That’s right, the Tiger’s light
Triumph’s 2018 Tiger 1200 might look similar to the 2016 Explorer, but under the tank is a long list of improvements (but not the tank)
TRIUMPH’S TIGER EXPLORER was released into the wild in 2012. Hinckley’s flagship adventurer, with heavyweight 1215cc, 135bhp (claimed; 111hp measured) inline triple and terrific road-based chutzpah, won many biking hearts – RIDE readers voted it winner of the RIDER Power survey. In 2013 Triumph added an off-road-styled XC version with wire rims and bash-plate, hand-guard and fog-lamp accessories.
Then, just two years ago in 2016, the Explorer’s first overhaul produced more power and torque, Imu-based traction control and ABS, an extra layer of gadgets, and Wp-based semi-active(ish) springs. But now, a second revamp sees Explorer become Tiger 1200. Triumph says the move is to unite Tiger 800 and 1200 families.
As before there are six big Tigers: the road-based, alloy-wheeled XR, XRX, XRX LHR (low seat height) and range-topping XRT, and the wire-wheeled off-road XCX and XCA. For this test ride, on the roads and trails near Almeria in southern Spain, only the full-spec XRT and XCA are available.
The new bike’s focus is weight reduction, better handling on and off-road, and a zippier motor. But other changes improve quality of ownership – so the 1200 has the same steel-tube trellis frame, steering geometry, WP suspension and 20-litre fuel tank as before, but power delivery, rider modes, screen, clocks, switchgear, headlights, brakes, seat, bars, wheels and pannier mounts are new or revised.
The permutations of which models get what are complex: the base XR and XCX don’t get colour TFT dashes, new, back-lit switchgear, heated grips, keyless ignition, all-led lights or semi-active suspension. The XR doesn’t get cornering ABS or Imu-based traction control either. You’d be mad to get either, though they’re the cheapest Tiger 1200, at £12,200 and £14,950. Most people will go for higherspec bikes. The top spec XRT and XCA get quickshifter/autoblipper, hill-hold start and a full suite of customisable displays and rider modes, as well as fog lights, bash plate and hand guards, for £16,150 and £16,950. That’s a long list of extras as standard but panniers, now clip-on instead of frame-mounted, aren’t included.
Anyway, the first thing is: where’s the big tank, then? Triumph’s rivals have 30-litre options and it’s a deal-breaker to some customers. The official answer, through ever-so slightly gritted teeth, is obvious: the current 1200 engine and chassis design precludes packaging a 30-litre tank. Simply put, there’s nowhere to put it. That there isn’t an engine and chassis redesign with a 30-litre tank on a drawing board at Hinckley is inconceivable – but, for now, 20 litres is your lot. So let’s move on and find out what the new Tiger 1200 does differently to the previous one.
It’s not looks: the new Tiger 1200 is almost identical to the Explorer. Distinguishing features are smoother tank pods and ‘metallised’ badges, and LED headlamps on all but the base models. A
row of lean-angle sensitive LEDS in each lamp increase intensity gradually, starting at 3° of lean – by 31° they’re all lit. Sadly, it’s not dark enough on the test ride to try them.
Slipping onto the new, deep-padded seat reveals the Tiger’s tilt-adjustable dash is the same lovely, colourful flat screen as the Street Triple’s. There are up to six layouts, with functions accessible from a fiddly joystick on new switchgear. Shovelling around the menus is easy and a ‘home’ button bails you out – but initially you spend more time studying it than is wise while riding. And it’s certainly unwise to put the motorised screen adjustment in a menu, not allocated to a dedicated button. Or making the microjoystick less than a gloved thumb’s width from the indicator button. Adjusting the screen could induce a mid-winter rage.
Neat, compact back-lit buttons are quality and the integrated heated grip button is cool (too cool, perhaps; in thin gloves at 14°C their full warmth isn’t unbearable). New bars draw the grips 20mm closer for a more contained riding position; otherwise seat height is fractionally lower but pegs the same as before. It’s comfy, though comfort isn’t something the previous 1200 lacked. A touring screen fitted to the top models is a bit flimsy and buffets shoulders, but even fully upright it’s the right height. As before, the 1200’s ergonomics are exceptional.
So’s the motor. With more than 3kg shaved off the engine, mostly from the crank assembly, and refinements to fuelling and ignition, the inline triple revs up and boogies with as much gusto as anything in the class. It can’t match the bottom-end whump of twin-cylinder rivals but from 4000rpm upwards, it pours on potency in a cascade.
But the big benefit from crank mass reduction is, unexpectedly, the rate at which the 1200 transitions from side-to-side, midcorner – with less gyroscopic precession resisting changes in direction, the Tiger snaps from left to right with sportsbike agility. The Triumph’s handling is already sportily road-focused; now even more so.
The WP suspension is, as before, fully semi-active at the rear and semi-semi-active at the front; forks alter damping according to speed and payload, but don’t react momentto-moment to bumps. Triumph says it’s the best compromise between feedback and
“The Tiger snaps from left to right with sportsbike agility”
performance, and there’s nothing vague or sloppy about the Tiger’s cornering, or the way it controls its mass under its exceptional braking.
Speaking of weight, despite shedding kilos from engine, battery, ancillaries and exhaust, the top-spec XCA is said to weigh 248kg dry or around 273kg fully fuelled. The measured kerb weight of a 2012 Tiger Explorer is... 273kg. It’s impressive because the new bike carries more technology and gizmos – but that’s still a good chunk lardier than anyone else. The lord of weight-saving giveth, and he taketh away...
Overall, the Tiger 1200 isn’t a new bike; it’s an Explorer by any other name. But it’s significantly more agile, the engine more zappy, and quality of finish and equipment levels as standard are higher. It’s probably not enough to make existing owners weep, but anyone nearing the end of a PCP deal might think about a visit to their local dealer. And as for the Tiger 1200’s rivals, the class is too close to call without wheeling them onto centre stage for a full comparison.