Triumph Tiger 800 XR, XC review, test ride

What is it?

This is Triumph’s mid-sized adventure bike that the engineers back at Hinckley have tinkered with a fair bit for 2015. An extensively revised engine and new suite of electronics are the headline grabbing changes here. That aside, there are cosmetic, ergonomic and suspension updates as well.

Tell me more..

With the update, Triumph has carried out a rebranding of the Tiger 800 line up. The Tiger 800 is now known as XR, and that ends up emphasising its road bias, while the XC is positioned as the more off-road-oriented motorcycle. Both models get a top of the line “x” variant (XRx, XCx) too, which is loaded with riding modes and an advanced trip computer amongst other features and conveniences – like an extra power socket.

More on the engine first!

When you look at the displacement, peak horsepower and torque figures, it’s hard to believe that the engine has been updated, after all they are all the same motors. However, from the air intake, to the exhaust and everything in between has been tweaked to improve refinement, efficiency and performance. It certainly felt that way as we swept up the Spanish mountains on the XRx. It was apparent that the bottom-end torque had jumped dramatically. Slowing down for traffic while climbing up a mountain road, it didn’t send me scurrying through the smooth-six speed gearbox. Instead, I could just leave it in the sixth even with the revs under 2,000rpm, and trot calmly along.

Swap cogs, and the Tiger will rocket ahead, its engine soaring with sportbike-like zest to its near 11,000rpm redline. It can be a complete hoot to ride hard when you are in the mood. On the refinement front, the engine felt quieter and smoother than before too.

The other advantage of the new engine is that the adoption of ride by wire has allowed the inclusion of an array of electronic aids. Traction control and ABS are offered as standard on all Tiger’s, and on the top-end XRx/XCx variants, you also get three rider modes to choose from. Road, off-road and User. The last is customisable – so apart from the traction control and ABS settings, you also get four throttle maps (Road, Off-Road, Sport & Rain) to choose from.