More news ahead of Milan’s Esposizione
Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori (EICMA) show, this time on the
adventure bike side of things, of the 2018 Triumph Tiger. A teaser video on the
official Triumph Youtube site shows the new Tiger in front profile, and a close
up of the engine.
Of note is LED DRLs in the headlights, and a TFT-LCD
screen, something that is becoming de rigeur these days for motorcycle makers.
While the previous generation Tiger 800, in XcX and XrX forms, was no slouch,
the Tiger 1200 was deemed due for a model changeover after five years, and we
think the new power plant will be much improved.
This brings the Tiger head-to-head with the BMW
Motorrad R 1200 GS, and if the boys from Hinckley can keep the power output the
same, but reduce the weight of the big Tiger somewhat, the market might have an
alternative to the current crop of 1.2-litre class adventure bikes.
The video makes mention of a new inline-triple
engine, and with ride-by-wire now becoming standard for most premium
motorcycles, we can safely assume that ride modes and traction control will be
part of the new Triumph Tiger package. Perhaps to show their intent, Triumph
should include an “Offroad Pro” mode?
Some of the bodywork of the Tiger has changed, as
can be seen from the video. From the front view, it looks like wind protection
has been improved, and this should stop the buffeting issue some riders had
with the Tiger when riding above 200 km/h.
Updates and news from the EICMA show as we get them,
including all the possible new releases from the major bike manufacturers.
These include the new Benelli 250, 400 and 750 parallel-twin engines and a
Kawasaki supercharged sports-tourer.
