Triumph has recently been engaged in an ambitious hunt. This is not a tiger hunt, but a hunt with a tiger. By adding a few horses and a lot of character to its big road trail, by refining its silhouette and by stuffing it with piloting aids, the Hickley manufacturer could well bite the calves of the king of the trails, the BMW 1250 GS.
The big road trail market is still doing very well, and each brand of two-wheeler is trying to find a place in it in its own way: Honda by playing on the myth of the Africa Twin, Ducati on the hair-raising character of the Multistrada, BMW on the great comfort of the GS. Triumph tries to play a separate card, concentrating some of the qualities drawn elsewhere. The British manufacturer started from the previous Tiger to review almost everything. The engine, taken from the Speed ??Triple RS, is a three-cylinder (obviously) supercharged and furious, which, although lightened by a few cm3, delivers 150 hp (i.e. 9 more than with the previous engine). The engineers also inflicted a hell of a slimming cure on the machine: they lightened it by 25 kilos, which is not… an easy task! The line, sharper, does not give off an extraordinary personality, but it is rather successful. We think in particular of the big front headlight, wide and flattened, nicely drawn. The various steering aids are also numerous, as if it were necessary to rise to the height of the references in the field, such as the GS 1250: three steering modes, hand guards, grips and heated saddle, keyless locking, adjustable screen (but by hand), very readable TFT screen, USB socket…
This is perhaps the only flaw, and it is a slight way of speaking. At low speeds, and despite a severely reduced weight, the 1200 Tiger is a little tricky to move. We must be wary of the beginnings of imbalances, which can quickly turn into a fall. The fault, no doubt, with a center of gravity placed a little high, aggravated when the tank is full. Likewise, the machine is high up; less than 1.80 m, impossible for the pilot to put both feet flat. But, once launched, it is surprisingly agile. We forget the initial impression as the machine becomes easy to handle. The suspensions, irreproachable, undoubtedly have a lot to do with it, as does the braking, which is very efficient and easily dosed with its 320 mm discs pinched by Brembo Stylema. Apart from a few jerks when accelerating, the English trail combines great flexibility at low revs with an outburst of sound and fury when you come close to the red zone. Behind the bubble in the high position, the pilot is well protected, from head to toe through the legs, coiled behind the side protections. And, as always on British machines, the finish is impeccable and neat. A pretty tiger, in short.
Between the opulent approval of a German, the playful character of an Italian and the flawless quality of a Japanese, the English can probably expand its place among the big trails a little more, thanks to this new version. If it lacks a bit of personality, at least visually, it combines enough assets to lead the hunt for the GS. With an almost German price: from 18,700 euros.
Triumph 1200 Tiger
Engine: 1160cc three-cylinder
Power: 150 hp at 9000 rpm
Torque: 130 Nm at 7,000
Transmission: Cardan shaft
Tank: 20L
Weight: 240 kg
Price: from 18,700 euros
WE love
Engine
Comfort
maneuverability
We love less
weight at low speed
The lack of personality
The price