2024 Triumph Tiger 1200
Today triumph announced a whole bunch of updates for their large capacity adventure tourer, the Tiger 1200. And they may seem individually relatively modest, but we’ll go through all of them in full detail.
Engine
Now first up, let’s talk about the engine And while it is fundamentally the same 1200 inline triple that makes 148 horsepower and 130 Newton meters of peak torque, there have been a whole bunch of revisions in order to try and make it feel a little bit more refined and smooth, and also give it better comfort over distance.
T-Plane Crank Modifications
You see the triples in Triumph Adventure Bikes, so the Tiger 912 hundred both use what they call a TI plane crank.
So instead of the even 120 degree intervals on the crank between each cylinder on the previous generation bikes, the intervals here placed two cylinders closer together and one further apart, with the crank pins arranged in a T shape, hence the name.
The idea was to increase the sensation of torque in the low revs, which I guess was an area in which triumph had had some negative feedback from their research when compared with the twin cylinder competition like the Ktms or Africa, twin.
Triples just don’t typically have that big bottom end so that was the majority of the idea. Triumph Tiger 1200
But it also does give the bike a little bit more of a snarl at the exhaust, which is something I really do like. Particularly under heavy acceleration, it’s just got an awesome sound to it.
Thing is, though, as with most things, there’s a bit of a trade off, and with this, it’s the fact that it’s notably less smooth, with more vibes through the bars, seat and foot rest certainly, than what you might call a traditional triple cylinder engine with consistent 120 degree firing intervals.
It really does start to creep in and become a bit irritating when you’re spending a few hours at a time at a consistent motorway speed.
And while there is that benefit of the low end torque, which does come in handy when you’re riding at lower speeds, and they specifically mentioned, you know, riding off road, which is where a lot of adventure bikes are heavily marketed.
You know, I think in the real world, most big adventure bikes are doing far more miles on the motorway than they are in the dirt.
And thing is, not only is this engine configuration more vibey than their previous triples, but perhaps more importantly, it’s also way more vibey than the bestselling adventure bike on the market by a massive stretch, the BMW GS.
So it feels like triumph have decided to try and do something about it. And so on this new 2024 model, they say there are changes to the crankshaft, the alternator rotor and the balances to increase engine inertia.
And so I guess they’ve added a bit of weightiness.
The result, they say, along with some engine calibration changes, is a smoother, more precise delivery of torque in the low revs.
Then they go on to say that riders will feel an increase in smoothness when accelerating and decelerating, particularly at lower speeds.
But perhaps more significantly than that, they also say there’s a new, revised engine balancing strategy. Triumph Tiger 1200
And while I don’t have any more details beyond that, they do say the result is better comfort through all the key rider touchpoints.
This sounds like the update that’s most specifically targeted to that vibing at motorway speeds.
And so I’m really looking forward to finding out whether it’s done the job when we actually get to ride one of these new bikes.
But, you know, it does kind of beg the question, why put the T plain crank in the bike in the first place, especially on a bike that is realistically going to be a road bike for most people, only to then spend time issuing updates to try and tune the vibes out.
When the original Tiger 1200 with the even 120 degree intervals was particularly smooth. Triumph Tiger 1200
In fact, I’d even say it’s a big strength of that engine, its comfort over distance. I guess the ideal, though, is to have an engine that’s both it’s characterful and torquey in the low revs, but also smooth and refined and comfortable over distance.
And so perhaps I shouldn’t be too negative about Triumph’s engineers aiming to achieve that.
And I will say, having recently ridden a 2023 Tiger 1200 back to back with the new R 1300 GS, the T plane does bring a lot more excitement and a more visceral roar than the duller drone of the boxer twin.
Clutch and Dampened Handlebars
On top of that, they also say there’s a new clutch design and again, they say this will feel smoother to the rider, specifically when changing into first gear.
