Tiger Boxer

[Phil Conners]

The rectangular thing is just a piece of plastic. I asked the shop about it, they looked like it was first time they noticed it, and shrugged. If Tiger had had any sense they'd have put in a digital speedo and had an analog tacho just like many other bikes these days.

[BSJ]

Hi Phil, so it would be no problem fitting an after-market tacho in there......I think I have just the one!

Neat, huh?

Edited August 21, 2008 by BSJ

[dave_boo]

Thanh-BKK,

Most of the four stroke tachs can not be used on two stroke bikes. Mainly because they read the sparks per second and multiply that number by 4 to get a four stroke's RPM. No imagine that approach being used on a two stroke. You'd end up with twice as many indicated RPMs (and quite possibly a burnt out tach) since a 'smoky' only needs two cycles to complete it's powerstroke.

[Phil Conners]

Hi Phil, so it would be no problem fitting an after-market tacho in there......I think I have just the one!

Neat, huh?

The window is about 2.5 x 7 cm. I can't see the size of your gadget but if it can fit in those measurements you could probably put it in.

[PeaceBlondie]

I am going to stick with a tachometer here. Every bike I ever had, except the 1957 scooter, had a tach. If you do not know what the bike sounds like when it is going 8K and 10K, you have no idea where top power is, and might over-rev. I hate sentences like this, but "Real motorcycles and sports cars have tachometers." Even my roommate's 85 horsepower, auto transmission Hyundai Excel had a tach.

That disproves your statement right there...I would hardly call a Hyundai Excel a "sports car"

"Real riders/drivers do not need a tach to tell them where the "sweet spot" is"

Fine, but I did not call an Excel a sports car. Not even the original Tiburon. Since my CBR150 has been in the shop for six weeks, I have driven a Yamaha X1R 135. Four speeds, no tach. I have no idea where the top end is for the engine speed My ears with a fulll helmet on cannot distinguish the sweet spot from 13,000 rpm or 5,500 rpm. I miss the tachometer. 1954 Corvettes probably had tachs with the six cylinder engine and Powerglide transmission.

But for all I know, the Boxer may have a tach. I saw one in the past six mnths, at the police station. My partner says his 2003 Tiger Joker 125 was the worst bike he's had in the last 15 years. Build quality.

[BSJ]

Hi Phil, the thing is supposed to be 8cm x 4cm, but I don't know if that includes the mounting lugs. And if it is that big the LED display is going to be awfully small! Maybe the LEDs are really bright!

[mgjackson69]

My take on the tach....would I just as soon have one? Sure...but the presence or non-presence of a tachometer is not going to be a deal-maker or a deal-killer.

[PeaceBlondie]

mgi, I agree that the presence or absence of a single feature will not kill a deal. There are still lots of single camshaft, air-cooled engines, two valve cyinders, unfaired bikes, no resettable trip odometers, etc.

[kano85]

hi everyone,

i have a Belgian friend in Nakorn Sawan that owns a Boxer 200 cc .He is very satisfied about his boxer, didn't face any problems so far.

He owns it now for 13 months and rode 41000 kms together yes you hear it well 41000 kms ,he rode it all around Thailand

My friend is very satisfied with the boxers performance a good machine on any field flat roads , mountain roads very easy to handle swift and fast bike. no one follows him.I asked him the information without telling to post it here to keep it as objective as possible.

He never needed to repair it, every 3000 kms normal maintenance and thats it .And i must say I know my friend long time and he is not a slow rider he really pushes it to the limits.

I must say i like the bikes design as well and i tried the 250 cc and think to buy one myself it doesn't ride like my BMW 1200 GS adventure back in Belgium what do you expect 77000 bht all in compared to 1000000bht

I Think the boxer is not bad after all

[dave_boo]

hi everyone,

i have a Belgian friend in Nakorn Sawan that owns a Boxer 200 cc .He is very satisfied about his boxer, didn't face any problems so far.

He owns it now for 13 months and rode 41000 kms together yes you hear it well 41000 kms ,he rode it all around Thailand

I live out in the western portion of Nakhon Sawan Province, and I have yet to see anyone on a Tiger. Funny thing is that in Lat Yao they sell them. Before I bought the Airblade for the mother-in-law, the wife was teasing her that she was going to get a Tiger Joker. Her mum wasn't happy. So the bias that is talked about on this forum that Thais have for the brand does seem to be true.

