LooK What the Grundle Dragged In- TIGER pics inside!!

[grundlegrabber]

Well, been working on this one for almost 3 months now and things finally came together. Check out my new TIGER trike! I don't know a helluva lot about these and never had one before. Came across an ad on a vintage MX swap meet board awhile back, and have been in contact with the guy ever since. Here's the story:

Got this from the original owner who bought it new in may '85. He was a Tiger dealer back in the day and bought this to race. He tells me he raced it 6 times, then it was disassembled and stored away in a warehouse until 3 months ago.
I told him I wanted it so he dug it out and began putting it back together. This guy was in the Atlanta area, and I'm up near Philly. Turns out he just sold his shop and was moving to Florida. Well, my buddy's girl bought him some track days down at Jennings GP for his b'day. Wouldn't ya know, he was able to meet up with the guy down there at the track, and picked this bad boy up for me! Just returned today from a 16 hr journey up the coast.

Didn't get much of a chance to look it over yet, but it's in pretty decent shape. He originally told me it was a 200 but I think it's a 250. I got an original Tiger banner with it, original parts manual, certificate of origin, purchase recepit from the tiger factory, and more. Old skool H-traks on the back were never even run. Missing rad shroud and front fender. Otherwise real nice lookin. Already it's starting to grow on me. I feel it was destined to be mine! What should I do with it? Restore? Sell? Or just put it all back together and stash it away maybe? Whaddaya think?

And to top it all off, he supposedly has a video of the first race he ran with this Tiger back in '85. He's supposed to be making me a copy and sending it up. That will just make my day! A real cool guy he is.

[1DEADPRESIDENT]

:w00t: That is a rare piece of history. Thats a TF06 must have. :lol:

[ScottZJ]

Nice snag man! Its always neat getting a piece of rare history.

[350Xhilaration]

Congrats!! Looks good. There are some guys here that can probably help with info/parts. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[chris200x]

You da man!!! Bring her up here and see how good of a hillclimber she is!!! lmao!

[TravEX]

Looks great!!! Keep us posted!!!

[BigGreenMachine]

That looks mint. Ride it!

[edog]

Post better pics please?

[grundlegrabber]

Sorry, got drunk tonite to celebrate and couldn't hold the cam steady. First step is to get it running again, take a spin in the yard, then figure it out from there what it needs and what direction I wanna go with it. I'm thinking restore, but there are a few others in progress ahead of it. Not bringing this one up to the coal hills! Maybe a spin at Rausch Creek tho!

[350x'inNY]

Hey.... what size and model are those H-Traks? They look like the ones I have here at the farm. I just don't know what rims to mount them on.

[chris200x]

Sorry, got drunk tonite to celebrate and couldn't hold the cam steady. First step is to get it running again, take a spin in the yard, then figure it out from there what it needs and what direction I wanna go with it. I'm thinking restore, but there are a few others in progress ahead of it. Not bringing this one up to the coal hills! Maybe a spin at Rausch Creek tho!

We have something in common... the night I bought my trike I did the same. :beer :naughty:

But you have alot more reason to celebrate than I.

BTW, I was joking about my ealier statement. you would need better tires on it for that! :naughty: :lol:

[Aussieduner]

Sorry, got drunk tonite to celebrate and couldn't hold the cam steady. First step is to get it running again, take a spin in the yard, then figure it out from there what it needs and what direction I wanna go with it. I'm thinking restore, but there are a few others in progress ahead of it. Not bringing this one up to the coal hills! Maybe a spin at Rausch Creek tho!

Hey Grundle
Any pics of the missle machine ? i had the kit you purchased for a short while here in Australia !

Cheers
Aussie

[crackshot]

How much you pay for that tiger if you don't mind me asking?

[phreakboy]

sexy, with all of these pa tigers coming up/out maybe I will actually get to see one in person one day.:Bounce :naughty:

[smokinp]

wow! sweet find...have you drove it yet???:D

[blue27]

You know I LOVE IT when Tigers are found!!!!!! :Bounce :Bounce :Bounce :Bounce If you decide to sell I have first dibs. lol Looks good keep me posted. Maybe some year we will have a Tiger ride? Will go up to Rausch and put around like old men on scooters because we don't want to break are toys.:lol:

[jmack3986]

i still wondeer why tiger whent down and didnt continue into quads. from what i have heard they were they baddest trike out there. personally i think it would be cool if they would have made a quad.

