Road test: Triumph Tiger Explorer

No wonder they call the Tiger Explorer “the Triumph to take on the world” after it scooped MCN magazine’s award for Best Adventure Bike 2012 and won all-round praise for its practicality, performance and looks. But does it all stand up to close scrutiny months after its launch?

I booked the road-going Explorer model to find out over the course of a few weeks. It is an impressive bike visually with dynamic, go-getting looks. It looks pretty big with a seat height of 837mm, but it’s actually 10mm lower than the outgoing BMW GS 1200 model, although adjustment takes this to 860mm.

The engine is Triumph’s celebrated, signature three-cylinder affair but was designed specially for the Explorer, with 1,215cc producing 135bhp and a useful 89ft lb torque, all transmitted via the shaft drive.

The first thing you notice on climbing aboard is the weight. It’s a chunky 259kg, which means getting it onto the centre stand is something of a labour. On the move, the weight quickly disappears. This is one nimble bike that loves a series of fast bends. Getting the speed up to do so is no problem; the engine feels a little buzzy at low revs but when you twist the throttle, it delivers a powerful, smooth, exhilarating punch.

Braking — twin 305mm floating discs and four-piston calipers up front, single 282mm disc at the rear — is very assured.

On a 350-mile tour of Suffolk’s fine country roads, the seating position was superb, the saddle reasonably supportive and the bike’s long-leggedness unquestionable.

Dislikes? Heated hand-grips not being standard equipment, those same wide bars being too wide in thick traffic and the weight, which makes London rush hour riding a tad harder than it need be.

Triumph Tiger Explorer
Top speed: 130mph;
Fuel tank: 20 litres;
Economy: 50-55mpg;
Price: £11,199