My friend is very satisfied with the boxers performance a good machine on any field flat roads , mountain roads very easy to handle swift and fast bike. no one follows him.I asked him the information without telling to post it here to keep it as objective as possible.

I'd believe that the Tiger is a very competent all around road going machine. The torque that it makes would be very enjoyable in the areas around Ban Rai for example. However, to state that no one follows him seems to imply that the power on tap is heads and shoulders above similar class bikes; and yet it's been demonstrated that the bike is easily left behind by the CBR 150.

He never needed to repair it, every 3000 kms normal maintenance and thats it .And i must say I know my friend long time and he is not a slow rider he really pushes it to the limits.

I've never heard of maintenance issues with the Tiger brand, which is in stark contrast to the Chinese brands. If what RichardBKK has posted is true about the design being from Caviga, then it shouldn't be too surprising.

I must say i like the bikes design as well and i tried the 250 cc and think to buy one myself it doesn't ride like my BMW 1200 GS adventure back in Belgium what do you expect 77000 bht all in compared to 1000000bht

There are fabulous deals to be had as long as you don't bring preconceived notions along, aren't there?

I Think the boxer is not bad after all

[Richard-BKK]

The Tiger Boxer 200 (and the Boxer 250RS) are both based on the Cagiva F4 (not the current Cagiva F4 which is a superbike), I digged in the foto albums and pulled out a oldie

Hereby both the Cagiva F4 S, and the latest Tiger Boxer 200. Tiger has upgraded the Boxer 200 with disc front and rear disc brakes and some other improvements...

[PeaceBlondie]

Good for Tiger Boxer. As for durability, I would expect every new bike to run well for well over 50,000 km, although my first CBR had carb problems after 35K.

[Richard-BKK]

The Cagiva is still going strong, new paint job and looks very sharp, the current owner even re-spoked the wheels with aluminum alloy spokes. It looks really good. The current owner has even people coming up to him to ask if it is a new model, what is not bad for a bike which is almost 20 years old.

[tonybroster]

The Tiger Boxer 200 (and the Boxer 250RS) are both based on the Cagiva F4 (not the current Cagiva F4 which is a superbike), I digged in the foto albums and pulled out a oldie

Hereby both the Cagiva F4 S, and the latest Tiger Boxer 200. Tiger has upgraded the Boxer 200 with disc front and rear disc brakes and some other improvements...

Hi Richard, I bought a brand new black 250 Ninja a few weeks ago here in Pattaya, Mityon the dealer was truly excellent, & provided a fantastic bike with 1 exception, Me!

27 years of formula car racing have left me with a real bad back & the Ninja is just that bit too low in the bars for me & hurts the back like hel_l , I should have known better silly sod.

Now its parked & I just get to look at it, & with only 70 kilometers ( yes 70 ) its got to be sold at a moderate loss I guess. ( anyone interested ? my tel numbers below )

So Im forced to be interested in looking at a new more upright riding position 250 Tiger Boxer, which as usual in these colums you seem to be incredibly well informed about,

Tiger 250 boxer is built here in Thailand I believe ? & uses a Cagiva or Cagiva clone single cylinder engine ? 5 speed box ?

There has been mixed comment on electric problems & poor spare parts supplies, any informed comments on those subjects Richard would be much appreciated please, likewise your overview of the bike in general if you have the time.

Im not at all concerned about it being a bit "so called old tech" with air cooling & Soh camshaft, handling, ride & brakes are far more important to me,

as for speed I live in Pattaya & a high top speed here usually ends up in Pattaya Bkk hospital the leaking red stuff, also at my age Im Old Tech myself !!.

lastly do you know of a Pattaya dealers name & whereabouts, & failing that BKK ?

Big Thank you in advance.

Tony Broster, 087-1487325

[Richard-BKK]

Hi Tony,

The Tiger Boxer is designed by Cagiva at the time that MV Agusta (mother company of Cagiva) was owned by Proton Malaysia. Proton wanted to get a few models quickly on the Southeast Asian markets, import duty from Europe was extreme high, so Proton looked for partners to build and sell the newly designed motorcycles. And the Boxer 200 is a result of this partnership.

