Slimmer, meaner Triumph Tiger 1200 spied in testing

Previous Slide ◀ Next Slide ▶ A side view of the 2021 Triumph Tiger 1200

Triumph Tiger 1200 front-end 1 of 2

This is our first look at the 2021 Triumph Tiger 1200. With the new Tiger 900 seriously impressing on the launch, these spy pics suggest Triumph are planning to pull the same trick with the larger 1200. Overall the bike is sleeker, slimmer and has much more off-road potential. But like all things Triumph, the story really starts with that big triple.

Looking at the engine cases it’s clear there’s a new engine in play, but it’s much more than a small refresh. The whole body of the engine, including the barrels, is much more compact and the exhaust headers sit far lower than on the old model.

The bevel drive for the gearbox output appears to be closer in and higher up, suggesting there has been work on the gearbox to make it more compact also. We’d expect the engine capacity to remain around 1200cc (although it will likely creep up a little to offset Euro5 losses). The chassis has had big changes, too.

For a start this new model, which we assume will be the top of the range off-road XCa – likely renamed Rally like the 900, now sports a set of 21/18" wheels shod with skinny rubber.

Not only do the larger wheels help with off-road riding, it also opens up availability for more off-road focused rubber - though the cross-spoked wheels still enable fitment of road going tubeless tyres.

Paired with these wheel changes are new suspension units front and rear. The current model uses WP, however we expect a move over to Showa just like the 900 range. To make room for the big front wheel and long travel suspension, Triumph have also binned the large single radiator in favour of two smaller ones tucked into the bodywork either side of the tank.

The other big change comes at the rear of the bike and while the shaft drive remains it’s been completely redesigned. Triumph have also ditched the single-sided swingarm in favour of a more conventional design, resulting in a considerably slimmed down bevel box. The rear brake has now also switched to the other side of the wheel.

Related articles on MCN

The net result of all these changes ought to be a considerable drop in weight. While the old model was an excellent machine, it was heavy in comparison to the competition, which made it unwieldy off-road.

As well as this off-road focused Rally model, we expect there will also be a more road focused GT model, too. We also reckon Triumph to unveil the new 1200 range towards the end of the year, before the January 2021 deadline for Euro5 models.

As always, MCN will bring you more about the bike as soon as it becomes available.

Read the latest stories causing a buzz this week in News…