Motorcycle specifications TriumphTiger 1200 Rally Explorer 2023 Meeting at the other end of the world

Once again, a trail will attempt to climb the most difficult of challenges. Not crossing a country, discovering a village of kangaroos or listening to Aya Nakamura for more than 30 seconds. Much tougher: ousting the GS from its indestructible effectiveness.

More specifically, the Adventure version. Triumph has totally reworked its big Tiger to enable it to tackle a wide range of terrains and the world's best adventurers. In its Rally Explorer version, it becomes more than a challenger. It's a veritable Magellan of the road. As well-equipped as a Martian Astromobile and as battle-hardened as a Highlander.

Like the other tigers, it's powered by a new, smaller yet more powerful engine. 150 horsepower take it far, fast and long. On the Explorer, the fuel tank is 50% larger, providing 30 liters of stored fuel. The manufacturer has announced special stages of up to 600 kms. The bike is equipped with off-road rubber: Metzeler Karoo in 90/90-21 and 150/70-18.

Other features are exclusive to the Explorer, such as the rear-mounted radar. It detects approaching objects in blind spots, warning the driver if a zebra decides to overtake. Should it decide to swerve wildly, it will rub against the upper protection bars. The savannah is hot ;-).
Don't worry: in addition to the heated grips already present on the Rally Pro, your buttocks will be well looked after by the independently adjustable heated saddles. Last but not least, the handlebars are 16 mm higher for a more commanding riding position.

tiger Rally bikes are not only TT-oriented in terms of their wheels. Their suspension travel is greater (220 mm) than on the GTs, and they feature an additional "Off-Road pro" riding mode. This deactivates the ABS and traction control, which is more of a handicap than anything else when you've got the skill to glide over soft terrain.

And let 's not forget the profusion of equipment shared with the Rally Pro. It's enough to make your head spin. Center stand, tire pressure monitoring system, hill-start assist, keyless entry system, Up&Down shifter, two-position adjustable seat (quite high), active suspension, IMU inertial unit, angle-responsive ABS and traction control, adaptive cornering lights, additional lights, large 7-inch color TFT display with in-house app (phone management, navigation and GoPro control), six riding modes, adjustable windshield, hand guards, aluminum hoof and engine crash bars. The Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer features a real roll cage in front of the chest.

So it's almost pointless to check out the options. Instead, let's look at the essentials of the 1200 Tiger. This machine has managed to lose 25 kilos since the previous version. Impressive! Braking has been upgraded to sporty levels, with Brembo Stylema calipers and larger discs (320 mm). The chassis and swingarm are new, eliminating almost 7 kilos. The inverted fork has been thickened to 49 mm. Total weight is now 261 kilos ready to ride. That's 7 kilos less than a 1250 GSA, but 25 more than an Africa Twin Adventure Sports.

there 's so much equipment, we almost forgot to mention cruise control, USB connection, backlit controls, daytime running lights, ..... Stop! It's worse than a car. All that's missing are the doors and, worst of all, two extra wheels.

It 's the most expensive, the most expeditionary, the most demonstrative of Triumph's trails. Nothing has been left to chance, whether you're heading for the end of a country lane or camping under a baobab tree. Of course, few will go that far with such a machine. It's a dream machine, and that's fine, without denigrating its capabilities. Only a small percentage of adventurers will actually be able to use it. The majority of users will think otherwise - hope is more exhilarating than the sigh when passing by mountain trails.

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.B - Manufacturer's photos