Road – Test Tiger Sport 2013: the 1050 still has the teeth! – When Sport rhymes with comfort and energy

Posted on by admin

Tiger Sport 2013 test: the 1050 still has the fangs !

Road - Test Tiger Sport 2013: the 1050 still has the teeth! - When Sport rhymes with comfort and energy

In competition with the 800 Tiger and the 1215 Explorer, the Tiger 1050 remains in the Triumph catalog in a new “Sport” version. This 2013 novelty is more efficient, more ergonomic and more stylish than the old model.. First try !

When Sport rhymes with comfort and energy

Before judging the dynamic performance of the new Triumph Tiger Sport, Site ends the owner’s tour by noting that the passenger seat is indeed lower than before, which makes it easier to perch on the back of the tigress. The driving position is also excellent.

The back is still straight, the arms are slightly apart but less distant than before (handlebars retracted by 26 mm and lowered by 11.5 mm), the knees still relatively tight for a 1000 and not too bent for a "Sport" model , and the buttocks are welcomed. We already imagine ourselves winding at high speed for hours !

The new design of the saddle also improves access to the ground: no need to have long legs to put the feet – toe or heel, it depends – on both sides. "The data sheet indicates a drop in the saddle height from 835 to 830 mm, but in fact the arch (distance from one foot to the other passing through the saddle) is much smaller", confirms Simon Warburton.

Just before setting off for a ride on the pretty roads of Catalonia, MNC takes one last look at the front part where a new 4-optic lighthouse sits. "You will not be driving at night on this test, but please believe that one of the major flaws of the Tiger 1050 has been fixed.", assures us the Triumph team.

By day, MNC can already say that the new headlights improve the look of the Tiger: no more bewildered and asymmetrical look of the old 1050, due to its two small lenses. That of the "Sport" model is more classic, of course, but more balanced and, we hope, more piercing..

Note also that the two headlights are underlined by false air intakes and that other inserts supposedly "Racing" precede the now sharper tank scoops..

Like the latest Triumph motorcycles, the Tiger Sport benefits from special attention to the finish: stitching of the saddle in red, Triumph inscriptions on the handlebars (Made in Neken) on the footrests, elbow valves, etc..

Only the cockpit will be reviewed on the next model, but this is the view that the owner has on his motorcycle most of the time. All it takes is a small plastic cover – like the one on the left side of the engine – to hide wires, coolant jar and other bulb covers….

Likewise, if it gave in to the pressure of the French market which would be the only one to require a warning on its motorcycles, the Hinckley firm failed to fit its order on the handlebars. As on the Explorer and the Trophy, activating the warnings requires momentarily releasing the handlebars with the left hand.

On the other hand, heavy-wheel riders who do not use their road in traffic jams will be delighted to benefit from three buttons accessible with the tip of the left thumb, allowing them to scroll through all of the numerous information relayed by the digital screen of the control panel. edge (see the instrumentation part of the Technical sheet on the penultimate page).

Here again, small downside: the absence of a gear indicator, which will never appear on the current version of the 1050 cc: "there is not physically enough room to integrate a sensor", confirms Felipe Lopez.

Still "accessibility" radius, we observe that the side stand is devoid of a lug. The "Triumph method" therefore also prevails on the Tiger: to deploy the lateral, you have to step back the foot and catch the tip with the big toe. Note on this occasion that a central stand is available as an accessory.

Other points still improve the life of the rider on a daily basis. At the express request of the Frenchies – again them! -, the English engineers managed to save a space of 1.6 liters to accommodate a disc lock (for those who would not be satisfied with the specific U wedged under the saddle and the coded key), an anti-puncture kit and other useful gadgets.

To take a little more stuff, the saddle has four small retractable straps to secure a net. Finally, for the attention of the most frequent travelers, Triumph has considerably increased the carrying capacity of the Tiger 1050 via a new rear frame..

Lower, this part of the frame is also more robust: "thanks to this, the maximum load of the Tiger went from 200 kg to 220 kg and that of the side cases available as accessories from 5 to 10 kg each", observes the brand’s product manager.

The rest of the frame does not move and therefore does not make it possible to erase one of the bike’s faults: its turning radius, which was already more “sporty” than “trail” on the old version of the Tiger 1050…

"Unfortunately, refining the frame as on the Speed ​​would have required a review of the entire structure.", says Felipe Lopez,"and advancing the fork tubes would have changed the behavior of the bike, therefore required even more work, which was already not lacking on this project".

A Speed ​​Triple, lighter and more agile, will therefore be more suitable for urban bikers than a Tiger Sport. Nevertheless, Triumph ensures that its trail-road-sportsman can do everything! And this is precisely what the manufacturer offers us to check during a 200 km loop around Sitges, in northern Spain. On the way (s) !

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *