Last year here at KR we tested the Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro . That was the top spec road-going version , but , of course , with the full Tiger adventure livery and style . At the time I remember thinking it handled more akin to a sports bike , but with all the comforts the adventure design ensures . It ’ s an excellent real-world compromise . However , it crossed my mind that if the new 900 Rally Pro iteration felt the same , it wouldn ’ t work quite so well on the gravelly , dirty , adventury bits .
WHAT ’ S A RALLY PRO ? Thankfully , my concerns were totally unfounded . The 900 Rally Pro handles like a completely different machine than the GT Pro . It has that effortless easy-going nature in the turns where the rider can just relax and let the bike do all the work – just like a good adventure bike should . It ’ s the feeling of a bike that will take everything in its stride ... from pavement to gravel and mud and ruts . It genuinely feels like easy going intuitive allrounder . This test included the Triumph Tiger Adventure Ride gravel route around Raglan ... all done with the standard road tyres , when 50 / 50 road / dirt tyres , at the least , would have been prudent . Of course , the Tiger Rally Pro model comes standard with all the bells and whistles . The chassis is tubular steel with a removable bolt on sub-frame ( a long moaned about issue on previous bikes ) and alloy swingarm . It has a centrestand , bash plate and crash bars . There ’ s also tyre pressure monitoring , cruise control , fog lights , and heated grips and seats – cool ! Or warm in this case – on those really wet days when sitting in a pool of water it ’ s always nice to know the meat and veg will not suffer like the brass monkey . Centrestands are always a very welcome
46 KIWI RIDER