Time to say goodbye
Not the year our man had planned, but the Triumph ticked all the boxes
Well, it’s fair to say the last 12 months haven’t gone to plan for any of us. My intention to cover serious miles on and off road on the new Tiger Rally Pro ended in disappointment with just 3000 miles covered since March. While the bike didn’t get the use I expected, it’s still delivered the goods with whatever riding I have done. It’s the first time in my 17 years at MCN that I’ve had a Triumph as a long-term test machine and my lasting impression will be of a genuinely high-quality product, strong support from the factory and a friendly and accommodating dealer network.
And while I’ve only done 3000 miles – they’ve been varied. Regular motorway trips were intertwined with some B-road blasts and a camping trip, through to taking my daughter as a pillion. Not forgetting two trips to Wales where it made a good account of itself off-road especially on some fast, wide fire track routes.
The overwhelming characteristics are of a smooth, but punchy motor and superplush, high-spec suspension. The Rally Pro model I had on test is also very well equipped with heated grips, seat and trick TFT dash all as standard.
The only gripe from the last year of ownership is never being able to successfully sync my iPhone to the bike so that I could get turn-by-turn navigation on the TFT dash. A first world problem I know! And overcome by fitting a Quad Lock phone mount to the handlebars and using Google maps.
In terms of modifications, I had a set of Triumph’s excellent black aluminium Expedition panniers fitted (panniers £635; mount kit £275; topbox £340; sliding carriage £138 ★ fitting). They proved secure and spacious without being too bulky with the only slight issue being the slight movement of the topbox. The only other addition was a set of Pirelli Rally STR tyres. I’ve used these tyres on a range of adventure bikes and they give reassuring levels of feel on the road while offering acceptable grip off-road, making them ideal for the trips I made to Wales where I rode 200 miles before spending a day in the dirt. Ultimately, I haven’t done enough with the bike for it to really have a place in my heart, but that’s down to circumstances and no fault of the bike. In a crowded middleweight adventure bike market – it more than holds its own.
LIKES
● Super-plush suspension
DISLIKES
● 94bhp isn’t quite enough