AND HAS IT WORKED? Tiger 1200 GT has good vibes
Triumph flagship adventure bike gains smoother T-plane triple and push-button low seat height
Triumph’s premium road-biased adventure bike – both 20-litre tank Pro and 30-litre tank Explorer versions – were fully overhauled in 2022. A retuned 148bhp Speed Triple motor with an off-balance T-plane crank gave the normally smooth engine a dose of lumpy character. But for some it was too lumpy, turning into unpleasant vibration at cruising speed. Worse, the motor could stall at low revs. For 2024, Triumph say engine mods have cured both issues – and they’ve added a push-button preload reducer to drop seat height at low speed and standstill, all to make the Tiger GT tamer day-to-day.
1 No bad vibes now
To reduce the T-plane engine vibration (which even shook bolts loose) engineers have re-distributed counterweight mass in the balancer shaft to smooth vibes by a claimed 89%. And from the moment the engine spins up, it’s obvious the new 1200 feels like a different motor. The strength of the previous crank’s off-balance vibration is harmonised to a soft, background pulse rather than a persistent chattering – and as engine revs rise there’s no discernible increase in vibration through now rubbermounted bars; just a pleasant, rumbling charisma. Even better, now the GT’s mirrors remain clear at cruising speed. It’s a game changer.
2 Better low rpm running
Tiger 1200 GTs have a tendency to stall suddenly when feathering the clutch in U-turns or tight hairpins at low revs, resulting in embarrassing toppling-over. It’s because the T-plane crank loses momentum between big gaps in combustion strokes. Triumph have added 1kg extra mass to the crank and flywheel assembly, making it less prone to changes in inertia and less likely to stall. They’ve also lengthened the clutch lever for finer control. And it works, making the 20-litre tank Tiger 1200 GT Pro – and especially the 30-litre tank GT Explorer (with its higher centre of gravity) – happy to chug around at tickover.
3 Active Preload Reduction
The GT Pro and Explorer, with 850mm or 870mm seat heights, now include an Active Preload Reduction function (also a free update for 2022 Tiger 1200 owners). Press the Home button for a second and, at standstill or below 52mph, a spring icon flashes on the dash and the automatic preload drops to its lowest – reducing seat height by up to 20mm (depending how much preload is already used; a rider with pillion and luggage will get less benefit). It’s not automatic – you have to press the button – and above 52mph the bike returns to its auto payload level. It’s not as effective as BMW’s R1300GS fully auto system which also drops the front – but, if you’re scrabbling for a foothold, every little helps.
4 Higher pegs and flatter seat
Both Tiger 1200 GT Pro and Explorer are prone to dragging footpegs easily – and, with Active Preload Reduction potentially lowering the bike even more, they’d deck out even sooner. So Triumph have mounted the pegs on modified brackets to raise them a few millimetres, tucked them closer into the bike, and shortened hero blobs to give a few degrees more cornering clearance. It doesn’t make the riding position noticeably less roomy, but tucking the pegs in has the effect of making them feel shorter – so your boots might tend to slip off the peg while cornering. The 1200 GT also gets a new, flatter seat (heated as standard on the Explorer model) which adds more to the GT’s considerable comfort levels.
5 Spec’d up to the max
In all other respects the 2024 Tiger 1200 GT Pro and Explorer are identical to last year’s bikes: same 19in cast front and 18in rear, steel tube frame, Brembo Stylema 4-pots, lightweight shaft drive, spacious riding position and a wealth of comfort and riding safety features including heated grips, centrestand, quickshifter, rider modes, cruise control, backlit switches, semi-active Showa suspension and manually adjustable screen. They also have the same differences between models: the GT Pro has a 20-litre tank good for 200 miles; the GT Explorer comes with 30 litres for over 300 miles of tank range, heated rider and pillion seats, lower engine bars and rear blind spot radar detection with warning lights in each mirror. Colours are Snowdonia White, with Carnival Red and Sapphire Black £200 extra.
‘The new Tiger 1200 feels like a different bike’