[blue27]

They did make a quad, but I heard it wasn't that great. Also the company was to far in debt with all the money spent on trikes and the the banning of racing them hurt sales. They just started at a bad time. at least that is what I heard.

[Lomax]

IF that guy used to be a dealer he might still have information laying around about who is sold Tiger ATC's to back in the 80's. IF you could get your hands on that......... Some would have sold by now but some could still be setting in barns were they were put when the racing stopped..

[breastman569]

man keep that PETTY number plate my dad was good friends with back in the day untill he crashed his plane up in Nothern Arizona.

[scooterroo]

i heard tiger had to stop production of their bikes because they had no permission to use the rotax engine in the production of these bikes. i am not saying its ture, i am just saying what i have heard. as for quad's they had the super4, not that great of a machine, and i dont believe to many were made either. besides that they were butt ugly in my opinion compared to the three wheeled versions. the nose was huge and domelike, just odd looking. nice trike you have there though. dont sell her, restore her and show her off some. but if you do sell her, i am only about 5-6 hours north of philly area, and would be most interested in taking it off your hands. name a price. can you scan and post the manual? i am sure we'd all like to see what is hiding in there.

[cliff2302]

Love your MR50 on the stand, super nice bike. Oh yea, the Tiger is nice too, lol

[Dr. Death]

that is a sick, rare, ill, and valuable machine. don't ride it, restore it, put it away, then bring it out once a year to make everyone jealous. because trust me, any non-tiger owner will be. the guy i bought mine from was the original owner and raced tiger exclusively, and he told me that reason they shut down is because they were importing the engines illegally, did not have permission to use them, and that it all violated trade law. which makes the tiger story that much more interesting.

[Xowner]

next one i find i burn and send dr death the ashes, get over it its a tiger it was rare 2 years ago. now there just another trike as there are way more than thought.



that is a sick, rare, ill, and valuable machine. don't ride it, restore it, put it away, then bring it out once a year to make everyone jealous. because trust me, any non-tiger owner will be. the guy i bought mine from was the original owner and raced tiger exclusively, and he told me that reason they shut down is because they were importing the engines illegally, did not have permission to use them, and that it all violated trade law. which makes the tiger story that much more interesting.

grabber nice bike good luck with it and have fun with it, just dont brag about it :w00t:

[BigGreenMachine]

[QUOTE=Xowner]next one i find i burn and send dr death the ashes, get over it its a tiger it was rare 2 years ago. now there just another trike as there are way more than thought.
QUOTE]

:lol:
If ever I'm lucky enough to buy one I'll be riding it. Grabber, again very nice trike!:w00t:

[ride_red_95]

it looks good

[90nut]

If I ever found one I would ride it. I mean whats the point in spending upwards of 2k on a three wheeler and never riding it? I mean sure it is nice to have one that is all pretty and perfect but you can still have that AND ride it at the same time. Personally Grundlegrabber I would fix it up a bit and keep it. Ride it everynow and then just not through the mud and all that other crap, thats what those junk hondas are for:lol: :lol: . Again, congrats on the purchase.

[Orangecnty250r]

it its a tiger it was rare 2 years ago. now there just another trike as there are way more than thought.


They are still rare:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :crazy: How many do you see on ebay if they are "just another trike"

Anyways Great Score!!!!! I love the banner...thats the icing on the cake right there...Glad to see another member score one!!!

[Xowner]

They are still rare:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :crazy: How many do you see on ebay if they are "just another trike"

Anyways Great Score!!!!! I love the banner...thats the icing on the cake right there...Glad to see another member score one!!!


True i guess that came off the wroung way. There still rare but there isnt much new about them if you know were im coming from, love to have one but i won't go as far as dr death has with his saying its the rarest best trike in the world and such as thats just being a ***

i seen one of thse in person at tf05 and it was neat but i have yet to see one run. dale and dads were wrenching on dales at tf seeing if they could get it to run, Im hope to see the 500's he trying to get together.

grabber are you coming to tf

[grundlegrabber]

Thanks for all the compliments! If y'all must know, I paid $1600 for it. Only real downfall is the bodywork. Not looking to brag about being a Tiger owner, just want to share with you all. They are still rare though, at least outside of this website. My plan right now is to get her fired up (The previous owner didn't finish bolting the top end back together), track down the few missing parts, clean it up and go from there. I'll probably keep it, unless something bad happens and I'm in desperate need of cash. In that case I would offer it for sale here on the board.

