Triumph Tiger 900 Rally
If you liked the Tiger 800, you’ll love the 900
Picking the Tiger 900 Rally for this test may seem unfair as it isn’t the bottom of the pile in the Triumph range, but listen, there’s a reason. Although there is the even more basic Tiger 900, that model will be very soon replaced by the new Tiger 850 Sport, so testing it would have been a bit pointless. And you could also argue that the Rally is the basic-spec bike in the more off-road minded Rally arm of Tiger 900s, with the Rally Pro being the king of the dirt hill.
Anyways, let’s concentrate on the bike, because it really deserves some close scrutiny. With the 900 series, Triumph has upped the game from the 800s, and although the looks are still pretty much the same, much has been improved.
For instance, the new 888cc triple engine with its 1-3-2 firing order has more power than the previous models (now 93.9bhp). The frame has been updated with the subframe and pillion pegs bolted on rather than welded, which is a welcome change to anyone who has dropped their bike, twisted a pillion peg, and as a consequence written off the bike with a bent frame.
Out of all the bikes we tested here, the Tiger feels the lightest and nimblest by quite a margin. It’s not flighty by any means, but the steering is quick (even with that big 21in front wheel), and you feel like you can make it dance a fiery salsa while the others will stick to a nice slow waltz (don’t ask me from where that dance reference popped into my head. I can assure you that I haven’t been bingeing on Strictly). I would love to take the Tiger off-road to see how it would fare there.
Suspension is rather soft on the Tiger, and there is a fair bit of dive as you brake hard, but if that bothers you it can be dialled out, thanks to the fully adjustable forks. I quite liked it as it made the ride feel plush.
Another reason why it wasn’t an issue was that the front brakes didn’t feel very sharp at all. At first I thought that they lacked urgency because of new pads, but the same feeling continued even after hundreds of miles. The brakes are fine and will bring the bike to a stop, but they need a much firmer squeeze than the other bikes on test.
Riding position was another thing that separated the Tiger from the others. Although this is still very much a ‘sit up’ kind of bike, your riding position is more forward leaning and positive, and as a result it is easy to start riding a bit more enthusiastically – which the Tiger welcomes with a smile. I would say that the ride feel is sportier, but I feel like I’m trying to argue that one armchair is sportier than the other.
That lively nature of the bike does not come at the cost of comfort. The adjustable screen and wind deflectors on the body are excellent at directing wind, rain and road crud away from the rider – I thought the Triumph did this the best out of the bunch.
You also have very usable switchgear and menu system in the big TFT dash, which lets you select ride modes, activate cruise control or fiddle with a number of other things with absolute ease.
Overall, I loved riding the 900 Rally. It has less power than the others, but less bulk too and you never felt like you needed more go. The ride quality is excellent, there’s plenty of poke for quick overtakes, and the comfort levels are very impressive.
One thing I kept asking myself was, ‘What else would I want in a bike?’ And the answer is, ‘Not much at all!’
One thing I kept asking myself was, ‘What else would I want in a bike?’ And the answer is, ‘Not much at all!’
The top-spec Tiger 900 Rally Pro costs £13,100 (that’s £1400 more than the Rally) and comes with all the equipment on the standard bike plus a load of extras. Out of those extras I would welcome the centre stand, engine bars and sump guard, but I wouldn’t miss the quickshifter, tyre pressure monitoring, connectivity, heated seats, LED fog lights or extra riding modes.
If money is no object then sure, all of those things are nice to have, but if it was me I would only buy the bits that I want (or try hard to bargain them as part of the deal), and spend the difference on a nice little trip. You can have a lot of fun with that kind of money – and with this bike.