Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro: Right choice as a 1st superbike

I initially planned on getting the Tiger 900 GT, but soon upgraded to the Rally Pro looking at the price difference.

BHPian vijai recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally, all my stars have aligned for me to afford a superbike and I have been in search of one for quite some time.

My Considerations are:

1. Kawasaki Z900
2. Ducati Moster 2020
3. Triumph Street Triple RS
4. Ducati Multistrada 950s
5. Triumph Tiger 900 GT which later became Rally Pro in a few hours

Budget (on-road inclusive of accessories):

• Rs 11L when I started searching
• Rs 14L when S Triple and Monster came into the picture
• Rs 18L once I got impressed with 900 GT and Rally Pro

Prelude:

I wanted a naked streetfighter at first but then my brother’s genuine reason for taking my SIL on long rides on a nakedness convinced me to ADV which helps me in long rides too.

My Observations:

Kawasaki Z900

When I had a plan of even owning a superbike deep behind my head, Z900 was my ultimate choice but once I got serious about getting one, I started searching for ease of maintenance. I quickly understood from the maintenance costs thread that Kawasaki would be the cheapest to own but not for maintenance. I dropped Kawasaki without even visiting the showroom.

Ducati Monster 2020

I was attracted to the design of Monster 821 and decided to give it a try. I quickly realized I’m not signing up for the same monster on steroids which is 821 but a monster on its toning phase. Anyways, I still liked the new one and took a TR at VST Ducati Chennai. The bike was given to me after the usual paperwork for TR and my initial impression was, the bike is indeed an arrogant monster.

Likes:

• Looks
• Gorgeous TFT display
• Riding position
• Functional brakes
• Hydraulic clutch

Dislikes:

• The L-Twin cry. Don’t get me wrong – it’s subjective but I and my brother really felt it sounded more like a tractor on low revs than a twin-cylinder superbike
• Engine was rough overall
• Although clutch is easier on hands, the gear shift felt more clunky and the 1st gear was always with a huge thud.
• SIL was very sceptical about the upswept exhaust and complained she could feel the heat.

Multistrada 950 S

Once the TR was done and I was inside the showroom for further discussions, I was offered a tour of the service bays and a rather small storage house for new bikes. Where I saw a Panigale V4S. After observing it from a distance not to let myself drool a lot over it, I moved away only for the Multi to get my attention. Boy, oh boy! that massive horse! I was still not so moved by it but gave it a try by sitting on it. Liked the feel and comfort but ADV wasn’t my choice back then yet until now.

Final thought:

Did not like a Monster at all and was out of consideration soon after TR. I like the Multistrada’s but am sceptical of getting them because I know I’m not ready for their desmodromic service costs when it has to happen.

Triumph

Went to Triumph last week and was told all S Triples have very long waiting times. Saw a new S Triple RS waiting for delivery in the warehouse. I always liked the not so crowd-pulling looks of S Triple but my brother never liked it. We absolutely loved how the engine sounds and smooth inline-3 though. Also took a TR of trident and there was nothing impressive to say. Overall, was convinced of booking an S Triple RS due to its slightly better suspension, callipers and the TFT display + BT connectivity.

Back home that day, I had the looks of Tiger 900 grow on me. The next morning, for some reason, I got pulled into ADV and Tiger. I initially had Tiger 900 GT in mind to fit my budget incl accessories. But when I talked to the SA in Triumph, he rightly pointed out Rally Pro is much better since it comes with most of my planned accessories as standard and more for just about 15k more than GT’s on-road price. Turns out to be true!

My search on reviews for Tiger 900 RP started and there were largely great reviews but I do not have clarity in a few and hence turning my face to TBhp.

Likes:

• Massive yet comfortable looks
• Comfortable for me, brother and SIL to both ride and sit in pillion.
• Would be good for long rides which I go twice a year at least.
• Bunch of electronics and feature-packed built right into it for no extra cost
• QS works great
• Has a centre stand option! Phew
• Has spoked rims and tubeless tires!

Dislikes:

• TBhp review says the visor isn’t sturdy enough and slips down at high vibrations and it has a distorting effect.
• Multistrada has a convenient mobile phone holder over the fuel tank while have to resort to using a phone holder (just for the sake of disliking something)
• The switchgear feels cluttered and needs a lot of getting used to.
• No off-road tires. Doesn’t matter to me though. I don’t off-road.