I will be doing a rausch ride sometime this summer with a few of my fixed-up trikes. It's the only place I know of around here where I can ride them in dirt, rather than coal grit and boulders. As for the missile aussie, I have pretty much finished collecting parts and I'm ready to send the swinger and hub out to get powdercoated. I still need to find a sprocket for the jackshaft (one of them has a tooth broke off) and find someone who can weld it on there nicely. Then I can begin the assembly phase and hopefully have it done for TF06. Oh, and Bruce, the rear tire size is 180/410-8.00. They are very small. Cliff, I have a few of those MRs, that one being the nicest.

I am going to call the guy this week and see what sort of info I can get out of him about his experience as a tiger dealer. I'll keep y'all posted. Int eh meantime, if anyone knows where I can get a front master cyl rebuild kit, a front fender, fork seals, and a rad shroud I'd love to hear from ya.

[350x'inNY]

I love the looks of a Tiger... just I'd be afraid to get parts for it, etc


Oh, and Bruce, the rear tire size is 180/410-8.00. They are very small.

The one's I have I'll have to double check the size. I know they are 8". Mine are very narrow. Think they are R902's.

Bruce

[ATCwithdrawals]

Great trike you got GGrabber. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the 250 come with a blue seat? Mine has a blue seat too. I love your TIGER banner, just like OC said that is the icing on the cake. If you ever want to sell the banner, let me know. My opinion is to keep this Tiger, for the amount of money you have in it you probably won't find another one in better shape for less money.. As for fr fender I was told by another member that they were going to get some new fenders made[fr and rear sets] and possibly sell some . Again, Nice trike

[BigGreenMachine]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/BigGreenMachine/51bc838d.jpg

This would be the direction I'd go. Dead sexy! lol

[90nut]

Nice pic james. Grundlegrabber, check with erectordale on the fender and radiator shroud. I believe he has the molds to make them. He also may know where to get the other parts you need. Talk to some other tiger owners like 3tigers, erectordale, and I think skippy. They should be able to help you out. I also have seen dales 250. Looks sweet, but I have yet to see one run. Like someone else said dale and dads(allen) were working on it all weekend and didn't reallty get anywhere. But talk to dale about the molds, he is a great guy.

[edog]

Who is that masked mar on the rarest ,sickest,best 3 wheeler in the world?LOL

[whiteman350x]

As to the seat color, I have seen red and blue on the 250. My 250 came with red.

[Dr. Death]

mine starts second kick every time, hot or cold.

[scooterroo]

see i knew i heard that about the tiger. that they had to cease production because of the rotax engine being used in them illegally. thanks for pointing that out there dr death. if that was the case, why didnt thet just try to come to somekind of agreement with whoever it was that produced the rotax motors. wasnt it bombardier? or some company like that. and if that didnt work, why didnt they just go shopping for another powerplant to put in them? questions that will never be answered probably, one of them there "unsolved mysteries."

now i'm not trying to start anything here, but i know dr death has been saying that his is the rarest, sickest, illist trike ever built...but now we are starting to see more and more tigers popping up, so they arent as rare as thought. hmmmm... rare trike for yahs....cagiva, you dont see to many of them out there. i would love to get my hands on one of them as well as a tiger, but for now i wil have to stick to the tecate. ride on muthafluffer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dr. Death]

i beleive they were originally produced by a company in sweden, then bought by bombardier in quebec. i think that the company was shut down, because of violations of trade law, not because they went out of business. and when i say rare i'm talking about my 86 model tiger. even though the older ones are still pretty rare. much like the 87 250r. i'm talking about models, not makes.

[Orangecnty250r]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/BigGreenMachine/51bc838d.jpg

This would be the direction I'd go. Dead sexy! lol


Love the color scheme of the 125!!!!

