Where Has The Triumph Tiger 900 Taken A Step Back From The Tiger 800?

Triumph has made the Tiger 900 a significantly better motorcycle than the Tiger 800. But, there are some areas where the Tiger 900 doesn’t quite match up to its predecessor or our expectations.

Doesn’t Whistle

The whistling sound made by Triumph’s three-cylinder engine family has been a hallmark of sorts. It is something riders have come to recognise and love this aspect of the Tiger. However, with the new crankshaft and the resulting staggered firing order, the soft purr from the engine and the whistle is gone, replaced by a meaty and mechanical V-Twin rumble.

Silky smooth no more

Let me be absolutely clear. The engine is smooth. Even after 300kms in the saddle there was no sign of buzzy palms or feet or numb buttcheeks. However, the absolute silky smoothness of the Tiger 800 is missing. The new engine creates a “pulse” which can be felt through the bars. To me this feels more apt for an adventure motorcycle. However, current Tiger 800 owners will mark this as a step back.

Not as Threatening

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The Tiger 900 has gone for a more purposeful look which is slimmer and tighter. This reduction in visual mass is a step in the right direction in our books. However, folks yearning for street cred will miss the bulk and presence of the Tiger 800. This feels more apparent on the GT family which sits a bit lower than the Rally.

Clutter Club

The 7” colour TFT screen offered on the mid and top-spec variants is bright and sharp and has day and night modes, making it easy to read in any situation. However, the graphics and layouts for the screen leave a lot to be desired. There is a lot of information packed into every screen and the graphical rev counter was plain useless. Setting the customisable display to the digital rev counter helped us work around this. Also, the joystick to control the menus sits troublesomely near the turn indicator switch, so I ended up stabbing at the wrong button quite often. This is something Tiger owners will get used to with time.

So the Triumph’s Tiger 900 list of shortcomings is delightfully short. But, what makes it click? Read about its off-road credentials here. Or, head over to the main story where we list all that you would want to know about the new generation Tiger 900.