Triumph Tiger 900 GT Professional Assessment | Motorbike Check

Triumph Tiger 900 GT Professional Assessment

Check by Wayne Vickers

The middleweight journey platform has been good to Triumph. I jumped on board a Tiger 800 XC again in 2013 and have had it as my private workhorse ever since.

Again then the XC was the extra off-road variant, which in 2024 interprets to the Rally Professional variations. The extra dirt-capable facet of the line-up has all the time been my choice, favouring the power to get rowdy within the bush and tackle some extra critical adventures. I believe I’ve largely missed the extra ‘all-roads’ model, till currently.

The Hinckley mob made some wholesome updates to the Tiger again in 2020, bumping it as much as 900 (888 cc really) and have bought 45,000 items since then. It’s arguably doing nicely. And so it ought to. These new 2024 updates are the most important for the reason that bump as much as 900.

Triumph’s strategy and ethos to the replace was similar to their effort on the a lot improved 2023 Tiger 1200. They merely wished ‘extra’. Extra energy, functionality, consolation and perspective. They realise that we riders are each needy and grasping. I’m positively talking for myself there…

As with the updated 1200, I believe they’ve managed to tick all of these containers.

The wonderful T-Aircraft triple engine will get a serious replace. New pistons, head, inlet and exhaust porting. New cam and consumption all enhance peak hump to a wholesome 106.5 hp and 90 Nm. A strong enhance, notably in energy. That T-Aircraft crank is in impact a cross aircraft and makes the engine behave extra like a twin down low, transitioning again to extra of a triple really feel because the revs rise.

It’s an engineering factor of magnificence. The dyno curve confirmed a beautiful flat output that not tails off up prime in comparison with the final iteration – and now genuinely provides one of the best of each worlds. These being the low-down grunt of a twin and sufficient prime finish or what nearly appears like an over-rev.

It’s a belter of an engine. One among my favourites. A lot character down low and this replace has introduced again the highest finish that the primary iteration of the T-Aircraft dulled just a little in favour of tractability. The actual fact they’ve managed to do this with out shedding that tractability deserves full credit score. It’s superbly fuelled – lugs eagerly from idle and the throttle really feel is buttery clean.

A brand new exhaust and muffler additionally lets out a beefier observe which sounds good – particularly down the low- and mid-range and at decrease speeds earlier than your helmet wind noise begins to take over. Listening to the opposite bikes on the Aussie launch come growling and howling in the direction of you thru the hills put a smile on my dial.

Weight is basically unchanged at 220 kg moist, however keep in mind it comes with a wholesome 20 litre tank which places gasoline vary comfortably previous 400 km for regular driving. Nearer to 450 if you happen to’re light with the appropriate mitt.

On the go that weight is hidden. Even strolling it round within the car parking zone the bike within reason mild on its ft, rolling round simply on a cast-alloy 19-inch entrance and 17-inch rear.

The Tiger line-up has been fortunately simplified now again to a few fashions. The GT, the bottom all-road model, and the GT Professional we examined that will get some further fruit by the use of:

• Digital rear suspension (adjustable for each pre-load and damping through the sprint).
• Bi-directional quick-shifter – though Triumph name it Shift-Help.
• Centre Stand.
• Heated seats (to associate with the heated grips within the base mannequin).
• Tyre Strain monitoring.
• LED Auxiliary lighting and a fifth, customisable ‘rider’ mode.

After which there’s the Rally Professional variant with 40 mm longer suspension, wire spoked wheels, some engine safety and bash-plate goodies and a further off-road rider mode. In order that they have all bases lined. By the point you learn this we’ll have been testing the Rally Professional too, in order that evaluation gained’t be distant…

The Tiger 900 GT is a cushty bike. The seat feels barely firmer in comparison with the earlier one and I believe it’s higher for it. The seat form feels completely different too, rather less such as you’re sitting down into it than the final mannequin. We had no concern after a giant day of practically eight hours on and off the bikes.

Seat peak is a usable 840 mm which may be lowered 20 mm in seconds by dropping the seat right into a decrease place to present the ‘inseam challenged’ just a little extra confidence.

Good vast bars with good quality control and switchgear. In reality, why can’t each producer have a cruise management that’s as intuitive as Triumph’s? No slide to unlock or press and maintain this approach to activate it, simply press to activate and once more to set the pace. Simples.

The sprint design has additionally had an replace from what was a little bit of a pet hate of mine on the final one, with it being overly busy and a bit naff. Now, it has a beautiful interface and system from the 1200s. And I fee it. It does take a number of seconds to get up if you first flip it on. And a few of the transitions between screens may very well be faster and smoother, however I’ll forgive that as I look down on that fairly show.

