Earlier this year, Triumph Motorcycles dropped a teaser of what the 2022 Tiger 1200 could look like and what it could offer. Fast forward nearly three months later, and the 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 has finally been unveiled in its full glory. The T-plane crankshaft engine is brand-new — it may have lost displacement, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it loses out on power. In fact, power and torque figures have gone up significantly. The new Tiger 1200 will be offered in two configurations — GT and Rally, both of which receive a Pro and an Explorer variant. With this upgrade, the 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 receives a host of significant new additions. What are those additions? Only one way to find out.
2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 Design
Based on press images, the 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 appears to be a lot sleeker than the outgoing model, which looks bulbous especially when viewed from the front. A huge part of that comes down to the slim headlamp and the entirely redesigned bodywork which makes use of minimal components, thereby keeping it in line with the Tiger 900. The 2022 Tiger 1200 also receives a new tail lamp which is placed horizontally instead of vertically on the outgoing model. Colour options in the 2021 Tiger 1200 lineup include Snowdonia White, Sapphire Black, Matt Khaki, and Lucerne Blue. While the Snowdonia White and Sapphire Black colour options are common across all variants, the GT Pro and GT Explorer receive Lucerne Blue over the Matt Khaki on the Rally Pro and Rally Explorer.
2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 Powertrain and Chassis
Powering the 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 is an all-new 1160cc liquid-cooled engine which follows the same T-plane crankshaft construction found on the Tiger 900. The new Tiger sees a jump in power and torque figures — it produces 148bhp at 9000rpm and 130Nm at 7000rpm, which is 9bhp and 8Nm more than the outgoing Tiger 1200. This engine is paired to a six-speed gearbox and it continues to be shaft-driven as the outgoing model. Underpinned by a new frame with a bolt-on rear aluminium subframe, the 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 is lighter than the outgoing motorcycle by 25kg. The semi-active suspension setup comes from Showa, sporting 49mm USD forks with damping up front, and a monoshock with damping and automatic electronic preload adjustment. The differentiating factor is the amount of wheel travel on both variants — while the GT gets 200mm of wheel travel on both ends, the Rally receives an extra 20mm.
Both the Rally and GT sport Metzeler tyres, but there are differences again. Given that the GT is more road-biased, it features Metzeler Tourance tyres with a 19-inch and an 18-inch wheel setup on the front and the rear respectively. On the other hand, the Rally features Metzeler Karoo Streets with a 21-inch front wheel and an 18-inch rear wheel setup, with an option to upgrade to Michelin Anakee Wild tyres.
The 2022 Tiger 1200 relies on Brembo brakes with M4.30 Stylema monobloc calipers radially mounted on twin 320mm floating discs at the front, featuring an adjustable radial master cylinder with separate reservoir. The rear gets a single-piston caliper mounted on a 282mm disc, featuring a rear master cylinder with remote reservoir. The braking setup also features Optimised Cornering ABS on both ends.
2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 Features
In terms of the equipment on offer, the 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 packs an extensive features list. To start with, the 7-inch TFT instrument cluster is all-new and is equipped with My Triumph Connectivity system, along with keyless ignition, fuel tank, and even steering lock, although we are not sure whether this is standard across all variants. You also receive a blind spot radar system, optimised traction control with IMU, adaptive cornering lights (not available on GT), Triumph shift assist (standard on all except GT), heated grips and seats (heated seats standard on GT Explorer & Rally Explorer only), tyre pressure monitoring system (standard on GT Explorer & Rally Explorer only), and hill hold (not available on GT) among others. The 2022 Tiger 1200 also comes with six ride modes depending on the variant — Road, Rain, Sport, Rider-configurable, Off-Road and Off-Road Pro. The Rally variants receive all six modes, while the GT Pro and GT Explorer miss out on the Off-Road Pro. The base GT is equipped with only Rain, Road, and Sport.
Updated ergonomics also mean that the seat height can be adjusted upto 20mm — the GT’s seat height is 850mm, and is adjustable upto 870mm, while the Rally seats you a little higher from 875mm to 895mm. The handlebars too are 20mm wider than the outgoing Tiger 1200, and 16mm higher in the GT Explorer and Rally Explorer variants.
2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 — is it India-bound?
The Tiger 1200 is no stranger to India, as it previously used to be on sale, but was discontinued as it was not updated to meet BS6 emission norms. However, the 2022 Triumph Tiger will eventually make it to India, and it will rival the BMW R 1250 GS, which is priced at Rs 20.45 lakh (ex-showroom). We haven’t mentioned the Ducati Multistrada as it is a more road-biased adventure tourer and unlike the R 1250 GS, the Multi isn’t shaft-driven. With all these major changes, we can’t wait to get our hands on the new Tiger 1200 and possibly even do a shootout with it’s Bavarian rival.