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P138 RIDE REVIEW I TRIUMPH TIGER SPORT 800 biguous road focus means the suspension doesn't need to be long travel to cope with any off- road work. With less travel than a typical 19-inch adventure ma- chine, the chassis and suspen- sion work well together; there's enough weight tr ansfer under braking to load and work the tire, but the forks don't dive, while the rear is controlled and offers plenty of feedback, even when you start to make full use of the triple's 113 bhp. The torque curve is very flat, making for a linear power deliv - ery that drives the 800 with satis- fying urgency. Work that smooth quickshifter and you can enjoy a ride brisk enough to make you question why you'd ever want more power or torque—its performance is perfect for the road. Should the mood take you, it will happily rev past 10,750 rpm to the limiter at 11,500 rpm, and behave like a (comfortable) sports bike. Such is the punch of the midrange; there's no need to rev beyond 8500 rpm, but, like all Triumph's triples, its rasping ex - haust sounds epic when you do. In Sport mode the throttle response is a little sharper, but not overly aggressive, and you can feel the rider aids have been turned down. The traction control works as an anti-wheelie and is relatively smooth when it kicks in. In Sport, the front wheel hovers and holds over crests or, when accelerating hard in the first two gears, whereas in Road mode, wheelies are kept on a tight leash with the front tire firmly planted. The TC can only be switched off at a standstill, but once done, frees the front end to do as it will do. Unlike some sports-tourers, ground clearance is excellent for this type of bike. Only heavier riders or those riding two up with luggage may want to add some preload to the rear. I rode reason - ably hard and was impressed by the composure of the chassis at pace. This Tiger certainly has the minerals necessary to chase your (far less comfortable) mates on sports bikes. The brakes department may lack the Brembo bling of some of the Italian competition, but the 800's twin 310mm front discs and four-piston calipers (there's a single 255mm disc on the rear) are more than up for the job. The radial-mounted Triumph-branded items are the same as the stan - dard Speed Twin 1200, which I recently rode, and they worked well on the modern classic too. Cornering ABS is standard, and doesn't change via the mode, which means when ridden ag - gressively, it kicks in a little early and is a tad intrusive. For normal riding, though, the safety net of cornering ABS will be a bonus. The blend of a fantastic chas- sis with a 17-inch front wheel, a lively engine packed with charac- ter, and a spacious riding posi- tion made me wish the test day would never end. It's not every day you get to have this much fun without sacrificing comfort. We only scratched the surface of the 800's long-distance potential, but after a full day in the saddle, I had absolutely no complaints. Even with some spirited riding, I managed 43 mpg, which isn't Long days are best taken the long way on the Triumph. A six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) allows "optimized" cornering ABS and traction control.