Although they remain hugely popular, adventure-style bikes have seen something of a slowdown in sales in the past few months from their dominance of recent years.
The main challenge, as figures from the Motorcycle Industry Association show, has come from retro and naked bikes – with Royal Enfield leading the way in the former.
Nevertheless, Brit bikers’ love affair with adventure bikes continues – both mid-size and larger capacity.
Falling squarely into the latter category is this 2022 Tiger 1200 Rally Pro.
First impressions are very positive – it’s a great looking adventure bike.
From the aggressive, beaked front end, with Angry Birds headlights, to the spoked wheels, with knobbly rubber, and the as-standard belly pan and engine protector bars, this bike looks like it is ready to take you round the world and across all the different terrains that would include.
Climb on board and the ride position is relaxed and comfortable, the seat plush, with your thighs gripping the moulded 20litre tank.
I use the word “climb” deliberately as this is a big, tall machine with an adjustable seat height of 875-895mm.
There is also an optional lower seat.
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The new 7in colour TFT dash is clear and easy to read, and, via the My Triumph Connectivity System, can be used for turn-by-turn navigation, phone operation and playing music.
The tall screen is easily adjustable using just one hand and there is excellent LED lighting all round.
There are no less than six ride modes, including Off-Road pro which cancels the (cornering) ABS and (cornering) traction control altogether.
Start up, via the keyless ignition (which also operates the fuel cap and steering lock) and the engine note immediately sounds different to the previous big Tiger.
That’s because it now employs the “T-plane” crank, which works to give the motor more of twin-cylinder feel at lower speeds, with the responsiveness of the triple it actually is when pushing on.
While the power delivery is faultless – it’s almost sporstbike-quick, but smoother and more progressive – I personally didn’t like the “vibey” engine sound at lower speeds.
That is a minor quibble though, as this engine really is a beauty.
Gear changes are seamless, with no need to use the clutch thanks to the excellent shift-assist system.
The Triumph boffins worked hard on the chassis and replaced the swingarm of the previous model with an aluminium Tri-link system, and somehow ditched a whopping 25kg in overall weight.
And it’s certainly noticeable.
The bike feels much more agile and manoeuvrable, gliding through the bends delightfully seamlessly.
That new chassis is ably assisted by Showa semi-active suspension, which has nine damping levels as well as automatic preload on the rear – all of which is controlled by your choice of ride mode.
It's an excellent system and works to perfection.
The linked braking is progressive and super powerful, via Brembo Stylema calipers.
The 21in front and 18in rear tubeless spoked wheels, shod with dual-purpose Metzeler Karoo rubber demonstrate the bike’s genuine off-road credentials.
Yes, the wheels are spoked yet tubeless thanks to a clever technique of attaching the spokes to an external rim on the rim of the rim – you’ll see what I mean if you look at one!
Off-road the Rally Pro performs admirably, that excellent suspension soaking up all the bumps and the bike feeling lighter and more manoeuvrable than its 250kg wet weight would suggest.
Other standard features on this Pro model include cruise control, hill hold, a centre stand, heated grips and fog lights.
There is a range of optional extras such as a heated seat, aluminium panniers and topbox, and crash bars.
For me, this Rally Pro, which is just one of the 2022 Tiger 1200 family is a serious contender to the once all-conquering BMW GS.
Some, like me, won’t immediately take to that vibey feel and sound, but it’s more than compensated for by its engine performance and the superb handling, responsiveness and lightness of feel.
