Triumph Tiger 1200 Vs Triumph Tiger 900: How Different Are They?

• Engine & Performance
• Electronics & Features
• Dimensions & Weight
• Chassis & Suspension

The 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 range has just been launched in India, with a starting price of ₹ 19.19 Lakh (Ex-showroom) for the Tiger 1200 GT Pro. The Tiger 1200 Rally Pro has been priced at ₹ 20.19 Lakh (Ex-showroom), while the top-spec models with bigger fuel tanks, standard heated seats, tyre pressure monitoring system and radar-powered blind spot detection system are priced at ₹ 20.69 Lakh (Ex-showroom) for the GT Explorer and ₹ 21.69 Lakh (Ex-showroom) for the Rally Explorer. The new generation Tiger 1200 is a completely new model from the ground up, losing weight, with a new engine with more performance, and a long list of features, including semi-active electronic suspension.

The design of the new 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 is more in line with the Tiger 900 range. It’s near identical, except for a few small changes.

Now, if you’ve been considering a Triumph Tiger for a while, you broadly have the mid-size Tiger 900 models and the Tiger 1200 range to choose from. And if you’ve already owned and experienced an earlier Tiger 800 or a Tiger 900, and are looking for something with more substance, performance and features within the Triumph family, you now have four variants in the Tiger 1200 range to choose from. We take a look at how different the Tiger 900 and the Tiger 1200 is and for the extra cost, what more motorcycle do you get.

The Tiger 900 Rally Pro gets six riding modes, and the only variant with manually adjustable Showa suspension

Design

Perhaps the biggest let down that many potential Tiger 1200 buyers will feel is that the new bike is near identical to the smaller Tiger 900. Apart from a few cosmetic changes, it’s difficult to really differentiate the Tiger 1200 from the Tiger 900. That’s the result of Triumph bringing the styling of the Tiger 1200 more in line with the new Tiger 900 family.

The 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Pro is the entry-level model for India, priced at ₹ 19.19 lakh (Ex-showroom). It still gets standard semi-active Showa suspension, 5 riding modes, with cornering ABS and traction control, as well as individual suspension d

Engine & Performance

At the heart of the changes is also the new engine, which now gets a T-plane crank with a different firing order from the cylinders, giving it more low-end grunt, without compromising on top-end performance. In numbers, the 1,160 cc, inline three-cylinder engine now makes 148 bhp at 9,000 rpm and 130 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. Over the previous generation model, it has gained 9 bhp and 8 Nm.

The new Tiger 900 has a distinctive design with a narrower body and full LED lighting

The Tiger 900 also features a T-plane engine with a similar character, but is powered by a slightly smaller 888 cc, inline three-cylinder engine, which makes 94 bhp at 8,750 rpm and 87 Nm of peak torque at 7,250 rpm. For pure performance, on paper it seems to be the Tiger 1200 which seems to be the logical choice. But there’s also the question of weight.

The new 1,160 cc engine is still a triple, but it sounds and feels completely different from the last generation model. The T-plane crank design with a 1-3-2 firing order is designed for better low-end grunt.

Electronics & Features

The Tiger 1200 comes loaded with electronics, with six riding modes, which are individually customisable across engine maps, ABS levels, traction control and suspension damping, which by the way is a standard semi-active system from Showa. In addition, there’s cornering ABS, cornering traction control, and an improved Triumph Shift Assist (quickshifter) which works on both upshifts and downshifts. There’s cruise control as well, and the Explorer variants get standard tyre pressure monitoring system, heated seats and a blind spot detection system as well.

On the Tiger 900 as well, there’s standard cornering ABS and traction control. The GT gets four riding modes, Road, Rain, Sport and Off-Road, while the Rally gets five riding modes, including a fully customisable Rider mode. The Rally Pro gets a sixth additional Off-Road Pro mode.

The Triumph Tiger 1200 comes loaded with features, including semi-active electronic suspension, cornering ABS, traction control and up to six riding modes on the Rally Pro variant.

Dimensions & Weight

The Tiger 1200 weighs 240 kg at the kerb for the GT range, while the 1200 Rally weights 249 kg. The GT Explorer and the Rally Explorer with the bigger fuel tanks weigh 255 kg and 261 kg respectively. The 1200 Rally Pro, with 249 kg kerb weight, the variant we expect to be the most popular, is still 21 kg heavier than the corresponding 900 Rally Pro which weighs 228 kg at the kerb.

49 mm Showa upside down feature semi-automatic damping, while the Showa monoshock also features electronic preload adjustability and damping.

Chassis & Suspension

The Tiger 1200 range features an all-new chassis and the variants offered on sale in India all feature Showa semi-active electronic suspension. While the GT variants of the Tiger 1200 feature more suspension travel as well, the Tiger 900 gets manually adjustable suspension, with less travel on the 900 GT model. The 45 mm Marzocchi forks of the 900 GT get 180 mm travel, while the Marzocchi monoshock gets 170 mm travel. Comparatively, the 1200 GT Pro gets 49 mm Showa semi-active damping upside down forks with 200 mm travel, and a Showa semi-active damping monoshock with automatic preload adjustment with 200 mm travel.

The new Tiger 900 may be less powereful, but is also 21 kg lighter.

The 900 Rally Pro model gets 240 mm travel from the 45 mm Showa upside down forks, and 230 mm travel from the Showa monoshock. Comparatively, the Tiger 1200 gets larger 49 mm Showa forks, which have semi-active damping with 220 mm travel front and 200 mm travel at the rear, which also gets semi-active damping as well as electronic preload adjustment. The 1200’s damping can be customised across the riding modes, allowing the rider to choose from softest to Sport settings.

Prices

While the Tiger 1200 range does look quite well-specced, and with the latest features, it should also be kept in mind that it’s also more expensive than the Tiger 900. Prices for the Tiger 900 range begin at ₹ 13.70 lakh (Ex-showroom) for the base GT model, going up to ₹ 15.50 lakh (Ex-showroom) for the Rally Pro variant. Comparatively, the Tiger 1200 range starts at ₹ 19.19 lakh (Ex-showroom), going up to ₹ 21.69 lakh (Ex-showroom) for the Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer.

Highlights

1. The 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 goes on a weight loss program and more power
2. The Tiger 1200 is the full-size ADV range in the Triumph Tiger family
3. The Tiger 900 is the middleweight ADV in the Triumph Tiger family

Keyword: Triumph Tiger 1200 Vs Triumph Tiger 900: How Different Are They?