Tiger 1200 mergefest **all 1200 chat here

[Bixxer Bob]

There's a big spread on "spy" shots of the 1200 Tiger on test all finished except for tank badges.  It's thought to have about 140 bhp - Triumph say they could've matched the Multistroodle 160 bhp but thought it unnecessary - and it looks like an 800 on steroids.

Price will be the big thing, if it's less complex, got more farkles (as opposed to electronic gizmos) and is cheaper than a GS then it should sell well.  

What it has got over the others is - of course - the Triumph badge......

[D-Fuzz]

I saw the spy photos of the new bike and I think it looks great.  If I ever choose to replace my old Steamer, a Tiger with a shaft-drive would be about as good as it gets.

If I had my say in it, ABS would be a good thing, but skip traction control and sport/touring mode stuff like some of the competitors.  I fully expect the price of the bike to be higher than the 800s due to the extra displacement, but I hope it is similarly equipped to keep the costs down a bit.

[Chris Canning]

Having ridden plenty of 1098/1198's which do anything between 145/150hp,I'd put the Multi around 125 or less,the suspension/engine mapping is novel,but that ajustable suspension is a financial time bomb waiting to go off just like the ESA on the beemers 5 years down the line,and to be honest there's only one setting and thats sport mode,but even the basic model comes with the various engine maps.

Looking at the MCN photo's still can't make my mind up if I like or not,but from the exhaust side looks like a 3 cylinder GS,the wednesday comic while always getting flak can be pretty well informed if it is around 1150cc thats only 200cc up on ours 955's,but looking at the motor they have gone long stroke,it'll make for interesting riding,with two bikes with shaft drive i'd have prefered chain drive out of choice buy hey ho.

[Nick Calne]

I saw it and thought it looked a little generic really, uninspiring.  I think there are lots of competitors in this 'sector' at the moment and Triumph need to make sure their engine is a brighter proposition than the others.  Otherwise it's going to be a bland option next the to the 990, GS, Stelvio, Multistrada, Super tenere... Gotta be cheaper too.   (Is it just me or do motorbikes cost loads more than they did a year or two ago?)

[D-Fuzz]

I'm not really sure I agree with the "generic, uninspring" part.  I thought it looked like a slight bigger version of the 800, which would seem to tie the bikes together within the Triumph line-up.  And I think the big selling feature of the 800 and now the 1200 will be the engine.  I have yet to ride one of the 800s, but from everything I've read, Triumph got that engine right, so I expect they will get the 1200 right as well.

I read an article earlier this year about the new Suzuki Bandit 1250.  It talked about all the technologies being used in the competitors bikes and how Suzuki stripped the bike down, targetting buyers who were more about the riding experience than gadgets and gizmos.  According to the article, Suzuki got it right, as the reviewer really liked the bike.  I am hoping Triumph uses a similar approach.  One reason is due to the riding experience, but the biggest reason is cost.  I agree about the prices of bikes in recent years.  With the exception of the thumpers, it is next to impossible to find a bike under $10K.  Spending $20K on a GS or Multistrata is out of the picture for me.  The 800s are on the fringe of the comfort zone for me, hopefully the 1200 isn't to much more expensive.

[Colonel Nikolai]

but that ajustable suspension is a financial time bomb waiting to go off just like the ESA on the beemers 5 years down the line

And the computer technology going on in bikes these days is just idiotic. I'm a software engineer by trade and I love them but keep it simple, fixable and reliable by keeping solid-state / ic technology to a minimum is my mantra.

[rybes]

gutted. i cant get MCN here so cant see what it looks like.mcn site only has the cover of mcn on it so pics arnt that great :(

[Blackadder]

I was hoping it wouldn't look like the 800 really - too BMW for me. Still I'll have a look at one in the flesh and maybe blag a test ride...

[KuzzinKenny]

Looks like the Trophy 1200 will be out first..............



 :)

KK

[Colonel Nikolai]

Looks like the Trophy 1200 will be out first..............



 :)

KK

Looks like the essentials of the Sprint GT with the aesthetics of the Yamaha FJR-1300. With a shaft drive that looks almost exactly like it came from a R1300GS.

[rf9rider]

On the subject of MCN, i talked to Clive Woods last week, he`s the guy who ran Jack Lillys race team, racing the Steamers, he said next weeks MCN has a story about an 800 Tiger he rebuilt and modded.
Should be interesting.

[Spud]

I like that Trophy, but I want to see the new Tiger cheers Spud  

[Chris Canning]

I'll be interested to see where Triumph go with the wheels and tyres,the photos in the comic look really odd as it's got two spindly wheels with pissy sized tyres on,and they want to feed 140hp through e'm  :roll:

[blacktiger]

Looks like the Trophy 1200 will be out first..............



 :)

KK

Not necessarily as that Tiger 1200 looked pretty much finished to me. My guess, like they wrote in MCN, is that they'll both be shown at Milan in November.
Anyway, having just ridden my 800XC down through France, around some of the Pyrenees and back, I don't think I'll be needing or wanting anything bigger.

[Bixxer Bob]

I'll be interested to see where Triumph go with the wheels and tyres,the photos in the comic look really odd as it's got two spindly wheels with pissy sized tyres on,and they want to feed 140hp through e'm  :roll:

You seen the size of a Blackbird back tyre?

To be fair, the only one that works well for me - and tyres are always a personal choice - is the BT020 Blackbird-specific back tyre.  It was developed to take the power but more importantly the weight.  It has stiffer sidewalls.  I've tried generic tyres from both Bridgestone and other makes and they don't work as well, but that could be in my head of course....