Now, another change that’s also targeted at those vibey bars over distance is the dampened handlebars and risers, which I think use rubber mounts to try and keep things feeling smooth. Triumph Tiger 1200
Comfort-Oriented Ergonomic Updates
These were already fitted to the explorer models, which are more distance orientated variants of the Tiger 1200 with the 30 liter fuel tank, but for 2024 they’re also being introduced on the GT Pro and Rally Pro.
And not only did they say that it’ll give a smoother ride, but also help with mirror visibility, so I guess they’ll be vibing around a bit less now.
They also recently added this feature to the 2024 Tiger 900 lineup, again specifically aiming at minimizing the vibes from that t plane crank.
Although I’m yet to ride that bike, we’re getting one in a few weeks, and so I can’t quite say yet if it’s actually done its job.
Another comfort orientated feature is the redesigned Rider Seat, which they now say has a flatter profile that allows the rider more space, and that means they can shuffle around a bit on longer rides, and that can help to reduce fatigue and pressure points on you. Triumph Tiger 1200
But lastly, on the ergonomics front, they’ve also fitted a longer clutch lever, again aiding comfort over distance by allowing more space for the rider’s fingers, which I guess might start to fatigue during those super long days in the saddle.
Repositioned Foot Pegs for Sportier Handling
Now, the GT Pro and GT explorer models are a little bit more road biased than the Raleigh models, with a cast aluminum wheels and a 19 inch front shod with road specific rubber, as well as the slightly lower suspension and therefore lower center of gravity.
Now new for this 2024 model, they’ve decided to reposition the foot pegs, lifting them slightly but also moving them a little closer to the bike.
And the idea here is that it increases the maximum possible lean angle, so you should be able to whip through corners a little bit quicker.
Now, one assumes if they’ve lifted the pegs, it will decrease the amount of space between the saddle and foot peg. And so I would expect a slightly tighter knee angle, which might feel a bit less comfy over distance.
But I guess that was a trade off they were willing to make in the name of slightly better sporting abilities. Triumph Tiger 1200
Active Preload Reduction Feature
Now, on top of all that stuff trying for reiterated that all new Tiger 1200 will be fitted with their active preload reduction feature, which was first announced back in August 2023 and is available for the previous gen bikes as a software update.
But I guess the point is now that this feature is included by default. Now, how this works is that you can press the home button on the right hand, switch gear for a second, and when you ride in at lower speeds, it’ll drop the seat height by another 20mm.
By minimizing the amount of preload applied to the electronically adjustable rear mono shock. You can then ride around with the bike in its new chopper stance while you pick your way through traffic. Triumph Tiger 1200
And of course, it makes it much easier to get both your feet down. But once you pick back up to, you know, main road speeds, I think if I remember correctly, it’s over 50mph.
Then the bike automatically jacks itself back up to restore its proper geometry as well as full ground clearance.
It is a nice addition and also a neat software solution that uses the existing hardware on the bike, but I will say this is one of the things that came up as a glaring strength of the 1300 when I rode them back to back.
The BMW has the ability to minimize preload both on the front and rear suspension, and so the whole bike settles down rather than just the back end.
And also the GTS does it automatically based upon your speed, I think. So you don’t even have to think about it.Triumph Tiger 1200
It kind of feels like riding a big, full sized adventure bike when you’re on the move, but as soon as you pull up to a stop, it feels a lot more manageable and almost like riding a regular street bike that’s around 820 mill in the see, the terrain feature isn’t as seamless. Of course, you’ve got to remember to press the button when you’re coming to a standstill, and you might not always remember to do that.
New Colors and Aesthetic Updates
But all the same, I will say it’s better having this feature than not. Now, there’s also a few new colors for 2024, and some of them do look rather fetching.
So the GT Pro and GT explorer on top of the Snowdonia White and Sapphire black that were already available. Well, it now comes in Carnival Red, which is a welcome pop of vibrance.
Then the more offroad focused Rally Pro and Rally Explorer models, whilst retaining the super popular matte khaki with it being such a good seller, also gets two new options of matte sandstone, which I really do like a lot, and jet black for that Batman’s dad bike kind of vibe.