In Thailand, Proton found a suitable partner in Tiger Motorcycles, the deal did not go as well as it was planned. Proton got into a bit financial difficulty and decided to let the MV Augusta go, I belief it was sold for 1 US$ back to a group of Italian investors. (currently MV Augusta is merged with Harley Davidson).

For the technology used in the Tiger Boxer, I can only say one thing it is 'very reliable'. The engine is also designed by Cagiva, and other then most people I see SOHC or air-cooled engines not as low-tech.

And yes I also read the postings about bad electrics, and poor plastics, But I never have seen a Tiger with bad electrics, and you have to trust me on this, I see a lot of Tiger Boxer motorcycles per day. About the plastics, not so long ago I was asked to take a look at a Tiger Boxer 200 motorcycle which crashed into the back of a pickup at high speed. It was hard to see what for motorcycle it was but the headlight fairing was undamaged (with exception of the class of the light).

Tiger Motorcycles had/has some problems with parts, I have to agree on that. But I'm told that this will get much better.

I not know any Tiger dealers in Pattaya, but I can give you the number of the Tiger factory in Samut Prakarn 02-388 0868

[tonybroster]

Hi Tony,

The Tiger Boxer is designed by Cagiva at the time that MV Agusta (mother company of Cagiva) was owned by Proton Malaysia. Proton wanted to get a few models quickly on the Southeast Asian markets, import duty from Europe was extreme high, so Proton looked for partners to build and sell the newly designed motorcycles. And the Boxer 200 is a result of this partnership.

In Thailand, Proton found a suitable partner in Tiger Motorcycles, the deal did not go as well as it was planned. Proton got into a bit financial difficulty and decided to let the MV Augusta go, I belief it was sold for 1 US$ back to a group of Italian investors. (currently MV Augusta is merged with Harley Davidson).

For the technology used in the Tiger Boxer, I can only say one thing it is 'very reliable'. The engine is also designed by Cagiva, and other then most people I see SOHC or air-cooled engines not as low-tech.

And yes I also read the postings about bad electrics, and poor plastics, But I never have seen a Tiger with bad electrics, and you have to trust me on this, I see a lot of Tiger Boxer motorcycles per day. About the plastics, not so long ago I was asked to take a look at a Tiger Boxer 200 motorcycle which crashed into the back of a pickup at high speed. It was hard to see what for motorcycle it was but the headlight fairing was undamaged (with exception of the class of the light).

Tiger Motorcycles had/has some problems with parts, I have to agree on that. But I'm told that this will get much better.

I not know any Tiger dealers in Pattaya, but I can give you the number of the Tiger factory in Samut Prakarn 02-388 0868

Hi Richard,

thanks for the prompt & whats more important very informative reply, ok today quite by accident I was given a Pattaya Tiger dealer.

Heres todays accurate information if anyone is interested

The shop is named Neunplabwan, its in soi 53 off Sukhumvit rd central Pattaya area, approx 3 kms down soi 53 you cross the railway lines look for Esso gas station on the right & he is on the opposite side of the road from Esso, real easy to find, nice clean shop, & a really friendly sales guy who looked you in the eye when he talked & yes I liked the guy, the tel no 081-8879072.

we saw 3 250 boxers & a couple of other Tigers products,

I asked about future spares & he said what do you want ? I will call factory tomorrow ( near bangkok )& check for you if I dont have it.

I asked about dodgy electrics, his reply was "we have had no problems here" & its ALL guaranteed if you did experience difficulties, easy as factory this side of Bkk .

I was asked if I wanted a no obligation to buy test ride for as long as I wished & am going back to test the boxer for an hour or so on a dry day soon.

You are 100% right Richard, its not at all badly built, super riding position for pattayas heavy traffic, (& my bad back ) adjustable bars, perfect hight seat for someone of 5ft to say 5ft 8ish, the finish & fit of components is pretty good, & the plastic items looked to be good quality.

It comes in 2 colours available in red/silver , & blue /silver delivery NOW, price 72,000 baht.

