2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 Review - First Ride

This cat's claws are sharper than ever

Triumph’s open-class ADV bike, the Tiger 1200 (or Tiger Explorer depending on what era we’re talking about), had begun to get a little long in the tooth. The big cat hadn’t received a major overhaul since its introduction in 2012 – only receiving incremental upgrades to keep the machine relevant over the past 10 years. The Brits did give the bike some refreshes and new tech over that time, but nothing compared to the latest iteration that I was lucky enough to get a proper two-day test of around the backroads and trails of the Iberian Peninsula.

2023 Triumph Tiger 1200

2018 Triumph Tiger 1200 XCa Review

All-new! We hear all too often. Fortunately, however, when asked what components had been carried over from the previous Tiger 1200 family to these new models, Chief Engineer Stuart Wood replied with a smile, “I believe there are a few fasteners.” The 2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 is truly a ground up redesign. Before we dig into the bits and bobs, as they say, let’s take a look at what we have in the Tiger 1200 lineup.

All in the family

Five models make up the Tiger 1200 line for 2023. We have the GT subset which includes the standard GT, GT Pro, and GT Explorer. These models make up the more road-focused variants in a line which offers loads of touring comfort and tarmac performance, while still being game for the odd adventure. The Rally Pro and Rally Explorer models are better equipped for off-road expeditions with longer travel suspension and a 21-inch front wheel, among other things.

Cast wheels in a 19/18-inch combo are standard fare on the GT models, allowing them to steer more quickly thanks to their smaller size and weight compared to the larger spoked wheels of the Rally models. Metzeler Tourance tires are standard issue.

Showa semi-active suspension is used across the model range with the GT line offering up 7.9 inches of travel with 10% stiffer springs. Two-position seats are also equipped to all trim levels, with the GT’s ranging in height from 33.5 inches to 34.3 inches. The street-focused models are also a bit shorter in length and have a less steep rake and more trail than the off-road models.

Standout features of the Explorer models include a 7.9-gallon tank, engine protection bars, heated seats for the rider and passenger, and blind spot detection from its rear-facing radar.

Rally models set themselves apart with 0.8-inches of extra suspension travel, giving them 8.7 in. of total travel at both ends. Additionally, the Off-road Pro ride mode is included, allowing users to disable traction control and ABS entirely. Metzeler Karoo Street tires are wrapped around tubeless spoked wheels in a proper 21/18-inch off-road combo. Seat heights range from 34.4 to 35.2 inches on the Rally models.

One of Triumph’s major engineering feats with the new 1200 range has been a substantial reduction in weight. The GT model comes in at a claimed 529 lbs with the largest model, the Rally Explorer tipping the scales at 575 elbees. Pricing for the GT models ranges from $19,100 to $23,100 while the Rally Pro and Rally Explorer retail for $22,500 and $24,200, respectively.

Tiger 1200 overview

As Mr. Wood alluded in his statement about fasteners, the 2023 Tiger 1200 range has been entirely revamped from the ground up. In this monumental task, Triumph’s goals were a reduction in weight, an increase in power, and improved rideability with more purposeful and focused performance for the task at hand.

Hinckley says the new package is more than 55 pounds lighter than before which, with our last top-o-the-line Tiger 1200 tipping the MO scales at 632 lbs, 575 for the ’23 Rally Explorer seems about right. Weight reduction comes from every nook and cranny of the Tiger 1200 with the frame, engine, and shaft drive being just a few areas showing considerable weight loss.

The new, smaller 1160 cc Triple now uses the T-plane crank setup we first saw on the Tiger 900 range. The T-plane crank has a 1, 3, 2 firing order – a configuration Triumph uses to help coax Twin-like performance out of the Triple at low rpm while still delivering excellent power through the mid- to upper-rpm range that Hinckley’s Triples are known for. In addition, it makes for a pretty great soundtrack.

Triumph claims the new Triple makes 148 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 96 lb-ft of torque at 7,000 rpm at the crank. The last Tiger 1200 we ran on the dyno during our 2018 Big Bore Adventure Touring Shootout made 114.6 hp at 8,600 rpm and 67 lb-ft of torque at 7,000 at the rear wheel.

The Tiger 1200 retains shaft drive but now uses a single shaft versus the two-peice configuration from previous years. The new setup uses a “tri-link” setup forgoing the single-sided swingarm from previous years. Although it looks complex, we’re told tire changes only require one extra bolt to be removed compared to any other traditional double-sided swingarm. Triumph says the tri-link configuration saves more than three pounds of unsprung weight – not an insignificant amount. Recommended maintenance for the final drive is an oil refresh every two years regardless of mileage. That’s the kind of final drive maintenance schedule we can all get behind.

