A few months ago, test mules of the new Tiger 900 were spotted testing and finally, the cat’s out of the bag. Triumph has unveiled the all-new Tiger with as many as five variants—Standard, GT, GT Pro, Rally and Rally Pro. As these names suggest, the GT variants are the tarmac-biased, touring-oriented versions while the Rally variants are all about getting off the beaten path.
The Tiger 900 is powered by an all-new 888cc, inline-triple engine which is Euro5 compliant. Triumph has given the kitty a unique roar with a 1,3,2 cylinder firing order. The engine now delivers 10 percent more peak torque than the previous model at 87Nm at 7,250rpm while power is also up with a 9 percent more in the mid-range, and peaks at 93.7bhp at 8750rpm. This engine is cradled in a new steel trellis frame which is 5kg lighter than the previous model. Unlike the older Tiger, this one features a bolt-on aluminum subframe and pillion hangers. The ADV also gets a new split radiator now for better cooling performance and reduce the ambient heat felt by the rider. Another addition is the slip and assist clutch and a new airbox with an accessible air filter.
The Tiger 900 looks nothing like the old one. Ditching the buffed-up styling, Triumph has opted to go for the maxi enduro styling of the bike, a la Honda Africa twin, which should make the bike easier to manage when riding off-road. The motorcycle now gets redesigned, smaller-scale bodywork, which includes a slimmer tank, tank end panel, high mudguard, seat panel, radiator cowl and radiator duct exit. Even the headlight is a much smaller compared to the previous Tiger.
The standard and GT variants of the Tiger 900 get 45mm Marzochhi pogos with 180mm travel and gas-pressurized RSU unit with 170mm travel. While the standard variant gets no adjustability, the GT and GT Pro get adjustability. The 900 Rally and Rally Pro, on the other hand, get 45mm Showa forks offering 240mm travel and are fully adjustable and a Showa monoshock with 230mm travel.
Braking duties are handled by top-of-the-line Brembo Stylema monoblocs clamped on to twin 320mm discs at the front while the rear gets a 255mm disc with a Brembo single-piston caliper.
The bike now gets a 7-inch TFT display for the GT, GT Pro, Rally, Rally Pro variants seen on the 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS. All the variants feature a variety of riding modes. While the base variant gets Rain and Road modes, the GT and Rally variants add Sport and off-road modes to the mix. The GT Pro gets a rider configurable mode in addition to the aforementioned modes while the Rally Pro gets the exclusive Off-Road Pro mode. Triumph has also thrown in a bidirectional quickshifter for the GT Pro and Rally Pro variants. Rider aids on the bike include ABS, traction control. The mid and top variants get cornering ABS and cornering traction control aided by Interial Measurement Unit developed in conjunction with Continental.
Though there’s no official word on the launch of the Tiger 900 in India, the bike is expected to be here mid-2020. The price hike hasn’t been significant in the international markets so we assume the price would shoot up by Rs 1 lakh in India, variant to variant. In India, the bike goes up against the likes of BMW F 750 GS, F 850 GS, Ducati Multistrada 950 and Kawasaki Versys 1000.