2018 TRIUMPH TIGER 1200 XRT & XCA
FIRST TEST
P72
choice of seat heights is the
same at 32.8 inches or 33.6
inches, there's a new seat design
and a consistency of the padding
which is frankly more plush and
welcoming than before. I opted
for the lower setting of the two for
my ride, and the result was that
I felt properly ensconced within
the bike rather than perched on
top, yet without feeling in any way
cramped. There's a special Low
Rider version offering a 31.1-31.8-
inch option, but for some reason
that's only available in the XRX
variant. Why, I do not know.
The result was an extremely
comfortable riding stance that
shrugged off the effects of a
mere 125 miles on the road—this
is very much a bike for much lon-
ger hauls, and after leaving the
Badlands where Clint Eastwood
made his name churning out
Spaghetti Westerns, we headed
into the foothills of the Sierra
Nevada, whose snow-covered
peaks lived up to their name.
PLAYING WITH A TIGER
Carving corners and surfing
switchback stretches while climb-
ing to an altitude of more than
6500 feet underscored what a
lusty, torquey motor this rein-
vented Tiger 1200 power unit is,
with torque peaking at 7600 rpm
where 90 ft-lb is available—but
there's already 89 lb-ft at 6100
rpm, and 87 lb-ft at 5500 revs.
This meant I could hold third
gear for miles on end, letting
the engine drop as low as 3000
rpm where 79 lb-ft is on tap,
then winding it on to deliver that
seamless drive up to somewhere
around the 9500 rpm limiter.
With peak power of 141 bhp deliv-
ered at 9350 rpm, you must be
quick to powershift wide open up
another gear at that point, with
the guttural rasp of the freer flow-
ing titanium-wrap Arrow silencer
weighing 4.6 pounds less fitted
as standard to this top-end model
and supposedly responsible for
The XCA has the ability to go
anywhere. Even though Alan's bike
was fitted with street tires, this is
the one for big time off roading.