There’s a commonplace bunch of trip modes (5 really – Rain, Street, Sport, Off-road and Rider) on the GT Professional – all customisable by way of ABS, Engine Map and TC. You’ll have to cease to leap right into a mode that has TC set to off, in any other case all the things else may be tweaked on the fly.

I discovered the Street map, versus Sport, to be most to my liking for on street. It’s simply so rattling clean. Each the throttle and the field. Energy is unchanged apparently relative to Sport, only a softening of the throttle.

And sure, TC must be off with a purpose to loft the entrance which meant I ran it in off-road mode plenty of the time. Which can also be a rattling high-quality factor. Wheelies quite properly really… if that’s your factor. Good stability level. I needed to take a look at that totally. And repeatedly.

Good stability from a dealing with perspective too. Very nice. And there’s greater than sufficient room for tweaking the setup to search out precisely what you’re searching for, be it adjusting the rear digital suspension, the entrance conventional suspension, the seat peak or rolling these bars into your most well-liked place.

I opted to have the digital rear suspension pre-load set to pillion simply to present just a little additional really feel on the entrance which labored a deal with. I then firmed up the clickers a smidge on the entrance to take out a few of the dive underneath braking. A lot of change felt from some clicker changes too which is all the time a very good signal. You’ll little question discover a setting that floats your boat.

I ended up with a motorbike that was tremendous compliant over bumps, completely satisfied to roll onto its facet and nonetheless greater than in a position to get funky, particularly on nook exit. Assume second and third-gear light slides as I used to be getting laborious on the fuel. Confidence inspiring? You wager.

Heaps of suggestions and really feel, lots of it. It nonetheless felt just a little heavy on nook entry till I dialled up the entrance just a little, however the mix of consolation and efficiency is bang on for our Aussie roads.

That phrase composed involves thoughts. Absorbing hits, holes, ripples and floor modifications and laughing them off. Simply tremendous nicely balanced and managed.

I discovered myself intentionally operating tight on tight left-handers, to see how it will react to the corrugation line brought on by the within wheels of vehicles. Aiming for little patches of gravel to see how it will reply.

Nothing upset the Tiger 900 GT Professional. Tremendous spectacular. And the nice half about these bikes is that they’re simply as completely satisfied out within the hills as they’re filtering by peak hour visitors.

The short-shifter is tremendous clean, particularly in street mode. Each up and and down. I opted to present it just a little clutch from first to second, as a lot out of behavior and being mechanically sympathetic as something – simply because the field passes by impartial, however apart from that I didn’t contact the clutch.

Excessive revs, low revs, half throttle, full throttle – no drama. Like most containers, down-shifting is smoother when accomplished earlier than getting too low within the revs, but it surely’ll nonetheless shift high-quality.

These brakes are supremely highly effective with nice really feel. Surpisingly highly effective. Actually one finger is all that’s wanted to shed pace. For those who do get into a tough braking state of affairs the rear indicators will each flash in hazard sample to let anybody behind you understand to concentrate. One other good element.

At 24 and a bit grand for the white and one other couple of hundred for the opposite two colors it’s a fairly laborious factor to fault. That carry in energy output is now making it an much more enticing choice. There’s an Akrapovic slip-on out there that drops one other two kg that I must go for (Akro are an official provider to Triumph now).

I’d additionally personally take away the centre stand for an additional kilo or two saved. I’d throw on a full system , tune it to go well with, then it’d should be getting up across the 115 hp mark. Giddy up.

The truth that I’m pondering by the entire issues I’d do to it ought to inform you how a lot I fee it. In reality – I’m calling it because the sleeper mannequin of Triumph’s line-up and one of the underrated bikes available on the market.

The query is, will I be wooed by the ‘extra functionality once more’ of the Rally Professional once I get an opportunity to place it by its paces… You’ll simply have to attend to search out out, however not for lengthy…

I just like the Triumph Tiger 900 GT as a result of:

• Such an ideal general package deal. Massively underrated. An actual sleeper.
• That beautiful triple engine has a lot soul.
• Field and high quality suspension makes for a brilliant clean, composed factor.

I’d just like the Tiger 900 GT extra if:

• That sprint show may very well be just a little sooner on startup.
• Undecided everybody will need/want a centre stand, however then you may simply choice up a GT as a substitute. Or unbolt it and avoid wasting weight.
• I’d should go the Akro path. Yummy.

Triumph Tiger 900 GT Professional Specs

For extra info head to the Triumph Motorcycles Australia website.