This Tiger is a veteran of big trips so I wasn't concerned about its ability to cope with this one. Preparation was limited to a full service and new tyres, which didn't prohibit the need for new front wheel bearings in a field in France, or for the lower chain guide to fall off, or the alternator shaft bolts to loosen (again!). None of this caused a problem, the Tiger continued to out-scratch many a sports bike through the twisty Alpine passes and was the only bike on the trip to exceed 4 times the national speed limit (31 mph for motorcycles in Romania, and roads bumpy enough to match). Tank ranges around 280 miles left me comfortable when others were sweating, and a crash at the Nurburgring resulted in nothing but a broken cable tie. 'Nuf said.

jeremy