Speaking of maintenance, Triumph has also increased the new Triple’s service intervals to 10,000 miles for oil changes and 20,000 miles for valve checks.

We’re told the entire chassis, frame, and engine have been rotated forward in its design to place the bike’s center of gravity closer to the front contact patch, giving better front end feel to the rider.

The Showa semi-active suspension features many of the tricks we’ve come to expect from electronic suspension, including optimum damping settings for each ride mode; these are constantly adjusting at a rate of 50 milliseconds during the ride. There’s also the ability to adjust damping characteristics manually over nine levels, and automatic preload setting based on how the bike is loaded.

The suspension is also able to detect jumps and increase damping for landings. Showa also uses what it calls a “virtual spring rate” which, in theory, controls the spring rate by adjusting damping forces when the suspension is at higher stroke positions. This gives a progressive feel to the shock that is typically achieved through a linkage system.

Across the Tiger 1200 range, Brembo Stylema calipers clamp two 320mm discs at the front, with a single-piston Brembo unit clenching a 282mm disc out back. Continental’s IMU-based cornering ABS is also standard fare across the five trims. Braking is linked in all but off-road modes and uses specific ABS parameters that are based on ride modes.

On-road

I actually started my day of testing on the tarmac with the Rally Explorer. After half a day’s ride on that machine, the difference between it and the GT Pro that I hopped on after lunch was night and day. Really, it shouldn’t be surprising that the 21-inch front wheel and extra heft on the Explorer models was easily felt while railing through corners. Circling back to my comment about the new Tiger 1200 range feeling more focused, there is a massive difference in feel between the GT and Rally models, and it mainly boils down to the smaller, lighter cast wheels.

Yes, you can feel the extra weight on the Explorer models and the larger front wheel on the Rallys, but it doesn’t take long to get used to and didn’t stop me from keeping up with the pack as we blasted through the Portuguese countryside.

The biggest feature that stood out after some time on the asphalt was just how well the suspension adapts to the road surface. Although I did tweak the damping characteristics in ride modes to get a feel for the differences, I never felt it was necessary. The baseline settings and semi-active suspension adjustment worked fantastically. Also, despite the amount of braking force generated by Brembo’s stellar Stylemas, the anti-dive damping works almost as well as the telelever setup found on other bikes (cough*BMW*cough). The Showa units are highly refined and complex and manage to work better than I thought was even possible. Big round of applause to Showa and Triumph. I am very impressed.

Naturally, the engine is the next standout feature. The 1160cc Triple lost some of its sewing machine smoothness in favor of a bit more bark and rawness. This did translate into a bit more vibes being carried through the machine, but not enough to bother me during our ride. That said, we were never droning down the highway for much time, but if we were, at least we have cruise control. In Sport mode, on/off throttle input can be a bit jerky, and really, it can be somewhat annoying when scooting through small towns at low speeds. However, slotting the Tiger into Road mode really seemed to smooth out the on/off throttle lurchiness.

Once we had made our way out of town, I left the bike in Road mode for a bit which delivered a smooth, controlled ride from the suspension with an equally smooth delivery of power. Clicking the big cat back into Sport mode (via the aptly named joystick) for the twisty bits thoroughly changed the character of the bike. The stiffer suspension kept everything very well composed and the bike never felt like it was moving through the stroke too fast. Even in fast switchbacks, damping felt controlled and deliberate. Throttle response was much sharper with Sport mode, allowing the engine to rev up much quicker into its meaty mid-range as it smoothly climbed toward the bike’s 9,500 rpm redline.

I really appreciated the difference between the ride modes. In the past, I’ve ridden motorcycles that, when switched between ride modes, don’t feel drastically different – with the Tiger 1200, you feel like you’ve just swapped motorcycles.

On the road, the GT Pro and its 5.2-gallon tank feel like the quickest of the bunch, as they should. Triumph has managed to make that bike feel small and manageable – compared to the other models – for an open-class ADV machine. With its smaller cast wheels, it’s easy to hustle through the tightest of corners with confidence that you can easily adjust mid-corner if necessary. That said, once I had some time on the GT Explorer, I found the front end even more planted and confidence inspiring. Yes, you can feel the weight of the extra fuel the Explorer carries (approximately 16.2 pounds worth) and it is all up high – there is no low slung tank like that of the KTM adventure bikes, but even still, it didn’t put a damper on our ride.