Out with the old, in with the new: Triumph has just announced full details of its new Tiger 900 adventure bike. For 2020, the bike will come in five variations: the Tiger 900, the Tiger 900 Rally and Rally Pro, and the Tiger 900 GT and GT Pro.
As you’d imagine the difference between these bikes is that the Tiger 900 is the base model, meant to be ridden mostly on pavement. Rally models are focused on offroad capability, while the GT models are intended to primarily be ridden on the street, with an emphasis on sport touring. This also means the end of the confusing XC and XR nomenclature.
The 900 is significantly upgraded over the outgoing 800 models, starting with the engine. It’s a liquid-cooled DOHC 888 cc triple, making 93.9 hp at 8,750 rpm and 64 lb-ft of torque at 7,250 rpm. Triumph says power is up everywhere in the rev range, not just the peak, and that the 900 (“all-new,” says Triumph) has “category-leading acceleration.”
The new 900 has a 1,3,2 firing order, with Triumph says gives the machine a “characterful and distinctive soundtrack.” There’s also a new easily-accessible airbox and a dual-radiator setup, which is supposed to improve weight distribution, as it allows the engine to be carried in a more forward and lower position. The new rad is also supposed to cut down the amount of heat the rider feels.
The Rally Pro and GT Pro have an up/down quickshifter as standard, and all bikes can have that fitted as an option.
The rest of the bike sees its own share of revisions. The steel trellis frame is new, and there’s a bolt-on aluminum rear subframe, which will make Triumph owners happy to see, given the company’s past history of welded-on designs. The bikes get a 5.3-gallon fuel tank, which should have more than enough range for most riders, with claimed fuel economy of 55.4 US mpg.
The various sub-models of the Tiger 900 start to differentiate when you get to the suspension, brakes and wheels.
The Tiger 900, GT and GT Pro models come with cast alloy wheels (19-inch front, 17-inch rear), while the Rally and Rally Pro models come with tubeless spoked wheels (21-inch front, 17-inch rear).
All the new Tiger models come with dual 320 brake discs up front, mated to Brembo Stylema four-piston monobloc calipers and a radial front master cylinder. The Rally, Rally Pro, GT and GT Pro models also get cornering ABS. All the bikes have a 254 mm disc in back, with cornering ABS enabled on the Rally, Rally Pro, GT and GT Pro models.
On to the suspension! The Tiger 900, GT and GT Pro all use 45 mm Marzocchi forks up front, with 7.1 inches of wheel travel. The Tiger 900 forks are non-adjustable, but the GT and GT Pro can be manually adjusted for rebound and compression damping. These models also use a Marzocchi rear shock, with 6.7 inches of travel. The Tiger 900 is adjustable for preload, while the GT is manually adjustable for preload and compression damping. The GT Pro is electronically adjustable for preload and rebound damping.
The Rally and Rally Pro use Showa front forks, with manual preload, rebound and compression damping adjustment, with 9.45 inches of travel. The rear shock (also by Showa) has manual preload and rebound adjustment, with 9 inches of travel.
Dry weights for the bikes are: 423.3 lb for the Tiger 900, 427.7 lb for the GT, 436.5 lb for the GT Pro, 432.1 lb for the Rally, and 443.1 lb for the Rally Pro.
So, there are some major differences between different models, but they still share many similarities beyond the engine, frame and bodywork. All bikes have new LED lighting all-round (headlight, taillight, indicators) and the Rally Pro and GT Pro models also have LED foglights.
All models have 7-inch TFT screens, except for the Tiger 900. (the base model has a 5-inch TFT screen). All the bikes are compatible with the My Triumph connectivity app, which links the bike to your mobile device. The Rally, Rally Pro, GT and GT Pro models all come with an IMU that enables cornering traction control as well as cornering ABS.
All models come with built-in ride modes. The base model Tiger 900 comes with Rain and Road modes, while the Rally and GT models add Sport and Off-Road modes. The GT Pro model also has a rider-configurable ride mode, and the Rally Pro adds Off-Road Pro mode as well.
The Rally Pro and GT Pro models have heated seats, and all models but the Tiger 900 have underseat mobile phone storage with USB charging port.
Expect the Rally models to hit the market in March, and the rest of the lineup to appear in April.
