Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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2018 TRIUMPH TIGER 1200 XRT & XCA FIRST TEST P76 HIT WITH THE BEAUTY STICK With its 59.8-inch wheelbase— down 0.39 inches from the Explorer—the Tiger 1200 has genuine presence, as well as subtly redrawn styling that is less disjointed in appearance than the Explorer, with more con- temporary graphics. It retains that model's long 10,000-mile service intervals, and comes well equipped with excellent mirrors which don't vibrate at any speeds, as befits a bike equipped with an I-section coun- terbalancer which is so smooth to be aboard at almost any revs. Only above 8000 rpm does it start to tingle a little, and that's not an engine speed Tiger 1200 owners are likely to get acquaint- ed with very much. The XRT has very accessible two-stage heated grips as well as two settings for the heated seat, with the passenger's sec- tion individually controllable. I didn't need the seat's hotter second stage on a late autumn day even climbing to the snow level, though Level 1 on the heated grips seemed a little weak, especially as I still had summer gloves on. Triumph has equipped the XRT well, with two 12v power sockets and one USB port, and a huge range of optional displays for the TFT dash. The keyless ignition and steering lock is useful—until you need to fill up with fuel. Then you need to take your gloves off and go hunting through your pockets for the key in order to open the gas cap, which rather defeats the purpose of the system. The dual-purpose XCX and XCA ver- sions also boast aluminum sump guards, radiator guards and engine bars as standard, Pricing for the family of 1200 Tigers is definitely high end. The Tiger 1200 XRT I spent most time on comes in at $21,050, with the XCA costing $21,750. But Triumph claims with some justification that its bikes come loaded with features as standard that are optional on comparable models, so be prepared for your local Triumph dealer's salesper- son to come well equipped with comparative costings if you start contrasting it with comparable R 1200 GS Boxer prices. But it's a mark of how considerably im- proved over its predecessor the Tiger 1200 is that you can now definitely consider it as on a par with the market-leading Boxer twin. Good job, Triumph. CN 2018 TRIUMPH TIGER XCA ($21,750) / XRT ($21,050) ENGINE: .......... Liquid-cooled, 12 valve, DOHC, in-line, 3-cylinder DISPLACEMENT: ......................... 1215cc BORE X STROKE: ............. 85 x 71.4mm COMPRESSION RATIO: .................. 11.0:1 CLUTCH: ........................ Wet multi-plate TRANSMISSION: ....................... 6-speed CHASSIS: .... Tubular steel trellis frame FRONT SUSPENSION: ...........WP 48mm upside down forks, electronically adjustable damping REAR SUSPENSION: ......................... WP monoshock, electronically adjustable semi active damping with automatic preload adjustment FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ................ 7.5 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ..................7.6 in. FRONT BRAKE: ................. Twin 305mm floating discs, radially mounted monobloc Brembo 4-piston calipers, switchable ABS REAR BRAKE: ....... Single 282mm disc, Nissin 2-piston sliding caliper, switch- able ABS FRONT TIRE: ....................... 120/70 R19 REAR TIRE: ......................... 170/60 R17 RAKE: ............................................. 23.2° WHEELBASE: .............................. 59.8 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ........ 32.8 in. or 33.6 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ......................5.28 gal. S P E C I F I C A T I O N S The Arrow exhaust has shed 4.6 pounds over the 2017 edition.