Checked out the non fitment of a rev counter as there is already a small oblong window top right side of the instrument panel, dealer said he would call BKK tomorrow to see A, if something was available from Tiger

or B,are they planning something for future bikes.

Looking at it its a fairly easy job to alter the instrument panel & fit a suitable small round, square or oblong rev counter after purchase, which is exactly what I will do If I buy the 250 Boxer.

Single cyl ohc, Italian Cagiva engined 250cc air cooled ( has an oil cooler as standard ) good sized disc front & rear brakes, upside down alloy forks, alloy swinging arm, steel tig welded tube & box section frame, adj gas rear shocks, alloy wheels, conventional dual seat, (so no leaking radiators or water pumps to worry about)

It appears to be a simple to maintain straight forward single cylinder 250cc bike without too many gimmicks & frills, & if it rides ok, Great for what its intended I guess.

Thanks again Richard your prompt help & informed comment was much appreciated, Now I just have to sell the new 70 K Ninja !!

Tony.

[jdinasia]

Geeze, now I am wondering if Richard and I are neighbors

[BSJ]

Hi tony, that's a real shame about the riding position. Would a simple fix like different handlebars fix the problem? It might mean buying new cables and a longer brake hose as well but whatever the cost it's a lot less than the loss you will incur on selling the Ninja.

[Richard-BKK]

@ jdinasia

I don't know if we neighbors, I not see much foreigners in my area, but I live Rama II Road in the beginning

[jdinasia]

Nope I live near Seacon ... but there is police housing close to me .. so I see 100's of Boxers every day

[benjamat]

Talking about the Ninja 250, how does the two compare (apart from the price where the Ninja is about double the price of the Boxer) ?

I know the Ninja is a twin cylinder while I think the Boxer is a single, right?

I'd assume the Ninja is more of a racer and the Boxer more of a utility bike.

Does anyone know how much power (HP/torque) each have?

Well, IIRC, the 200 version of the Boxer makes in the low to mid 20's for horsepower. Torque I know nothing about. However, the Ninja has a claimed BHP of 36 HP and 16 lb-ft of torque. However, most of the figures I've seen suggest a RWHP of only 26, which seems that there's a whole bunch of driveline loss.

Ninja 250 in UK comes in at 33bhp so as to be available to younger riders legally.

[thaicbr]

Tony broster I believe that you can get raisers for the bars from the states. they are sold as lowering kits but all they do is raise the bars so that the forks can be lowered up through the stems. i think it would be a simple job to have made here as its just adapter plates that go under the bars and then longer bolts to bolt through to the headstock.

but if you dont want to do pm me some pictures of ya bike and how much you want.

Allan

[Richard-BKK]

Hi jdinasia,

Then we live in similar situations, where I live we have one of the largest police housing projects and a administrative police district office, and of course our own police station. Crime is remarkable low in our moobaan.

Nope I live near Seacon ... but there is police housing close to me .. so I see 100's of Boxers every day

[tonybroster]

Hi BSJ,

I guess I would be soon out of business... On the other hand, most racing team which need the "ultimate" top performance of a engine let somebody build them manual.

Hi Richard,

Stupid question of the day for you, & Im likley very wrong ( as has been known before) but the Tiger Boxer 250 engine is from Cagiva right ?

Do you know did Cagiva buy, copy, clone it from a Rotax unit ?

it doesent matter a damm really Im just a bit curious thats all.

Spoken to 2 local cops re the Tigers, they seem to be unaware of any trail of broken parts falling off their bikes, have had no charging/ battery problems or anything else really go wrong & both say they enjoy riding their bikes.

So it would appear that whoever did the Tiger purchase deal for the cops has maybe not got it too far wrong after all.

Thanks, Tony

[Richard-BKK]

Hi Tony,

As far as I know, does Rotax not make engines for Cagiva. Also the Cagiva engine as used in the Tiger Boxer 200 or 250 is never been used except on a few prototype Cagiva models called the Cagiva F4 150 (150cc, and later this engine was upgraded to 200cc, with different cylinder mounting points).

From what I hear is the biggest problem with the police motorcycles accident damage, so police motorcycle which are used daily and ride a good amount of kilometers per day show no serious problems. That sounds not bad...

