After launching their middleweight naked Street Triple RS in India, Triumph is buckling up to release the Tiger 900 by the end of May 2020. If things were normal and there was no global pandemic, we would have gotten the updated Tiger range this month. However, things are still slightly uncertain at the moment, and Triumph is now targeting a May launch if there are no further delays.
Also read: 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS Launched In India At INR 11.13 Lakh
They are planning to bring in the two top-spec models in both, the off-road biased Rally line and the road-focused GT line. They are not planning to introduce the base model of Tiger 900 here in India because the entry-level Tiger 800 didn’t do too well in our markets. Triumph replaced the heavily successful Tiger 800 with the 900 by giving it a thorough refresh to take on the likes of KTM Adventure 790 R, BMW F 850 GS and the Honda Africa Twin. They built the Tiger 900 from the ground up including a new design, chassis, suspension and motor.
Triumph revised the engine on the Tiger 800 and increased its displacement to 888cc while also changing the firing order to 1-3-2 which produces a distinct sound, along with a twin-cylinder-like character in the lower rev range. The inline-triple motor is good for 93.9hp at 8,750rpm and 87Nm of torque at 7,250rpm. Despite the increase in displacement, the new engine weighs 2.5 kgs lighter than the Tiger 800.
Triumph has also upgraded the cycle parts on the Tiger 900 to make it more competitive. The Rally Pro features fully-adjustable suspension (by Showa) with longer travel at both ends. It also gets tubeless wire-spoke rims that were missing on the Tiger 800 XC line. The brakes too have been upgraded to larger, 320mm discs and new Brembo Stylema calipers. The GT Pro uses adjustable Marzocchi suspension at both ends, with the rear monoshock featuring electronic damping and preload adjustment.
The Pro trims of the Tiger 900 feature a long list of IMU-assisted electronics including cornering ABS, traction control and riding modes. These include Rain, Road, Sport, Off-road and Rider (which is customizable). The Rally Pro has an additional Rally Pro mode that turns off ABS and traction control, enabling the rider to slide the bike. The Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro and Rally Pro also get a new 7.0-inch TFT instrument panel with Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation. In addition, heated seats (rider + pillion) and heated grips are also available as standard. The Tiger 900 is a significant upgrade over the Tiger 800 so it is likely to bear a slightly premium price tag as compared to the model it replaces.