Thrill seeker
The adventure starts where the road ends on the Triumph Tiger 800
Adventure bikes are getting increasingly popular, attracting new riders wooed by the thrill of exploring unpaved roads, and experienced riders who are stepping off sport bikes onto more versatile machines. They come with engines displacing from 300 to almost 1,300 cc — the 2018 Triumph Tiger 800 falls in the middle of the category, with its 800 cc liquid-cooled triple.
Introduced in 2010, the Tiger 800 was refreshed in 2014, and for 2018 it gets what Triumph calls a “major evolution” with changes to the engine, chassis and suspension, as well as a big influx of new technology.
The re-booted Tiger 800 line includes the road-oriented XR, and the off-road ready XC. Visually the biggest difference between the two models is the choice of wheels; the XR’s are cast aluminum with a 19-inch front wheel, and XC rolls on spoke wheels, with a 21-incher up front. Both bikes use 17-inch rear wheels.
The XC also has higher-spec, longer-travel suspension to better cope with jumps, ruts and rocks, which raises its two-position adjustable seat height by 30 mm to 840/860 mm.
There are several spec levels to choose from within both Tiger variations, starting with the base XR model at $13,500, to the fully loaded XCA at $18,500, each one with an increasing level of electronics and standard features. Traction control, ABS, USB ports, 12-volt power sockets and heated grips are standard on all models. The grip heat proved convenient during the very un-Morocco-like sub-freezing temperatures and snow experienced during this test ride.
The Tiger’s 94-horsepower engine has been re-tuned to produce a very broad spread of torque, which never drops below 50 lb.-ft. at anything above 2,500 rpm, and peaks at 58 lb.ft. The biggest change is within the gearbox, which now has a lower-ratio first gear that’s especially beneficial on the XC when ridden off-road.
Changes that provide daylong comfort include a handlebar that’s been moved rearward by 10 mm and seat-foam density that’s been altered. The handlebar is tall enough to easily accommodate a 6-foot tall rider.
The windscreen on mid- and toptrim Tigers is adjustable manually to five positions, and it’s easily done with one hand while riding.
Newly added deflectors combine with the windscreen to offer excellent wind protection for your chest and shoulders.
We begin the two-day ride on the road aboard a Tiger XRT, which comes standard with a 5-inch, configurable TFT colour screen, five ride modes, cruise control, and a heated seat. The screen’s display is configurable, and it shows basic info, as well as ride mode selection, temperature, time, gear position and fuel consumption info, among other things. The display also changes with the ride modes, though you can set as default any of the available displays, regardless of the selected ride mode.
Ride modes include Rain, Road, Sport, Off Road, and Rider, each one with preset parameters for throttle mapping, traction control and ABS settings, except Rider, which is configurable. Throttle response is excellent, and the Tiger accelerates in a linear manner that’s deceptively smooth, translating into a lot of speed if you let the tachometer creep toward the indicated 10,500 rpm redline.
On the road the XR exhibits light, neutral steering, handling everything from long sweepers to tight switchbacks like a sport bike. You can enter turns on the brakes without experiencing excessive nosedive, though its suspension is on the firm side. It’s especially noticeable on broken stretches of asphalt, where it lifts my backside off the seat over bigger bumps.
The following day, we switch to the top-level XCA equipped with optional Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires, since the day’s surfaces vary from pavement to hard-packed dirt to sand. Overnight snow melts in the morning, making the dirt roads slippery, while weighing down the sandy sections with water, which actually offers very good traction.
The Pirellis prove very capable over the majority of different surfaces, only revealing their limits on slippery wet clay.
The XC’s softer suspension is better suited for rough terrain, and the bike manages an impressively quick pace, steering precisely and riding over big bumps without bottoming.
On the road, the XC gives up little in the way of handling to the XR, steering slightly slower, and this probably due to the knobby tires.
Riding over the different surfaces, however, reveals my biggest gripe with what is an otherwise excellent machine: The ride-mode selection process. You have to push one button on the left-hand switch assembly to scroll through the XCA’s six
ride modes, use another button to select the mode, and then confirm your selection by closing the throttle and pulling in the clutch lever. And the off-road modes can only be selected while stopped, so if the terrain changes constantly from pavement to dirt and back again, you have to stop every time you want to switch between road and off-road modes.
It’s bothersome, since it kills your momentum when switching constantly between surfaces. The bike also defaults to road mode every time the ignition is switched on, so you have to remember to select the off-road mode if needed.
The 2018 Tiger 800 has been improved in almost every way. About the only area it could use improvement is with the ride-mode
selection.
The base XR model is priced a little under BMW’s new $14,550 F850GS, and Honda’s $15,199 Africa Twin, but it has very few of the appealing features found on the mid- and toptrim models.
With all of the models to choose from, though, there’s certainly a Tiger 800 that will suit your adventure bike needs.