FIRST RIDE
P54
2013 TRIUMPH TIGER SPORT 1200
The author would have liked to have seen a gear selector
function on the digital display; the Tiger gets ABS with
its Nissin brakes; plenty of storage space with its hard
cases; you can scroll through the functions menu with a
button on the left handlebar; for the first time ever, the
Tiger gets a single-sided, cast-aluminum swingarm.
of the long wheelbase delivering a planted feel to
the steering, it changes direction with sufficient
agility along a winding country road not to be tiring.
And even with the stiffer springing, the actual ride
quality of the Showa suspension package is pretty
high. For although the damping is firmer than the
more softly sprung older bike's was, it doesn't result in a harsh ride, and there's a good sense of
compliance as well as reasonable comfort.
You especially notice the front end's stiffer
setup under hard braking from the Nissin brake
package, for with the firmer front end, there's less
fork dive than on the old Tiger, which was less adept at being hustled hard along a winding, roughsurfaced country road, with lots of hard braking,
than the new one certainly is. However, the radial
brakes' initial bite isn't superlative, which presumably is a matter of pad choice – there wasn't the immediate hit I was looking for, though they eventually
work okay in the end.
I got the ABS kicking in a couple of times on dusty
Spanish roads still covered with the remains of winter salt, and everything indeed felt very controllable
as I heard and felt the wheel locking and unlocking
beneath me. The rear brake isn't particularly strong,
and I couldn't get the ABS to kick in even by stepping on it, which was a little strange.
It was hard not to be impressed with the new
Tiger Sport after spending a day riding it, and the
main reason is the way Triumph has retuned that
wonderfully torquey, melodic, forgiving yet potent
three-cylinder motor to be so thoroughly flexible yet
forgiving, fast as well as friendly. With its excellent
handling, good steering, decent performance and
relaxed riding position, this truly is an everyday bike
for all seasons, and all reasons.
CN
