tiger 800XC I’ve become accustomed to cruise control; go ahead, call me spoiled.

Of course with a 5 gallon fuel tank and the fact that I was averaging 39mpg from the bike, you’d be stopping every couple of hours to get gas so maybe cruise control isn’t that important. And since Triumph puts these little nubs in the fuel filler neck to keep you from sticking the end of the fuel pump nozzle into the gas tank, your fuel stops will take longer and your right wrist will have time to recuperate.

Triumph does equip the Tiger 800XC with switchable ABS but, just like on Tiger Explorer, it’s a real bear to turn on and off. Please take note Triumph; going through a half-dozen steps to switch off (or on) the ABS system is both ridiculous and silly. One button is all that is needed. Paved road suddenly turn unpaved? Hold the button down for 3 seconds (or so) and the ABS is off.

Back on a paved surface? Press the button one time quickly and the ABS is back on. And no need for a bright yellow light on the dash to light up when the ABS is off as having ABS OFF light up in red on the speedo or tach would suffice; and not be so bright as to distract you at night.

As you can see, the Tiger 800XC is a fine motorcycle but hardly the fastest, or best handling, or most comfortable, or best looking bike out there. So why did it tug at my heart strings so strongly? I honestly don’t know but I can tell you that the Triumph Tiger 800XC is one of those rare bikes that is far greater than the sum of its parts. Don’t believe me? Go to a dealer demo day and take one for a spin; just don’t blame me afterwards when your wallet becomes a little bit lighter.