The bike is right

When it comes to motorcycles being versatile, it is adventure bikes that take the cake. They offer a lot, be it fuel-efficiency, mild or hardcore off-roading or even riding one on a daily basis. And, because of these reasons, the Triumph Tiger 800 has become one of the most popular adventure motorcycles that can be purchased in the country. In fact, it is one of the highest-selling bikes in the category around the world too. Triumph launched the latest variant, Tiger 800 XCx, in India a few months ago and we finally got a chance to take it out for a spin. So let us see if it lives up to its legend.

Design

The 800 XCx is a very costly ADV. So the quality features are properly taken care of. The level of detailing is quite good, as is the paint quality. The plastics used around the bike are of a superior variety, and there are no panel gaps of any kind. The welds on the frame and sub-frame have been done neatly. At the front, the Tiger leads off with the typical bird’s-beak fairing.

Since the forks are of the upside-down kind, the fender comes with some rather lengthy uprights that shield the swept area of the inner fork tubes from grit, to save the fork seals from premature wear and failure. The rear section of the motorcycle continues to look rugged with the exposed sub-frame. The badges are new too and there is the manually adjustable windscreen upfront. The bike features an LED daytime-running lamp on the headlamp cluster, along with an LED tail lamp at the rear.

Engine
This Tiger gets its power from a revised 800cc in-line three engine, which produces 95PS at 9,500rpm and 79Nm of peak torque at 8,050rpm. The gearbox is the same six-speed one that powers the rear via chain drive. The engine has been
heavily reworked to perform well in both on-road and off-road conditions.
The most impressive part of this engine is that it can be controlled easily. 40-50kmph in sixth gear is possible, without any unnecessary noise. This is possible as 90 per cent of the torque kicks in at 2,500rpm. The power delivery is linear and smoother. There’s a nice punch each time the throttle is opened. The throttle response is pleasant and also crisper.

Performance
 In the city, the bike feels nimble despite its 205kg dry weight. There are two reasons for this: The steering angle has become sharper (23.4 degrees from 24.3 degrees) while the trail has reduced from 95.3mm to 93.5mm. The end result is quicker steering, a boon in urban conditions. And it is a hoot to ride fast off-road too, thanks to the long travel setup. Cruise control is another boon for touring. The one on the Tiger features one-touch activation via a button on the left switchgear and can be set as low as 30kmph when in third gear. To deactivate the feature, you simply tap the brakes once.

Stability at speed is really impressive, but even more so in wet conditions thanks to the electronics. On rain-soaked roads, opening the throttle wide in ‘Sport’ mode while using higher gears results in a rear twitch for a second at regular intervals, as traction control cuts in. In lower gears, the traction control (TC) cuts in sharply though, which means it needs to be switched off. This is easier said than done, as there is no dedicated button for TC so you have to get into the rider mode menu to deactivate it. While all rider modes can be customised, it is only the ‘Off-Road Pro’ mode that has the option to switch traction control off.

Verdict
Does the new Tiger 800 XCx improve upon the ‘Jack of all trades’ formula? Well, it does. It really does a lot of things well. It is fantastic in the city, supremely comfortable on the highway and surprisingly easy to ride fast in the dirt. It has its shortcomings too. It is heavy, runs a bit hot in heavy traffic and that tall seat may offer trouble riders who are short. With a price of `14.03 lakh (ex-showroom), the 2018 Triumph Tiger 800 XCx makes for a great buy if you are in the market for a middleweight adventure bike. It looks good, it is rugged and it offers a whole lot of features, making a solid case for itself. It squares up against the likes of the Ducati Multistrada 950, Honda Africa Twin and the BMW F 850 GS.