Awesome bikes come in all shapes and sizes. Admittedly, most have clip-on handlebars, sporty fairings and an average of 200bhp on tap, but that’s not always the case. Some weigh in at a whopping 240kg, come kitted with heated seats, and have fuel tanks so big you’d need a bank loan to brim them. Triumph’s all-new Tiger 1200, might – on face value – seem about as sporty as a flip-flop, but having sampled the goodness this machine has to offer, high in the hills of the Portuguese Algarve, I now know differently. Adventure bikes aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, I’ll grant you that, but if you’re a fan of brutalising torque, all-day comfort, and a soundtrack to put a Subaru Impreza to shame, step this way.
Before I get into the guts of what makes this bike so good to ride, I’ll give you a brief overview of its impressive DNA. Following on from the firm foundations of the Tigers that have come before it, this latest addition to the family is more revolution than evolution; aside from the odd nut and bolt, nothing transfers over from previous versions of the model. Its next generation powerplant is wholly fresh, sized at 1160cc, and comes kitted with what Triumph calls a T-Plane motor. To you and I, that’s code for a 270-degree crank that provokes an uneven firing order and is said to support the characteristics of a twin low down and the buzz of a triple