[dunerash]

Love the color scheme of the 125!!!!
I really like the old school Hipoint outfit hes got on.. Complete with the boots:w00t:

[chris200x]

LMAO!!!! I had a dream about that dude last night... I was broke down out in the middle of nowhere... He showed up out of nowhere and gave me a ride out! :Bounce :lol: :rolleyes: It was clear as day... It was hot real hot out... I seen this big dust cloud headin my way... there he was like a knight! :lol:

I need some time away from here I think... :lol: :crazy:

[cragster]

LMAO!!!! I had a dream about that dude last night... I was broke down out in the middle of nowhere... He showed up out of nowhere and gave me a ride out! :Bounce :lol: :rolleyes: It was clear as day... It was hot real hot out... I seen this big dust cloud headin my way... there he was like a knight! :lol:

I need some time away from here I think... :lol: :crazy:

wow.....you got issues! lol

[grundlegrabber]

I talked with the previous owner last night. Here's what he told me:
He said that Tiger did not have a legal agreement to use the Rotax engines, so they were not exactly legit. Nobody knew for sure how or where they were getting the motors. They were in some trouble there, but had been in negotiations with Rotax about the matter. Tiger did reach an agreement with Rotax but by then it was too late. It came right around the time when the ban took effect. Tiger had begun to develop a quad which was basically the trike with a quad front end grafted on. He thinks the factory actually sold some like this. However, the quads were inferior to the Honda and Suzuki of the time, and they were still working on their development. The three wheeler sales dried up though, and they didn't have the steam to continue the development of the quad and went bellly-up. Here's a question for the veterans: What is does the timeline look like, right around the time of the end of trike racing, the enactment of the consent decree, and the dealers pulling the trikes out of the showrooms? Maybe there should be a separate thread on this.

More about my Tiger:
Motor is stamped Made in Austria. The story on this is that the guy I got it from got hooked up with Tiger as a dealer (Southeast ATV in Mableton, GA). He was setting up at the international motorcycle show and needed a machine to show in less than 2 weeks. Build time (these were built to order) was 3-6 weeks. He asked what they could do, and supposedly they had a prototype/demo on hand which was pretty much brand new, which they sent to him. That's the story behind this one. Retail price on this was $2695. His dealer cost was $2250, plus $30 crating fee. He paid $2280 total for the machine. Ship date was 5/6/85.It was shipped from Tiger ATV Ltd. PO Box 21-097 Eagan, MN 55121. He supposedly raced this trike 6 times, then dismantled it and stored it away. Didn't see daylight again until 2 months ago.
Owner told me this was a 200cc machine that he had converted to a 250. The 250 spec'ed out at 40HP, 36 Nm torque, 9200RPM max. Mikuni 34mm VM (mine has a keihin). I have various diagrams and spec sheets, not sure if they're all specific to this machine if if they're generic for this motor.
If anyone has any additional or contradictory info post it up. It's nice to have this info recorded so history is not lost and forgotten.

Oh, and one more thing. Since I started this thread, I am requesting that the words "sick", "Ill", and "rare" not be mentioned here by anyone;)

[BigGreenMachine]

Good to get some history on the machine. I think you should do a restomod on the machine and keep it as a rider.

$2280 isn't much more then a few hundred dollars more then a 85 Tecate, neither is the hp number for that matter.

[Dr. Death]

i told you guys i wasn't lying about the hp. pretty sick info dude. that is one ill machine. i bet that because it is a dem it is pretty rare. hold on to it dude.

[Xowner]

Oh, and one more thing. Since I started this thread, I am requesting that the words "sick", "Ill", and "rare" not be mentioned here by anyone;)


guess we know he reads the posts! :welcome:

and yes grabber dale has the molds for the plastics and is the tiger man to talk to!

[hrc200x]

I thought HondaATC discovered that Tiger went out of business in '91, so maybe they made quads till then, or converted over to other general machining? Also, didn't the decree just ban the imports of 3 wheelers? Therefor, if a trike was made in the US it would be fine to keep building it past '87. Keep fingers crossed for '87/'88 Tiger 3 wheelers. haha

[bigx1384]

im glad to see my Tiger got a really good home, glad you are happy with it! Stan Cochran

[bigx1384]

glad to see my Tiger got a good home! thanx for taking care of er, Stan Cochran

[Orangecnty250r]

glad to see my Tiger got a good home! thanx for taking care of er, Stan Cochran

Which one??