I can't help but compare the Tiger 1050 Sport's striking and unique look to that of the praying mantis. The shape of the front cowling, in my eyes, resembles the head of the mantis, while the long telescopic forks are the creature's arms. I don't know if this makes me strange or not, and I suspect that most people would probably draw parallels between the Tiger Sport and a desert storming Dakar rally style race bike. Either way you can't deny that the Tiger Sport has its own distinct style. Its height certainly helps the Tiger Sport to stand out from the crowd, towering to an almost trail bike height of 1310mm.
This is comparable to the Tiger's adventure spec cousins and can make the bike unwieldy for those not gifted with a lengthy inseam.
Perched atop the tall 830mm seat I found that even as an average height rider of 176cm, the Tiger does feel like a tall bike, with my feet only just being able to touch the ground. This is despite a new rear subframe dropping the rider height 5mm from the previous bike.
The new subframe also tilts the rider forward at a slight angle, which felt odd to begin with but I soon settled in. My feeling is that if the lower section of the fuel tank was thinner, this would help open up the Tiger to shorter riders, as it does seem to splay your knees outward, therefore losing precious centimetres you could otherwise put to use in getting a firm footing at a stop.
The thought did strike me that this would have made the Tiger an interesting proposition to ride at low speeds, but the rider position did help to alleviate any worries about low speed manoeuvring. This was thanks in part to the wide bars and large 180/55 ZR 17 footprint of the rear tyre the bike, which was quite easy to handle once the bike was moving.
With long Showa 43mm fully adjustable forks mounting to 4-piston Nissin brakes on 320mm rotors, the Tiger has you covered when it comes to handling and stopping performance once you place the Tiger Sport in its natural habitat of long journeys and twisty bends.
The Tiger Sport on test was fitted with the colour-matched Triumph panniers which are barely noticeable thanks to weight balancing technology when on the road and enjoying the sport part of sport touring. With a capacity of 55.5 L, the Tiger's panniers I found had more than enough space for an over-packed one day stay, with the left hand side pannier being able to fit a full face helmet inside with no troubles (the right has to accommodate the Tiger's exhaust). The panniers also don't require a second key; operating instead on the same unit that turns the bike on.
With a revised version of the legendary Triumph 1050cc triple powering the Tiger Sport there is no question about the bike's sport pedigree. With an additional 10hp over the previous model bringing the Tiger Sport to 92Kw of peak power, you can overtake with ease and with a fantastic mid-range just begging to be exploited you never feel like you're going to send the Tiger to an early grave when taking it for a "spirited" ride.
Weighing in at 235kg the Tiger Sport is reasonably light for the physical space that it takes up in the garage. However due it its tall design it carries much of its weight up high.
And if you don't give it the respect it deserves you can, as I found out, end up with the Tiger perched atop you.
Luckily the Triumph accessory catalogue is filled with a number of parts to prevent damage to the bike such as the crash bars fitted to our test model which help in making the already incredibly durable Tiger even more so.
You never know. Maybe one day someone will really put the Tiger Sport 1050 to the ultimate test and ship it to the Dakar.
FAST FACTS
ENGINE:
1050cc DOHC inline 3-cylinder
WEIGHT:
235KG (wet)
SEAT HEIGHT:
830mm
PRICE:
$21,990
To book a test ride for yourself head to triumphmotorcycles.co.nz for your nearest dealer.
