Following my reviews of the 1200GS vs 1200GSA (and RT) , 1200GS vs KTM 990 Adv , and 1200GS vs Buell Ulysses I have now had a test ride of the Triumph Tiger 1050. Again below are my views of the bike against the 1200GS.
Looks
I was really not that keen on the looks of the Tiger. Although the engine looked well finished I just thought that the bike didn’t look anything special. Sitting on the machine it looked very much like the Fazer I once owned, which is not a good thing. The handlebars and clamps looked cheap. The switchgear looked and felt OK. I did not however like the look of the instruments which I think had quite a budget feel about it.
The speedo was a bit daft being a little LCD display below the rev counter. The clock had the same size digits as the speedo.
Weather Protection
The fairing seemed to do a fair amount to protect your legs. The screen is also OK, but nothing great. There was some turbulent flow around my head. Again there is a touring screen option which may make things slightly better. The weather protection of the GS is certainly superior.
There were no hot grips on the bike and the grips are quite an expensive extra on the Tiger. I also noticed the lack of hand guards, which were not available as an aftermarket option. You could feel the air pressure on your hands at speed, which would probably not help with keeping your hands dry in the wet.
Riding
The riding position of the bike is quite relaxed, the bars quite high, the pegs quite low and the standard seat being quite comfortable. Although the bike is relatively high, it feels the lowest of the adventure bikes I’ve tested. The standard seat was quite scalloped which probably achieved this feeling.
The suspension is definitely more aligned to a sportsbike than an adventure bike. The travel of the suspension didn’t match that of an adventure bike either. Ride over pot holes and bumps and you know about it. Forget the magic carpet ride that you get on the GS.
Cornering is adequate although it didn’t feel as planted as the GS. Powering out of corners I felt the bike squirm which was strange as it was on good road tyres (Michelin Pilot Roads).
The brakes were equipped with ABS. I felt the rear ABS kick in at one point when really is shouldn’t, but there was no real drama. The brakes were a strong point, easily on par with the GS, although you get a degree of fork dive on heavy braking. The rear brake was very effective for round town work.
Performance
The 1050 triple is a nice engine. It has a mixture of v-twin grunt and IL4 top end. The mixture gives a strong mid range and a decent topend, making the engine very flexible. It does however remind me very much of a Japanese IL4, the only thing really giving it away being the exhaust note and slightly lower red line. The formula will probably please some people, but I’m really after an engine with some character and I found that lacking in this particular mill.
The throttle response was immediate, but the bike did exhibit some minor snatch from a closed throttle. I don’t think this was on a par with the earlier problems Triumph had with their fuel injection.
Comfort
As above, the bars were high and pegs low which did give quite a comfortable ride. The suspension did however lack the magic carpet ride I expect with an adventure machine. The seat was good giving no problem on my 1.5hrs in the saddle. You could certainly do big miles on this machine – you just wouldn’t get much excitement in the process.
Other Things
Service intervals were on a par with the BMW at 6,000 miles for a minor and 12,000 for a major service which includes valves. Dealer quoted £150 for a minor and £400 for a major service.
Of all the bikes I’ve tested this is the first one I took back to the dealers knowing I would not buy it no matter the deal on the table. It felt like a bog standard 1000cc jap commuter bike should e.g. Fazer 1000, etc. – not really what I want from an adventure bike. Overall not a patch on the GS if you really are after what should be a big traille.
Price
The base bike was £8100 with ABS. The luggage (3 boxes) came in at over £950 because despite the headline price of £699 for the luggage, this excludes the racks and coloured infill panels which take the price up to nearly a grand. Other prices for heated grips and alarms are then on a par with BMW. To add insult to injury you’ve got to pay big money for a centre stand which is not included in the standard spec.
You would therefore be looking at nearly £10k for a fully specced up machine. The dealer said there would be some ‘movement’ in the price should I wish to come in and negotiate further.
Looks
I was really not that keen on the looks of the Tiger. Although the engine looked well finished I just thought that the bike didn’t look anything special. Sitting on the machine it looked very much like the Fazer I once owned, which is not a good thing. The handlebars and clamps looked cheap. The switchgear looked and felt OK. I did not however like the look of the instruments which I think had quite a budget feel about it.
The speedo was a bit daft being a little LCD display below the rev counter. The clock had the same size digits as the speedo.
Weather Protection
The fairing seemed to do a fair amount to protect your legs. The screen is also OK, but nothing great. There was some turbulent flow around my head. Again there is a touring screen option which may make things slightly better. The weather protection of the GS is certainly superior.
There were no hot grips on the bike and the grips are quite an expensive extra on the Tiger. I also noticed the lack of hand guards, which were not available as an aftermarket option. You could feel the air pressure on your hands at speed, which would probably not help with keeping your hands dry in the wet.
Riding
The riding position of the bike is quite relaxed, the bars quite high, the pegs quite low and the standard seat being quite comfortable. Although the bike is relatively high, it feels the lowest of the adventure bikes I’ve tested. The standard seat was quite scalloped which probably achieved this feeling.
The suspension is definitely more aligned to a sportsbike than an adventure bike. The travel of the suspension didn’t match that of an adventure bike either. Ride over pot holes and bumps and you know about it. Forget the magic carpet ride that you get on the GS.
Cornering is adequate although it didn’t feel as planted as the GS. Powering out of corners I felt the bike squirm which was strange as it was on good road tyres (Michelin Pilot Roads).
The brakes were equipped with ABS. I felt the rear ABS kick in at one point when really is shouldn’t, but there was no real drama. The brakes were a strong point, easily on par with the GS, although you get a degree of fork dive on heavy braking. The rear brake was very effective for round town work.
Performance
The 1050 triple is a nice engine. It has a mixture of v-twin grunt and IL4 top end. The mixture gives a strong mid range and a decent topend, making the engine very flexible. It does however remind me very much of a Japanese IL4, the only thing really giving it away being the exhaust note and slightly lower red line. The formula will probably please some people, but I’m really after an engine with some character and I found that lacking in this particular mill.
The throttle response was immediate, but the bike did exhibit some minor snatch from a closed throttle. I don’t think this was on a par with the earlier problems Triumph had with their fuel injection.
Comfort
As above, the bars were high and pegs low which did give quite a comfortable ride. The suspension did however lack the magic carpet ride I expect with an adventure machine. The seat was good giving no problem on my 1.5hrs in the saddle. You could certainly do big miles on this machine – you just wouldn’t get much excitement in the process.
Other Things
Service intervals were on a par with the BMW at 6,000 miles for a minor and 12,000 for a major service which includes valves. Dealer quoted £150 for a minor and £400 for a major service.
Of all the bikes I’ve tested this is the first one I took back to the dealers knowing I would not buy it no matter the deal on the table. It felt like a bog standard 1000cc jap commuter bike should e.g. Fazer 1000, etc. – not really what I want from an adventure bike. Overall not a patch on the GS if you really are after what should be a big traille.
Price
The base bike was £8100 with ABS. The luggage (3 boxes) came in at over £950 because despite the headline price of £699 for the luggage, this excludes the racks and coloured infill panels which take the price up to nearly a grand. Other prices for heated grips and alarms are then on a par with BMW. To add insult to injury you’ve got to pay big money for a centre stand which is not included in the standard spec.
You would therefore be looking at nearly £10k for a fully specced up machine. The dealer said there would be some ‘movement’ in the price should I wish to come in and negotiate further.
