RIDE REVIEW I 2023 TRIUMPH TIGER 1200 RALLY EXPLORER & 1200 GT EXPLORER
P114
turn the ignition off, on both
the Rally and the GT models,
is that your heated seat, grips
and fog lights all revert to off,
even if you had everything on
when you stopped. It was irri
-
tating at first, but after the first
week of daily riding, I became
accustomed to resetting ev
-
erything back the way I had it.
It's a minor inconvenience, but
I hope Triumph will change
this with a software update
because it is frustrating.
I spent two solid weeks on
the Rally Explorer and learned
to love the bike once we got
to know each other. It handles
exceptionally well off-road,
and when you transition to
the pavement and change
into Sport mode, the motor,
combined with the super-
smooth quickshifter, makes
(Right) The Rally
Explorer handles
exceptionally
well off-road
and is still a
blast to ride on
twisty tarmac.
the Rally Explorer a blast to
ride on twisty tarmac. The
Rally, even though it rolls on a
larger 21-inch front wheel and
carries almost an inch more
suspension travel than the GT,
is still my weapon of choice
on pavement, mainly because
it's tall enough that I don't find
myself dragging the pegs in
every turn as I did on the GT.
GOOD-BYE RALLY,
HELLO GT
I parted ways with the Rally
Explorer after two weeks and
start my next stint on the
GT Explorer. Since the GT is
equipped with cast wheels
and street tires, I had no plans
to take this bike off-road, even
though it offers one off-road
ride mode. So, I planned sev
-
eral long, paved loop rides and
started my two-week regimen
again. Having already spent
so much time on the Rally, I
basically knew what to expect
with the GT.
The GT sits much lower
than the Rally and feels much
smaller than a GS in similar
trim. I kept referring to it as
"this little bike" whenever I'd
talk about it over the next few
weeks because it felt small.
Lot's to look at.
