Looks; price; fun
Sharp throttle in the midrange
WHICH TIGER IS FOR YOU?
There are two models of 1200; the XC and
XR. This bike is the XC, the rugged, spoked-
wheel line for those who want to explore off
the tar seal occasionally, while the XR is the
more road-oriented touring machine with
cast alloy wheels.
Within each line there are different
equipment levels. Triumph NZ isn’t bringing
in the base spec models, just the mid- and
top-spec. This means for the XR models
there’s the mid-level XRx and top-spec XRt. In
the XC line-up, there’s the standard XCx and
higher spec XCa.
There’s a very nifty full-colour TFT display
with different layout options, multiple riding
modes, semi-active WP suspension, hill-hold
control, adaptive corning LED lights which
help you see around a corner, an electrically
adjustable screen, keyless ignition, heated
grips, Brembo monobloc front brakes, rev-
match up/downshifter, cornering ABS, heated
seats, Arrow titanium/carbon silencer, cruise
control, finger joystick control for the menu
options, and a whole host more features. The
XC model gets Off-Road Pro which allows you
106 KIWI RIDER
to turn off both front and rear ABS and the
traction control, or any combination to suit
your riding.
The new TFT full-colour instrumentation
lets you select the display you want to, umm,
display. You can have the revs as a bar across
the top or like a conventional analogue rev-
counter. It’s all easily configurable via the
joystick-type finger control on the left hand
switchgear. Those who’ve ridden older Tigers
will appreciate how much more intuitive the
new menu system is. Now if you want to
adjust the suspension on the fly, just tap the
joystick for which one you want and close the
throttle.
When it comes to ease of use, the semi-
active WP suspension is right up there. As
I said just now, it’s easy to select without
having to look at the user manual and it
makes a big difference to how the bike rides.
There’s a mode for everything... If you like
hanging the back out on dirt roads, without
traction control getting in the way there’s
a mode for that. Front ABS on and rear
off? Both front and rear off? All available.
MATHIEU DAY-GILLETT