2007 Triumph Tiger 1050

A Tiger in Tassie

Triumph's Tiger has been aimed at the dualsport market since its inception. You know, those of us that don't mind a bit of light dirt, tour for long distances, enjoy the stability offered by a big front wheel. Well forget all that. It's a different thing altogether these days.

Make no mistake, this is a road bike. A very, very quick one at that. Some may lament the loss of the dualsport capability (me among them, what fun we had riding one of these to Lake Eyre a couple of years back), but the simple fact is, most people only see dirt when sweeping the shed. It's a sharper road tool, simple as that.

How so? Well, inverted forks, 17-inch front wheel, light dry weight... Mega-motard anyone?

THE ROUTE
Tasmania offers some of the best riding roads in the world and this was the perfect place (as well as offering that aforementioned Tassie Tiger thingy) to let it loose. Most of the running is fairly tight, variably surfaced and remote. Yep, this was a quick ride.

We were on the road for two days, starting at Ulverstone in the north, a midday stop at the gorgeous Cradle Valley Lodge, followed by a quick run (actually, 'ballistic' is a term that comes to mind) to the picture-postcard-beautiful town of Strahan in the west.

Day two took us through the eerie switchback climbing country around Queenstown (if you ever want to see what long-term mining does to a landscape, this is the place), through the flatter but sweepy running of the Lyell Highway which borders the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park and into Hobart. In short, this is bike heaven. Just watch for sightseers and that most despicable of vehicles, the motorhome. They pop out with their wide-eyed occupants (a large percentage of which are used to driving on the opposite side of the road) looking around at the many wonderful vistas and not you. Beware.

MORE MUMBO
The trademark three-cylinder engine grows from 955cc to 1050, but none of the flexibility or quick response is lost. Quite an achievement. It yowls and snarls as only a triple can and the bike I was allotted on the launch had the aftermarket Triumph can. I'd be fitting it on delivery. Lovely.

The bike makes its peak torque at 6250rpm, which is eminently sensible. It pulls really nicely off the bottom and allows for a lazy left foot. This is a big plus when in the twisties, with screaming top-end power next to useless in such going. Another reason why this style of motorcycle should be flavour of the month. Tractability. Top marks here.

Handling is very good. The new set-up has transformed the bike into a very quick-steering sportster. Grip is more than adequate and lean angles that the previous bike would have never seen are well in the game. The Michelin Pilot Road tyres are a perfect match for the bike and I'm willing to wager good rubber longevity will be a strong part of the Tiger package.

Brakes are from the house of Nissin and work well, but are not outstanding. Initial bite is a little slower than I would like and serious stopping sees the lever fairly close to the bar. It stops, there is no doubt about that, but I am used to better from Triumph.

Gear ratios are lovely to make use of that delightful donk, but my test bike's gearbox action was a little notchy. It got better over the course of the launch (it was absolutely brand-spanking at the outset) and I would expect it to settle into a smoother action over a period.

ERGOS
It's very tall and one wonders whether that makes a whole bunch of sense, tall is for suspension travel, and the bitumen basis at which the Tiger is aimed doesn't call for it. It cuts out shorties. It's not so much the seat height (which is in fact 5mm lower than that of the previous Tiger), but width that makes it feel so tall at standstill. The plus side of this equation is in the comfort factor. It's a very comfy beastie.

Pillions will enjoy the room on offer, even with the twin pannier set-up in place. It's nice that Triumph has seen fit to spend a good deal of time and attention of ensuring that passenger comfort has not been compromised by the sharper focus on bitumen capability. It's long been a whinge of mine that sports bikes virtually dismiss the passenger as surplus to needs. I don't know about you, but a cheeky sauvignon blanc and a review of the day's fun with a significant other are all part of the touring experience. I would like to see the grabrail as standard however and can't fathom Triumph's choice of making this an option. Why I have to part with the best part of $200 for what I consider a prerequisite element of the touring philosophy is a little beyond me.

The instrument cluster is the same that graces the brand's new ST (keeps costs down and makes a lot of sense. Other manufacturers take note). It's a neat and useable example with an analogue tacho/digital speedo (the best set-up for mine) and a trip computer that offers some very pragmatic operations including: range to empty, journey time, journey distance, maximum speed (not sure about this one, it becomes a bit of a badge of honour thing), average speed, instant/average fuel consumption.

SO...
Will this thing sell? As mentioned, the bike is a whole new thing now. Given the very, very competent nature of the bike as a comfortable bitumen backroad weapon, it deserves to. It has to be said though, it is now a little less appealing to those looking for a versatile all-road option.

It comes down to whether the sports nuts will see the light. They should, but the Australian bike marketplace has confounded much smarter observers than me.

In short, it deserves to do well. We'll watch.