





Another day of perfect weather for throwing a leg over the motorcycle and exploring. Today’s ride: North through Stuart and Meadows of Dan, Virginia to Rocky Knob, then home.
Blame the pandemic. With my usual travel out the window I started thinking about ways to satisfy my wanderlust without hopping on a plane. More cycling? I was getting burned out after decades on a bike and needed a break. Flying? Recent time in the left seat of a Cessna made that an appealing prospect, but then there’s the massive bureaucratic headache and expense of obtaining a private ticket. My mind wandered to motorcycles. Years ago, I owned a BMW R100/7 that had carried me on a wet, windy journey from Michigan to Tennessee and back. Maybe that was it….
I hadn’t been on a bike in years so I spent a fun weekend at the BMW Rider Academy reminding myself of how perishable riding skills are, survived it, then started thinking about the kind of motorcycle that would make sense for me.
I loved my R100. It was easy to ride, not powerful enough to scare me, and simple to maintain. I poked around on Cycle Trader for a last generation R100, and some of its contemporaries including the BMW K75s. But I had this niggling thought: Those are interesting and fun bikes, but as my time on a BMW G310 showed me, motorcycles have come a long way. ABS, traction control and selectable ride modes aren’t exotic stuff. They’re the norm these days.
I’ll leave details of my shopping for another time, but I kept coming back to the idea of an adventure bike. Something road focused, but with the ability to tackle gravel roads if I got the urge. Size was the intimidating thing. Have you ever stood next to a BMW GS? Those are huge, man. But they have their advantages: Wind protection, comfort, and versatility. A friend pointed me toward a Suzuki V-Strom. Intriguing, but it didn’t grab me. I read about the new Triumph Trident 660 and started thinking again about a standard bike. That led to a trip to Select Cycle in Greensboro, which had one for a millisecond before it flew out the door.
One look told me the Trident was way too small for me. I walked around a Tiger 850 Sport. Right size (comfortable but not gigantic). Great specs. A good value.
I scheduled a test ride.
I hadn’t been on this powerful a bike since riding a BMW R1100RS in the mid-’90s. I felt a bit of trepidation. I shouldn’t have. It was surprisingly easy to ride. I was sold, and put down a deposit that afternoon.
After 1,300 miles on the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport, here’s what I’ve learned:
My inner 12 year old demanded to go explore, so after knocking off a few tasks indoors I took the Tiger on a back road excursion to Pilot Mountain and back. It was a good day for scoping out the fall colors (and for heated grips).