2012 Triumph Tiger Explorer
2012 TRIUMPH TIGER EXPLORER
MAYBE YOU liked the new Triumph Tiger 800 and 800XC adventure-touring bikes last year but worried that 81 horsepower and 51 foot-pounds of torque just weren’t going to be enough? Well, then, maybe the brand-new Triumph Explorer is just what you’ve been waiting for, with a new three-cylinder engine Triumph says is “in excess of 1200cc.” Given
that the 1050cc Triumph Speed Triple twisted our dyno to the tune of 1 17 horses and 73 ft.-lb., the even-bigger Triple should be quite the powerhouse, far surpassing the venerable BMW R1200GS and probably in the ballpark with the Ducati Multistrada.
The Explorer’s engine will be the first use ofTriumph’s new ride-by-wire electronic-throttle system and will
include cruise control
as standard equipment—a first in the class—along with switchable ABS and traction control. In the above photo, the frame looks very similar to the steel unit used on the Tiger 800s, but with a single-sided swingarm instead of the 800s’ conventional arm. Wheels are cast 19and 17-inch units, which aligns the big Explorer more closely with the streetier Tiger 800 and less with the dirtier 800XC and its 21-inch front wheel.
Hard and soft luggage, low and high seats, and a wide range of heated and electrical accessories will be available
as options. The Tiger Explorer’s 950watt generator should have no trouble powering up all of them.
John Burns
Speed Triple R:
For 2012, this new “R” model rolls out in Öhlins suspension, PVM wheels and Brembo Monobloc brakes up front.
Triumph Steve McQueen Edition:
This Bonneville gets the full “Great Escape” treatment, with matte Khaki Green paint, Steve McQueen’s signature on the sidecovers and full blackout curtains everywhere else.
