Motorcycle specifications TriumphTiger 1200 Rally Pro 2023 Everything to please

" The hardest thing about riding a tiger is getting off it", says a hypothetical Chinese proverb discovered by chance. An incongruous maxim, but one that seems highly appropriate to present the Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro, since the latest model from the British manufacturer seems to have serious arguments to delight its rider and make him want to stay in the saddle for long hours.

in fact, since 2022, Triumph has done no more than give the Tiger 1200, originally released in 2012, a vague makeover or facelift. Quite the contrary: to mark the tenth anniversary of its mega-big trail bike, the Hinckley-based company has unveiled a brand-new motorcycle, far sharper than the previous model.

The renewal begins with the nomenclature used to designate the various versions of the Tiger 1200: no more XR, XRX, XCX, XRT, XCA... Today, the five versions are called GT, GT Pro, GT Explorer, Rally Pro and Rally Explorer. Which, as you'll soon realize, makes them much easier to recognize. To put it simply, the GTs have spoked rims and are designed more for the road, while the Rally models, with their spoked wheels, are more off-road oriented. Finally, the name Explorer refers to the capacity of the fuel tank, which increases from 20 to 30 liters. In plain English, it's the equivalent of the Adventure trim level for the BMW R 1250 GS.

the various versions of the Tiger 1200 share broadly the same technical features, but a few details distinguish the Rally versions from the GT models. The Rally Pro gets a 21-inch tubeless front wheel, instead of the GT's 19-inch spoked rim. To enhance its off-road capabilities, the travel of the 49mm Showa inverted fork has been increased from 200 to 220mm. The front-end geometry is also a little more closed to enhance off-road maneuverability, while the adjustable seat height rises by 25 mm to between 875 and 895 mm.

While the old Tiger 1200 had evolved over the years into an excellent traveler, ultra-equipped and capable of devouring hundreds of kilometers in a single stroke, it had retained a certain stoutness from its origins, with a feeling of high weight when maneuvering at low speeds and a generous size that wasn't always reassuring at first glance. With the 2022 model year, Triumph is starting from scratch with a slimmer, more athletic motorcycle. What's obvious to the eye is confirmed by the technical data sheet, which lists the bike's weight at 249 kg fully loaded (90% full and in running order, according to the manufacturer), compared with 248 kg... unladen for the XCA 2021 version! This represents a saving of 15 kg, considering only the weight of the 20 liters of petrol (a liter of petrol weighs 0.75 kg).

the Tiger 1200 has a much more dynamic feel than its predecessor. It feels more feline, with a completely revised chassis. Its tubular steel trellis, complemented by aluminum plates and rear buckle, gives it a more muscular silhouette, underlined by its exhaust silencer that follows the rear part of the frame as closely as possible. Everything looks more compact, as if Hinckley's tiger were flexing all its muscles to pounce with even greater ferocity.

this aggressiveness is also reflected in the new look, with the LED daytime running lights reminiscent of the Harley Pan America's linear lighting. The minimalist cladding is cut to modernize the look as much as possible, revealing the mechanical soul of this new trail bike, a little like industrial decor that enhances the intrinsic beauty of materials.

f or several years now,Triumph has been accustoming its motorcycles to an exemplary finish. The Tiger Rally Pro is no exception. And the new Tri-Link rear swingarm is no exception. Not only does it retain the comfort and ease of use associated with the cardan shaft drive, but its new design on the right-hand side perfectly integrates the rear brake caliper, which is thus particularly well protected from off-road spray. The suspensions are semi-active, constantly adapting to the rider's riding style and the terrain on which the bike is being ridden. The Rally Pro version adds an "Off-Road Pro" mode to the five riding modes already present on the GT Pro, completely deactivating both ABS and traction control to take full advantage of the beast's off-road capabilities.

of course, the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is equipped with all the classic electronic driving aids, plus an ingenious blind spot sensor. Heated grips, backlit controls and a 7" TFT multi-function connected instrument panel are just some of the high-tech refinements on offer.

the three-cylinder engine is also brand new: no longer a 1215 cm3 unit, the Tiger 2022 is equipped with the 1160 cm3 three-cylinder engine found on the latest generations of Speed Triple, and features T-Plane timing. Similar to the cross-plane timing used by Yamaha on R1 four-cylinders, this system modifies the cylinder explosion sequence, now firing at 180°, 270° and then 270° again. Without going into the technical details, the idea is to obtain the torquey character of a twin-cylinder at low revs, while retaining the aggressiveness of a three-cylinder at higher revs. As a result, the Tiger gains 9 hp compared to the 2021 model year, with power now reaching 150 hp and torque 130 Nm. Enough to fly over roads and tracks!

thus armed, the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro has some very serious arguments to put up against the queen of the genre, the indestructible BMW R 1200 GS. Less powerful on paper (136 hp) and heavier (249 kg unladen), the German will certainly have its work cut out against thisnext-gen Tiger! However, when we look at the technical data sheet in detail, the game doesn't seem to be won yet: the British model's 150 hp are reached at 9,000 rpm, compared with 7,750 rpm for the German's 136 hp max. At equivalent engine speeds, it's a safe bet that the measured power outputs will be close. On the other hand, the BMW retains the advantage in terms of torque, with 143 Nm from 6250 rpm versus 130 Nm at 7000 rpm for the Triumph. And driving experience proves that it's not at the top of the rev counter that this kind of big, ultra-high-performance trail bike is most used, but rather at low and mid-range revs.

it's going to be a tight race, although it's a safe bet that Triumph, which had already hoped to challenge the GS in 2012 but failed, will have taken advantage of the past decade to design a motorcycle that is certainly exceptional. To be confirmed, handlebars in hand!

to make it easier to get on board, the Tiger 1200 features an active preload function. Pressing the "Home" button on the commodo for one second activates this function, lowering the seat height by 20 mm. When the bike exceeds 40 km/h, the suspension returns to the rider-defined setting. All Tiger 12 bikes of this generation can benefit from this add-on via a software update.

M.L. - Manufacturer's photos