The beauty of the (best) latest generation off-road biased, big-capacity adventure bikes is that they feel anything but what they are. It sounds strange but, even with all their size and weight, they feel comfortable, composed, and easy to ride on challenging terrain. It’s not easy to make a machine that can do it all, to create a bike that can tackle a long ride on the road while still retaining an ability to wrestle some off-roading too, but Triumph reckon that they’ve nailed it with their Tiger 1200 Rally range. After a day riding the GT model on the road, it was time to see how the Rally version stacked up on the dirt.
Built new from the ground up, the latest Tiger 1200 range really has had everything except the kitchen sink thrown at it for 2022, as I detailed in our GT review. That includes a new chassis and engine platform, alongside high-spec components and a smart amount of tech to boot. Just like the GT Pro model, the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro comes with all same bells and whistles, including all the electronic aids and gizmos, such as the semi-active suspension, cruise control and quickshifter to name a few. Unlike the GT models though, the Rally Pro comes with 20mm extra suspension travel both front and rear (alongside a 25mm higher seat), Metzeler Karoo dual purpose rubber, a 21” front wheel and spoked, tubeless wheels, as well as an extra ‘Off-Road Pro’ riding mode, which is essentially a hardcore, no intervention mode for those who take their off-roading seriously.
Having spent over 170 miles in the saddle on the road-biased, GT models I was incredibly impressed with the new Triumph’s capabilities, as you can read right here, although it did feel fairly focused, with an engine that erred on the side of aggressively sporty. So, could the Rally model maintain that incredible road-going ride, while still offering a plush set of skills that would make it suitable for attacking the dirt? Well, there was only one way to find out, with a full day on the big Rally bike not just on the road, but at the WIM off-road compound in Portugal as well. So, is it the real deal?
Adventure bikes tend to split opinions on their looks, but I have to say that the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro looks the absolute bee’s knees in the metal. Sitting in the Matt Khaki colour scheme (which is an extra £300) it’s easy to see why so many people opt for the adventure-esque option over a GT; those spoked wheels and its taller stance really makes it look the part, but with the seat in the lowest height it thankfully doesn’t feel too much higher than the GT models, or more intrusive – even with the extra ground clearance. With two off-road modes to choose from, I opted for ‘Off-Road Pro’ to start with, which is the more focussed and hardcore version of the two, essentially giving the most aggressive settings with no intrusion from the electronics. With damp ground, no electronics and almost 150 horses at my disposal, I have to say it was a bit too much for an early morning ride. Although it is an off-road orientated engine map, it’s still on the vicious side on the initial throttle pick up bit breaks traction in a constant, yet controllable manner.
It’s a real testament to the chassis and suspension setup. Even though I was pushing on the power, the near 250kg Triumph never felt dangerously loose at the rear, rather composed and predictable. Although the front end feeling was vague to begin with, my trust just grew at every corner, and the more I rode the more I really felt at one with that big 21” front wheel and semi-active suspension, until eventually it just felt like an agile enduro machine. Switching into ‘Off-Road’ mode, which has some rider aids thrown in, made for a much calmer beast, as the traction control in particular was mightily impressive at keeping everything in check. It completely transformed the Tiger from a big, excitable, weapon into an unbelievably capable machine for a reasonably competent off-road rider, whether tackling big, wide-open corners in fourth gear, or nadgery, first gear clutch work. I also thought the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro felt much better balanced and lighter than I was expecting, which is incredibly important for me with a bike of this size – not only was it capable beyond my skill level, but it was also easy and docile to ride.
But the real beauty is not just how the Rally models performed off-road, but just how good they were on road too. It’s a real testament to the chassis design that even though the Rally has long travel suspension, off-road capable rubber and a bigger front wheel, it still retains the incredible handling abilities of the GT – I’d say it feels like it retains near enough all of the capabilities of the road-biased Tiger, but with an extra string to its bow too.
Conclusion
In all honesty, the new Tiger 1200 Rally genuinely exceeded my expectations. After a bit of saddle (or standing) time it felt like a properly impressive off-road machine, which I wasn’t expecting considering its on strong road abilities and its sporty nature, which is very close to the GT models in terms of its capabilities. It really is two bikes in one, something that could take on anything from slogging 100s of miles on dual carriageways, to getting dirty off the beaten path, and everything in between. It’s exciting, comfortable, and focussed, and blurs the lines impressively between sportiness and adventure; the Tiger 1200 really is looking like the new king of the jungle.