Most engine parts are manufactured in China, and the engine is assembled in Thailand. On some engine part we can find a marking which would indicate that they are manufactured by the same manufacturer who produces Harley-Davidson engine parts. You maybe wondering why this is of any interest, the funny part is that Harley-Davidson is currently the owner of Cagiva as MV Augusta merged with Harley-Davidson...

[tonybroster]

Hi Tony,

As far as I know, does Rotax not make engines for Cagiva. Also the Cagiva engine as used in the Tiger Boxer 200 or 250 is never been used except on a few prototype Cagiva models called the Cagiva F4 150 (150cc, and later this engine was upgraded to 200cc, with different cylinder mounting points).

From what I hear is the biggest problem with the police motorcycles accident damage, so police motorcycle which are used daily and ride a good amount of kilometers per day show no serious problems. That sounds not bad...

Most engine parts are manufactured in China, and the engine is assembled in Thailand. On some engine part we can find a marking which would indicate that they are manufactured by the same manufacturer who produces Harley-Davidson engine parts. You maybe wondering why this is of any interest, the funny part is that Harley-Davidson is currently the owner of Cagiva as MV Augusta merged with Harley-Davidson...

Thanks for the Tiger Boxers Cagiva uprated 250 engine info Richard, your comments appreciated, Tony

[kano85]

I don't want to start a discussion here .But i rode the bike and im sure that a CBR 150 cc wont follow the boxer .That's maybe the main reason that the brown boys are using the boxer

[kano85]

hi everyone,

i have a Belgian friend in Nakorn Sawan that owns a Boxer 200 cc .He is very satisfied about his boxer, didn't face any problems so far.

He owns it now for 13 months and rode 41000 kms together yes you hear it well 41000 kms ,he rode it all around Thailand

I live out in the western portion of Nakhon Sawan Province, and I have yet to see anyone on a Tiger. Funny thing is that in Lat Yao they sell them. Before I bought the Airblade for the mother-in-law, the wife was teasing her that she was going to get a Tiger Joker. Her mum wasn't happy. So the bias that is talked about on this forum that Thais have for the brand does seem to be true.

My friend is very satisfied with the boxers performance a good machine on any field flat roads , mountain roads very easy to handle swift and fast bike. no one follows him.I asked him the information without telling to post it here to keep it as objective as possible.

I'd believe that the Tiger is a very competent all around road going machine. The torque that it makes would be very enjoyable in the areas around Ban Rai for example. However, to state that no one follows him seems to imply that the power on tap is heads and shoulders above similar class bikes; and yet it's been demonstrated that the bike is easily left behind by the CBR 150.

He never needed to repair it, every 3000 kms normal maintenance and thats it .And i must say I know my friend long time and he is not a slow rider he really pushes it to the limits.

I've never heard of maintenance issues with the Tiger brand, which is in stark contrast to the Chinese brands. If what RichardBKK has posted is true about the design being from Caviga, then it shouldn't be too surprising.

I must say i like the bikes design as well and i tried the 250 cc and think to buy one myself it doesn't ride like my BMW 1200 GS adventure back in Belgium what do you expect 77000 bht all in compared to 1000000bht

There are fabulous deals to be had as long as you don't bring preconceived notions along, aren't there?

I dont want to start a discussion here.I rode the bike myself and I am very sure that a CBR 150 won't follow the Boxer.

[PeaceBlondie]

Okay, time for me to eat some humble pie. When it was just a 200cc police bike, it was in a category by itself. I still have never seen a civilian riding one. But by the time it was a 250, and been on the market for several years, it amounts to something now. Yet when the time came this May to replace my 2003 CBR150, it never crossed my mind. Out of sight, out of mind. Now I wish I had considered it, because 66 percent more displacement is a lot, and the price is not too high - in fact, I would have bought a Honda CBF250 for 85K, if it had been available.

[dave_boo]

I don't want to start a discussion here .But i rode the bike and im sure that a CBR 150 cc wont follow the boxer .That's maybe the main reason that the brown boys are using the boxer

Where do you see the coppers on Boxers? I've seen them in Bangkok, but that's about it. Perhaps it had more to do with the right palms being greased (not unheard of in LOS)?