Triumph Tiger 800 XCX
A real life Tonka toy motorbike with high-class suspension and a sensational engine
AFTER THE RELENTLESS efficiency of the BMW, it’s a mild shock to rediscover that there’s a completely different way to design and build an 800cc adventure bike. The new Tiger combines handsome looks with a creamy-smooth motor and plush, long-travel suspension. There are two basic versions of the Tiger 800: the XR range (itself subdivided into three main specs) and the XC (two specs). This, the XCX, carries strong off-road pretensions: a 21-inch front wheel; off-road engine mode; switchable TC and ABS; fully adjustable, long-travel WP suspension and engine bars and bash plate. All the 2018 Tiger 800s have a mildly updated engine with a shorter first gear and new exhaust. Everyone who passed an opinion found the XCX extremely pleasing to look at. The edges, surfaces and tubes combine to give the impression of Tonka-toy durability. Packaging bikes in a traditional-but-modern way is one of Triumph’s biggest strengths at the moment. In matt green the XCX looks faintly military. The only thing on the whole bike that doesn’t fit this vibe is the TFT dash, which to my eye looks (a) a bit cheap and (b) designed by a different department. Chris Northover, on the other hand, thought it was awesome. It is certainly legible and functional, and the joystick control works brilliantly as you toggle through Rain, Road, Sport, Off-road, and Off-road pro. Setup is reasonably intuitive. You get two levels of TC in the sportiest mode, but otherwise it’s just on or off. It’s relatively easy to get the traction light flashing on tarmac – about the same as on BMW’S R1200 series. My only gripe is that, like BMW, Triumph feel the need to create layers and layers of digital detail. In my head that’s one of the aspects of real life you buy a motorbike to escape from. The three-cylinder motor is out-on-a-limb special. It’s not got the instant low-speed wallop of the F850, instead it offers smooth torque everywhere, with a spine tingling soundtrack and a shade more top end. Jamie Turner, one of the UK’S top automotive research engineers, once said of the 800: ‘That’s the flattest torque curve I’ve seen!’ Nothing on the new engine has changed that. It handles motorway cruises effortlessly but really starts paying off on badly-maintained back roads. With the WP suspension immunising you from bumps you can savour the airbox while the thing charges from apex to apex with approximate precision. The Bridgestone Battle Wing tyres are OK, but nowhere near as good as the BMW’S Michelins. Braking hard makes the whole thing sway around, just because there’s so much softly-damped travel, while it out of slow corners produces a reactive squidge at the rear. You can tune it out but not without losing the floaty excellence over bumps. I thought it added to the drama, as if the bike is saying: this far and no further, if you don’t mind. In Chris’s expert hands, the motor was a little woolly low down for tight off-road use, and the steering lock could be better. For most of my life plush, long travel forks have represented some kind of suspension Nirvana. The BMW has changed all that. It can be as soft as the Triumph one second, and stiff as a track bike the very next. By comparison, the Triumph (and the Honda), with their manual adjusters, are locked in a previous age. Their forks and shock are, however, fully repairable and rebuildable. Day-to-day comfort is another Tiger strong point. Last year I did a 1500-mile tour of South Africa on the outgoing Tiger XCX (mainly road, plus some light dirt) and it felt like luxury transport. This year’s bike has adjustable seat height, levers, bars and screen. The seat in particular is so simple and clever every bike should have it. The screen and side deflectors should work for almost anybody. There are five settings; low is turbulent, middle is noisy. Highest is quiet but you’re then looking through the screen rather than over it. I ended up swapping between two middle settings depending on the road, because it was so easy: push the catch against spring pressure, move to a new slot, release the catch. It’s just like adjusting the cut height on a cheap lawn mower. And of course there’s the now ubiquitous 12V jack plug for phone and sat nav, and Triumph’s heated grip button on the left handlebar, which is simply the best. Although the BMW in full electronic specification out-performs Triumph’s Tiger in almost every way, the triple would be more rewarding to actually own. Its looks will age much more gracefully, and if bikes can be invested with human qualities, it feels more of a genuine companion.
‘Its looks will age gracefully and… it feels more of a companion’