POWERFUL TRIUMPH OR SMOOTH BMW?
David Booth and Neil Vorano and two big adventure bikes go head to head on the tight hairpins of the Stelvio Pass in Italy.
BORMIO, ITALY
David Booth: Adventure touring motorcycles are the SUVs of the motorcading set. Their visage is all butch off-roading. They do offer a (variable) ability to “tour” where lesser motorcycles dare not go and, just like SUVs, they are trendy.
Some can climb up a sheer rock face. Others might be challenged to go deeper off-road than a clapped-out minivan.
In between lie the two bikes we tested. Both BMW’s R1200GS and the XCa version of Triumph’s recently revised top-of-the-line Tiger 1200 are, despite their pseudo dirt bike styling, really touring motorcycles in disguise.
Neil Vorano: Laden with technological options, these are the luxury steeds equivalent to a Land Rover. They are extremely capable, but also saddled with gizmos to make the trip easier and more comfortable.
Stuff like the automatic suspension adjusters, cruise control, keyless ignition, hill-start assist and multi-ride modes.
DB: One thing I did really like is the Triumph’s automatically adjusting rear spring pre-load. The BMW’s ESA system can do the same thing but requires some futzing with a complicated infotainment system. With the Triumph, you just climb aboard and go. For once, electronic trickery that works.
NV: I’ll give the Triumph that, it’s a pretty handy system. I’ll even go so far as to say the Tiger has a better gearbox. But that is where my affinity for the Triumph over this GS ends. I’ll take the big BMW’s handling and its boxer twin engine any day.
I can go on about that air-andoil-cooled engine, with its vastly smoother operation and lower vibrations.
But what I really appreciated on the BMW was its suspension. It was not only able to soak up lowand high-speed bumps, there was little to no dive in the front forks.
After spending so much time on the BMW, a jaunt on the Tiger felt unsettling, the bike pitching forward with every grab of the brake. DB: The Triumph can be a heavy beast. And though that big 1,215cc triple has many attributes, it’s a tall thing, which means the Tiger 1200’s centre of gravity is higher. The result is the XCa can be a little reluctant to turn.
That said, the Trumpet triple is a gem. Super smooth, its torque is so linear you’ll swear it’s electric. Unlike some Triumphs past, the EFI system’s fuelling is excellent and it has great service intervals — 24,000 kilometres between valve services — so you can do big miles without visiting the shop.
NV: While both engines are just powerful enough without being too high strung (141 hp for the Triumph, 125 hp for the BMW ), with the GS, I felt like I was sitting in it, as opposed to the Triumph, where I felt perched on it. The BMW gave much more confidence in turns, whereas the Triumph felt relatively unstable.
DB: I’ll grant you the BMW felt lighter and that is a worthwhile trait. But the Triumph engine felt smoother, more responsive and more powerful to me.
Its brakes were better, the ABS didn’t actuate too soon (as the BMW’s rear brake did) and the Tiger has the simplest digital infotainment system menu I’ve used to date.
So yes, the BMW feels like you sit in the bike but, as far as I can see, that’s its only advantage.
The BMW R1200GS starts at $20,300; the Triumph Tiger 1200 XCa starts at $23,750.