Review: Triumph Tiger

Sadly I am of an age to remember when Triumph produced a 750cc Tiger writes Bob Hickman.

At the time I borrowed one from the old Co-operative Triumph factory and competed in off-road competitions. It was based on the good old-fashioned parallel twin engine and it did its job. It shook itself to pieces with vibration and was never the most reliable but it did win me a few pots.

When I had the opportunity to test the latest Triumph Tiger from the Hinckley factory I grabbed it with relish.

Triumph have identified a gap in the market. They saw BMW and Honda were doing very nicely with people who wanted to buy an off-road style bike without necessarily wanting to ride it that way – a bit like people who buy 4x4s but never venture off-road.

A bike that could be used for commuting, touring and semi-off-road would have appeal so the Triumph Tiger 800cc is produced as two variants. I tested the road-biased version. With its 19" cast wheels it is an all-round useable machine. Then there is the off-road version that has a 21" spoked front wheel, much longer suspension and different tyres.

Triumph has been loyal to the three-cylinder concept and the engine fitted to the Tiger was a little gem. It was almost linear in its power production: with fuel injection, gone are the days of fiddling with chokes to get that initial start then a reliable tick-over.

It has a capacity of 799cc; and Triumph has not stifled the unique and wonderful sound of the three-cylinder with the exhaust set up.

It is said to produce 94bhp at 9,300 revs with a reasonable amount of torque at mid-range. Triumph suggests a top speed of 130mph should be achievable and the 4.2-gallon tank should give a range of about 200 miles.

The Tiger is a tall bike. I am just over six feet with long legs so for me it was perfect. The sports screen fits in front of the instrumentations and at first I thought it was a bit gimmicky, but to my amazement 70mph cruising on the motorway showed that it worked.

The aerodynamic effect of hanging on to a high set of handlebars was diminished and it actually kept some of the rain off.

The bike is a very agile performer, belying the fact that it is an 800cc, and the weight distribution is perfect.

Performance from the first twist of the throttle all the way through the six gears is excellent. Acceleration is very brisk, the gearbox is a delight and very easy to use. Clutchless changes could quite easily be made up or down the box.

One aspect the derivative I rode showed was that it doesn't like off-road performing. Bennetts Lane runs between the A454 near the outskirts of Wolverhampton towards Pattingham. It starts off very narrow, gets narrower with grass in the middle, then degenerates into a farm track, and the last quarter of a mile is a stream bed.

It is an education and difficult to ride. The pebbles had been polished so high, that the bike at times struggled to find grip and it was sideways as much as it was pointing forward. But it proved a point.

It is possible to tackle a "green lane" but you need to concentrate and show the bike who is boss. With the tall seat configuration the smaller statured may struggle if they venture too far off-road. Having said that, it was just an exercise because Triumph is promoting this as a dual-purpose bike.

Handling on road was brilliant and the power belied how big this bike is. It was almost like riding a small 250cc and the big wide bars were a bonus in town.

It is a bike Triumph should justifiably be proud of and BMW with the 800cc GS and Honda with the Transalp should be concerned.

Fuel consumption in the mid-40s is not to be scoffed at and the big fuel tank means no need to be paranoid about running out of fuel on the motorway.

My own bike is a 10-year old Pan European, so I am out of touch with what modern motor cycles now add as standard.

I was surprised to find the instrumentation on the Triumph comprised a digital speedometer with a conventional analogue taco, a clock and a digital display of gear selection – useful with a six-speed gearbox. Two trip displays, as in a car, are useful too.

It has an average speed, and fuel consumption display, a fuel gauge and, again copied from the car world, distance remaining with the amount of fuel on board. These were all easy features and the buttons were sensible and simple to operate with gloves.

Triumph expect to sell at least 7000 of these bikes worldwide. I can't see any reason they shouldn't achieve that, because once you have ridden it you realise just how good both the bike and concept are. My only reservation is the lack of luggage space.

With a price from £7,149, on sale now, I can see nothing but success for Triumph and this new bike.