THE BIKE 3500’MILE TEST
Festooned with extras and promising opulent riding, the thoroughly updated Tiger 1200 is the new flagship of the Hinckley brand’s range. Worth every one of its sixteen thousand pounds? A year’s average annual mileage reveals some surprises…
Triumph’s Tiger 1200 tackles the UK’S toughest test.
WHEN THE NEW Tiger 1200 was announced last year the marketing meandered on about more riding modes and metallised badges and contemporary graphics. It all sounded a bit scatter cushions and wallpaper, rather than structural makeover. However, when we first rode it (Bike, February 2018) we discovered the new 1200 is not only comfier, better equipped and classier than the Explorer ever managed to be, but thanks to many kilos being hacked out of the motor it responded more keenly. The question is, how keenly does it respond to 3500 miles on British roads…
Engine and transmission
Essentially this is the same 1215cc inline three that was used in the Explorer since 2012, and yet it is almost unrecognisable. Well, noticeably different at least, the bigboned and muscular engine is revvy, thrusting and behaves in a way that makes the previous motors feel gruff and a tad flat. Which of course they weren’t. Triumph appear to have created an engine that places zero responsibility on the rider. Forget to change down the gearbox for a junction and the 90 grunts of beefy torque let the 1200 pull away in third or even fourth with barely a whiff of clutch. Decide you can’t be arsed to change gear and it’s possible to complete almost any journey in just first, or sixth, or whichever ratio you fancy. It grunts like an agitated fullgrown Tamworth. Fuelling is smoother than Gillette’s latest eight-blade shave, and the 1200 piles on pace with relentless, fluid, long-legged drive. Holding a steady 60mph in top creates a bit of surging, as the engine needs barely any fuel at this speed so you’re on the narrow ledge between fuel-on and fuel-off, but it’s no deal-breaker. Got 10,000-mile service intervals too. Yet the 1200 is fast – get the throttle to its stop, hang onto the gears and the Tiger barrels forward with the gusto to turn A-roads into garden paths. ‘Fabulous engine,’ gushes editor Hugo Wilson of the tested 122bhp unit. ‘You don’t have to
think about gears. Just get on, open the throttle and discover you’ve been effortlessly zoomed to your destination.’ Go back a decade or so and Triumph’s big triples didn’t instil confidence. I had a Tiger 1050 that drank the contents of its sump in about 1000 miles and promptly seized, and my mate Chris Harrison bought a Speed Triple that kept losing compression. No such worries these days: the 1215 unit hasn’t touched a drop of oil and steadfastly refused to miss a beat. Well, once it’s running, that is. And it’s getting it running that’s the issue. The Tiger’s gradually become more and more reluctant to start; it now takes three stabs of the starter before it’ll strike up, unless it’s in a particularly difficult mood in which case it’ll require four. Yesterday it had a proper strop, and just wouldn’t fire until I’d done the IT fix with the ignition a few times. The six-speed gearbox has well-spaced ratios. It’s also got a quickshifter, allowing open-throttle upshifts and clutchless downshifts. The action is quite sticky – it feels like you’re pressing something in that has an interference fit, rather than toeing through slickly. Doesn’t stop you ignoring the clutch lever all the time, though. Probably a good thing, as the clutch isn’t great – it’s got a lurching, gripping, slipping action, rather like the clutch judder the old Vauxhall Cavalier suffered with. Triumph seem to have forgotten to fit a drive chain, so I’ve not tried to oil it.
Handling and ride
The Tiger is heavy. Triumph confidently boast about how the new 1200 has shed 11kg compared with the previous Explorer, though the exact savings for each version vary wildly. This XRT bike is actually the one that has lost the full 11kg, though still weighs 243kg. And that’s dry, by the way, without anything in the 20-litre fuel tank or oil in the engine. Or the accessory panniers and mounts, for that matter. It’s built like an agricultural building too, so pushing the 1200 around requires level ground and gym membership. And yet curiously it manages to hide oodles of its excess kilos at anything above 15mph or so. Triumph always get away with super-sporty steering geometry, even on their biggest and heaviest models, and the 1200’s sportsbike-like rake and trail, plus ample steering leverage, high centre of gravity and relatively narrow tyres, let this behemoth flick and flack about with unexpected delicacy. Ride quality is good, thanks to Triumph’s semi-active suspension (that’s TSAS of course, though it’s made by WP, who are part of the KTM empire… but then KTM-WP-TSAS wouldn’t fit on a fork top). You can use the
wee joystick on the left switchgear (see Controls and Comfort) to adjust the damping to suit your tastes or the environment; you can back things off from the average road setting towards comfort, or ramp things up to sport. The distinctions aren’t as clear as with BMW’S semi-active set-up on their R1200GS, though the difference is there. I don’t recommend leaving it too sporty in town, mind. Tap the front brake and the forks don’t budge, the bike staying level with Telelever-alike strangeness. With plenty of weight, the Tiger floats on motorways with the damping set for comfort. It’s not class-leading, but it’s pleasing. A lot of the time the big triple munches miles and saunters down the road with an almost unforgettable dynamic. You do get involved sometimes, though. Even the sportiest damping doesn’t give the suspension the muscle to keep the 1200 entirely in-check on an undulating, darting B-road – you sometimes sense the forks and shock being overwhelmed by all the mass shifting side-toside and back-and-forth. It’s often top-heavy in town too. Brakes are mighty, unless you’ve done 3000 miles and encountered lots of rain and filth. Then the pads seem to lose their teeth.
Electronics
All the latest Tiger 1200 XRS have ABS and traction control, an electric screen, cruise control, plus 12v and USB power sockets. The XRX version adds a full-colour dash, cornering ABS and traction, superior cruise, keyless ignition, heated grips, four riding modes, LED lights with a daytime running strip, backlit switchgear (sorry, that should be ‘switchcubes’) with joystick, and the semi-active ride. And this even-fancier XRT gets an extra mode, hill hold control, heated seats, even more display options and extra lamps, not to mention lights that shine round corners. Wake up at the back. The lazy whumf of the 1215cc triple means the traction control gets called into action on slimy mornings and slithering back lanes. It’s not the sharpest-reacting system and takes a second or so to decide you can have power back, and also chimes in under hard acceleration as the front tries to lift in first and second gears. Decent enough, though. Cruise works smoothly as well, and the hill hold is actually quite handy once you get used to the feeling of an invisible force holding the bike as you pull away. Nice to have lots of dash options too, although once I’d found one I liked it never changed. I can’t tell any difference between the many modes. I’m not convinced the electronics won’t be problematic, mind. This bike frequently tells me the key is out of range, even though it’s in my pocket (and despite the fact it’ll still start). We’ve had a semi-active warning on the dash, and also been informed the ABS has switched itself off. The clock has stopped working, and the dash now only lets you access trip two and not trip one. And while the remaining trip gives you distance, the riding time and average speed boxes stay blank. Ooh, and the fog lights only work about 30% of the time. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
Controls and comfort
Bike editor Hugo Wilson thinks the Tiger’s revised ergonomics are sensational. I’m taller than Hugo and would go as far as saying very good, as there’s something about the riding position that makes me unintentionally push against the ’bars. No comfort issues, however – my problematic back sometimes struggles with straight-up riding positions, but the Tiger’s space, thick twoheight seat and step-less electric screen have kept me ache-free for over 3000 miles. Lovely toasty buns from the heated seat too (though the heated grips barely feel warm in winter). Weather protection is excellent thanks to the XRT’S touring-size screen, though curiously the underside of your arms become very wet when it’s grotty. It feels like those small clear deflectors on the fairing above the Triumph logo flick the weather up. Tightlysealing cuffs essential. Both the clutch and front brake lever have adjustable span. It’s a combined killswitch and starter, which you press one way to wake the bike up (or put it to sleep) and the other way to start the bike. There’s a small delay, and sometimes I double press because I think nowt’s happening, and it goes straight back to sleep. Over on the left side the joystick sits under the indicator switch (which has become sticky, like our Bobber’s did – see May issue), and even after several months and lots of miles I still occasionally thumb the wrong one. Scrolling through screen height, fuel info, TSAS settings and all the rest of the dash’s functions when all you want to do is signal left soon stops being funny.
Practicality
A centrestand makes wheel cleanliness simple, there are plenty of handles and bits of frame to bungee stuff to, the service intervals are a lengthy 10,000 miles, and at 44mpg ridden briskly the 20-litre tank means 200 miles before the hell of a modern filling station. Sit back, breeze about daydreaming, and the hefty Tiger tries its hardest to tease 60 miles from a gallon. What a shame the fuel filler requires you to dig-out the key that you stashed in an inner pocket because you have keyless ignition. C’mon, Triumph – both Ducati and BMW now have key-free fillers on their keyless bikes. All the motor’s wallop means the rear Metzeler Tourance Next is a little squared, and with lots of kilos to hold back under braking the front is wearing on its shoulders. I’m not sure I’ve ever really detected that the cornering lights are doing much, though the headlight itself is good. And every bike should have illuminated switchgear (especially one with a confusing joystick/ indicator jumble). And a top-box too, though I think a battered, white, flappy Kappa with some faded old stickers would be cooler than the box-ticking aluminium item.
Finish
Paint, controls, fit and those metallised badges are all good. The Arrow pipe cleaned up a treat despite being caked in crud for months, and although I forget to spray the bike with any anti-corrosion stuff when it arrived even though there was still salt down (slapped wrists), the 1200’s fasteners, banjo bolts and painted surfaces are all grot-free. The satin finish on the engine doesn’t like letting go of dirt, but it’s nothing elbow grease can’t sort. There is a hint of scuffage on the heel plates. There’s also visible wear on the handlebar grips which was a surprise and doesn’t bode well for three or four years down the line.