It’s finally here. After Triumph annoyed us for months with glances at its new adventure bike, Triumph has revealed all the details of the new Tiger 1200 mighty BMW GS Adventure
The new Tiger 1200 is a completely new motorcycle that has been designed from the ground up. And it’s about time, because the model turned out to be a comfortable touring machine, but it showed its age. In its place is a premium motorcycle designed for people who want to own the pinnacle of adventure riding performance.
So what are the headlines?
- Five new Tiger 1200 models, from the basic GT to the GT Explorer and Rally Explorer
- All are powered by the same three-cylinder 1160 cc engine
- 148 hp and 130 Nm torque at 7,000 rpm
- Wet weight from 240 kg and up to 25 kg lighter than the previous models
- 20-liter fuel tank on the GT, GT Pro and Rally Pro
- 30l fuel tank for both Explorer models
- New frame with screwed-on aluminum subframe and pillion suspension
- Brembo brakes
- Showa semi-active chassis setup
Presentation of the Triumph Tiger 1200
What’s new? At the outset, Triumph announced that there would be five versions of the motorcycle.
The roadworthy GT series will be available in three models with the basic equipment GT, GT Pro and GT Explorer (the Explorer is equipped as standard with a 30 l touring tank, heated seats and tire pressure monitoring system). There is also an all-terrain Rally Pro and Rally Explorer, with the Explorer again having a 30l touring tank and all the extras.
All motorcycles come with Brembo Stylema monoblock brakes and Showa suspension, although it has been slightly tweaked between the GT and Rally models. The GT models get a 49mm upside-down fork with semi-active damping and 200mm of front travel, while the Rally models get 20mm more travel up to 220mm to help them cope with the roughest things will.
At the rear, all bikes get a Showa monoshock, whereby the GT models again have 200 mm of travel and the rally models 220 mm of travel.
The rally models are also equipped with 21-inch front bars and 18-inch rear wheels for off-road capabilities, while the GT versions differ with a 19-inch front to make life easier on the black hood. The styling also differs subtly between models, but all of them have had a facelift compared to the old bike, with an updated look for 2022.
At first glance, it looks like Triumph has spent the last two years (since launching the Tiger 900) working one of the mid-capacity bikes in the gym, and the result is a beefy, aggressive-looking big one Brothers.
Triumph did an excellent job especially on the Rally Explorer model with its white frame, studded tires and crash bars. There are also a variety of colors on offer, only a few of which are pictured above.
Three cylinders and a cardan drive
Under the paint, all five motorcycles are powered by the same three-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1160 cm³. It produces 148 hp and 130 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm, around 9 hp and 8 Nm more than the previous engine. Much hard work has also been put into saving weight and reducing the bike’s center of gravity, important feedback from owners of the old top-heavy Tiger 1200s.
There’s also a shaft drive, a popular feature for anyone out on their big adventure bikes, and a new muffler that Triumph says is as light as possible.
Speaking of weight, there’s a redesigned frame that’s 5.4 kg lighter than the previous one. This time around, it also features a bolted-on aluminum rear subframe and pillion mounts, which Triumph says were implemented based on customer feedback to ensure that bending the subframe or passenger footpegs doesn’t write off the entire frame.
All of these weight savings have resulted in a reduction of up to 25kg compared to the previous model, with the wet weight starting at 240kg for the base GT model. It’s a step in the right direction as the previous bike was a hefty beast, and we’re excited to see how this will play out when we test the Tiger next year.
The seat height is 850 mm or 870 mm for the GT models and 875 mm or 895 mm for the rally models. Those numbers sound pretty high, but Triumph claims a new sleek bench seat will help smaller riders hit the ground with confidence. We’ll have to put that to the test next year, too.
Upgraded
Triumph has long been a fan of adding lots of driving aids and comfort extras to its large adventure bikes (we still remember the warmth of the previous models heated seats) and the new Tiger 1200 is no different.
An inertia measuring unit controls the cornering ABS on all models and there are a variety of driving modes, from Rain, Road and Sport for the basic GT version to Road, Rain, Sport, configurable by the driver, Off-Road and Off-Road Pro on the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro and the Rally Explorer.
Everyone also gets a 7-inch TFT screen that comes with My Triumph connectivity, hand guards and LED headlights. Every bike with the exception of the GT model in the basic equipment also has a quickshifter, heated grips, hill hold control, cruise control and a center stand as standard.
And a particularly stylish piece of technology is the new rear-facing radar system (standard on the Explorer models), which drives a system for detecting the blind spot and a lane change assistant.
How much does the Tiger 1200 cost and when will we see it in the showrooms?
Prices start at £ 14,600 for the base spec GT model and go up to £ 19,100 for the all-frills Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer, and they should come in Showrooms by spring 2022.
What do you think of the new Triumph Tiger 1200? Let us know in the comments.
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