THE urban jungle may be the grounds in which this tiger likes to play, however it’s the unassuming manners which make the 1050 Tiger a machine which proves tigers are not always an aggressive beast.
Don’t be fooled into thinking the Triumph Tiger 1050’s engine is on the tame side of things as that fuel injected triple motor has plenty of get up and go, from the very rider friendly 111 horsepower on tap.
A six speed gear box delivers the power through an X-ring chain to the 17 x 5.5 inch alloy multi spoke wheel on the rear, while up front a 17 x 3.5 inch front keeps the whole package looking the goods. The standard fitment road tyres on the 1050 Tiger may deviate from its adventure heritage, but then the Tiger 1050 is more an adventure styling exercise than a true hardcore adventure machine.
That’s now taken care of by the Tiger 800 and 1200 Adventure. That said the tyres worked a treat on some of the patch work roads that the Hunter had to offer.
The suspension felt right at home under these riding conditions, with the 43mm USD Showa forks leading the way with 150mm of travel. Adjustable preload along with rebound and compression damping, enables the rider to fine tune or alter front suspension settings pending on the prevailing road conditions.
A Showa rear shock, which also offers 150mm of travel, and adjustable preload and rebound damping, keeps the back end in check.
When it comes to pulling the 1050 Tiger up, there is complete confidence in the front end due to the twin 320mm floating discs matched to Nissin four piston callipers. A Nissin twin piston calliper clamping a 255mm single disc keeps the back end in sorted, and to further inspire confidence, the entire braking package is under the control of an Anti- Lock Braking System (ABS) which makes 100 calculations per second.
With wide handlebars and an upright riding position, the 1050 Tiger makes time in the saddle go by a bit easier and certainly rider friendly compared to many of the more sports oriented bikes on the market, and after a few hours riding your body will thank you for this.
Even though the fairing and screen may look minimal it certainly keeps the rider well protected from the wind without any obstruction to view. Tucked neatly behind the fairing is a multi-function LCD dash with digital speedometer, trip computer, clock and a setting to measure fuel consumption, while a nice analogue tacho enables the rider to monitor engine rpm at a glance.
The fuel consumption meter is an interesting tool within the display especially those taking roads less travelled and needing to monitor fuel usage. On our ride through the Hunter Valley, cruising around the 80 km/h mark our consumption was recorded around 20 kilometres per litre, while at 100km/h it gave a reading around 17 kilometres per litre. With a fuel tank capacity of 20 litres, well you can do the maths.
For those which may be a little stout in stature, the Tiger 1050, may come across as being quite high in the saddle and top heavy to some degree. With a seat height of 835mm and a ready to ride weight of a claimed 245kg, this may be the case, but once mobile the Tiger delivers nothing but a comfortable riding position, and those concerns are quickly forgotten.
A big plus to those that may be a little on the shorter side, and an item which is not seen overly regularly these days except on adventure bikes, is a centre stand.
Not only does a centre stand enable a rider more stability when getting on or off their machine, it allows a pillion the same stability as well for the same reason. Another big plus of the centre stand is it allows the loading of gear and panniers to be done with greater ease and less chance of the bike falling over if on the side stand.
And last but not least the stand allows far greater ease for home maintenance such as chain lubrication and the changing of wheels or tyres. With the Triumph Tiger 1050’s mild road manners, plush suspension and very compliant handling, this machine feels equally at home on a daily commute.
The power delivery works well in city traffic, and with handling to match, allows the rider to nip through the urban jungle with absolute ease. And the rider won’t feel fatigued in the shoulders and wrists due to the upright riding position.
The 1050 Tiger really is an all-round machine, and can be ridden very much on the sporty side, on all sorts of roads. After a week away in the back country, including dirt roads, unload and the Tiger is ready for the weekly run to work and back.
A close friend of mine swapped his Triumph Street Triple for a Tiger and he hasn’t looked back. He regularly rides two up and makes plenty of visits to roads such as the Oxley Highway, and is always on the lookout for weekend locations off the beating track, which have a good bed and breakfast.
The Triumph Tiger 1050 will suit a broad range of riders, and there would be a more than a few sports tourer types out there which would find a bike of this calibre more than suitable to their taste of riding. There are a number of accessories available from triumph to personalise your ride or to make things more versatile in its use. It is available in three colours being black, red or silver, and with a two year unlimited kilometre warranty as standard, there are plenty of good reasons to park a Tiger in your garage.
The on road price of the Triumph Tiger 1050 SE is $15,990 rideaway.