VOLUME 57 ISSUE 14 APRIL 7, 2020 P55
Triumph Tiger 900 and yesterday's 800. I
think that's good news for all of us. And as
we go through the build of the modern Tiger
and how it performs, I'm sure you'll see it as
a different animal, as well.
UNIVERSAL UPDATES
Across the board, all Triumph Tiger 900
models get a complete rebuild from the
older generation. The steel frames are
lighter and more ergonomically pleasing,
and the replaceable aluminum subframe
now thankfully has removable bolt-on
passenger pegs. Fuel tanks are larger
(5.28 gallons/20 liter) and narrower, bar
positions and footpeg placements are opti-
mized for each model and the riding condi-
tions likely to be encountered. Weight is
lower and more centered. Everything you
touch and see is new. This is good news.
ENGINE
Starting with the obvious, the new Tiger
900 comes with a more powerful, more
advanced, cleaner and lighter powertrain
in the 888cc triple engine. Headlining
the engine's hype reel after displacement
upgrades is a new T-Plane crankshaft and
1-3-2 firing order at varying degrees off
crank position.
Triumph is proud of its triples (as it
should be) but twin-cylinder torque and
usable power delivery of modern mid-
sized, liter-ish ADV motorcycles might have
sparked some jealousy in the Triumph
engineering department. This new T-Plane
crank and firing order, combined with
(Right) Rider aids are
abundant but can
be turned off when
needed. (Below) The
Tiger 900 gets more
displacement and
less weight. Nothing
wrong with that!
(Left) The seven-inch TFT dash has
it all, including good looks.
