Our bikes: Tiger 900 goes wild
New Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro gets wild on the dirt
Not everyone has the desire to take their adventure bike off-road, but it’s something I always relish, especially when it’s the first time the wheels leave the predictable grip of tarmac and roll on to rough, loose terrain. There aren’t many routes local to my home where you can really enjoy an adventure bike so I didn’t need much of an excuse to make the 220mile journey to the on- and off-road playground that is Wales. Having already done a couple of bigmile days on the new Tiger I knew my journey there would be an easy one. With a willing motor, super-plush suspension, cruise control and plenty of electronic wizardry, the Tiger is simply a nice place to be to eat distance – whether that be the 100 or so miles of motorway or the progressively twistier and more enjoyable A-roads as I neared my destination.
But while the Tiger is fun on the roads that’s not what this trip is about; I’m heading west for off-road routes, fire tracks and spectacular scenery. With Enduro mode selected, the electronics allow the rear wheel to spin before the traction control kicks in. The off-road specific ABS is the same and as a result isn’t intrusive, even under relatively hard braking. Given that I’m in Wales, I am as surprised as anyone that the ground beneath my wheels is so dry, in fact it’s actually dusty which has to be a rare occurrence in these parts! Heading off on wide and relatively smooth fire tracks, I’m impressed by how comfortable the Tiger feels and as a result how fast I’m going with everything very much in control. Thanks to the 45mm Showa front forks and fully adjustable Showa rear shock, the Rally Pro’s road plushness is largely transferred to the gravel. Only when the going gets rougher that you are reminded you’re onboard a 201kg adventure bike – and not even top-spec suspension can mask that. Much has been written about the ‘T’ crank, introduced by Triumph on the latest-generation Tiger, which gives an irregular firing order 180-90– 90 degree intervals.
The aim is to add character and make the 888cc engine feel a bit more twin and less triple, given that the quick-revving three-cylinder unit on the out-going model meant it span up really quickly and could make finding grip a challenge.
There is no question that the new motor is more pulsy, but with 93.9bhp on tap and a set of Pirelli Scorpion Rally STRs as a opposed to a more focused off-road tyre, it was certainly a lively ride. And with Rally Pro mode selected, which essentially disables the traction control and ABS, it only got livelier. Combined with the loose, dusty terrain all this made it hard to keep the smile off my the face as the Tiger span up wildly with the rear snaking from side to side as I threw gears at it. With the rear wheel spinning faster than the front, it certainly revealed the wild side of the Tiger: a side that has to be treated with respect, but also a side I’m keen to explore further.