The reason I was pushed towards ADV (Tiger 900 RP) are:

1. I pulled my heart at the first sight. Somehow changed my decision on S Triple RS within a few hours. S Triple was in my dreams and day-dreams since December when I got serious into superbike but this managed to change that in a few hours
2. Has great comfort and practical usability for me and my brother’s family.
3. I already own a naked commuter – RTR200 which I really like. I Felt ADV might be different
4. There’s a bike ready for sale parked! No wait times (Although this isn’t a deciding factor for me).

My doubts/Questions on Tiger 900 RP:

1. I only see cruise control mentioned on the Triumph website. None of the reviews talks about it. Does it really have one and is it equal to/better than Multistrada 950s?
2. How are the service costs of it? I don’t see much talk about this bike here. I heard the brake pads cost like Rs 11k when it’s time for replacement but could be brought down drastically with after marker pads at equal performance and much less cost. True? and is there any other things that don’t affect the bike but save unnecessary additional costs?
3. Your general thought about the bike if you were to get it.

Here’s what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

Bikes are about pulling your heartstrings. Reason 1 alone is good enough for you to choose the 900 over all else. Your use case and the bike you’ve liked are also perfectly matched so no need to doubt the decision.

Cruise control

I haven’t personally used cruise control on my 800 XRX and haven’t ridden a Multistrada for any meaningful distance so can’t comment on that. But I know people who have and I haven’t heard any deal-breaker complaints.

Brakes

Yes, brake change can cost about 9 – 10k if I’m not mistaken. Honestly, the only service I can think of that’s cheaper than Triumph is Honda. Kawasaki is comparable or marginally more expensive – it is possibly more frequent too but worth double-checking this. Again this is a very specific micro-level point and you should take general comfort that servicing a Triumph is not on the market compared to the service of other bikes. In fact, the likes of Ducati Multistrada can be much more expensive than a Tiger.

General inputs

Coming to my general inputs on the bike, I think it makes for a fairly safe purchase. It’s a brilliantly capable bike, as usable in the confines of a city in traffic (slight heating aside which is routine for all superbikes) as it is in munching miles all day on the highway. The suspension of the Rally Pro is super plush and for long-distance two-up touring on Indian roads, it’s definitely an excellent choice. It’s got a great set of electronics, including the offroad pro mode in the Rally Pro. The accessories universe is well established too.

Finally, as a brand, Triumph organises some great events for its customers, especially its ADV owners. Do check out some videos on youtube under the search phrase “Tiger Trails” and you’ll get an idea of what I’m alluding to. I’ve personally attended their Rajasthan Trails event and plan to do Spiti sometime soon with either Triumph or the same folks who organize the Trails for Triumph.

A suggested final short list

Tiger 900 Rally Pro and Honda Africa Twin ATAS

The only properly comparable offering I can think of in your consideration set is the Honda Africa Twin M/T which I estimate would retail in the same ball park as the 900 Rally Pro. Its an equally brilliant bike and you can’t go wrong with either of these – really depends on which one calls out to you more on a test ride.

Comparative pros and cons are that the Honda is cheaper to maintain but has a much thinner dealer footprint (something I’m not too pleased about). The Triumph on the other hand has had complaints from users down south so it would be worthwhile to get some feedback from users who have experienced the brand at dealerships which you are likely to deal with.

Do check out this thread including the counterpoints made by some owners (including me) and do your own diligence and make suitable judgment calls.

Here’s what BHPian neil.jericho had to say on the matter:

vijai, a superbike purchase is all about what makes you happiest and for all the advice that you get on the forum, make an informed decision and buy whatever bike pulls your heartstrings. Logic often goes for a toss when it comes to buying a big bike.

That said since you have shared some of your perspectives, below are some thoughts from my side

• You haven’t articulated what is your exact intended usage. Are you planning to ride it every day? Or only on weekends? How about overnight weekend rides? You mentioned 2 long rides a year but it would help us help you if you can list out how you plan to use your big bike.
• This brings me to your requirement of buying an adventure bike. You seem to prefer naked bikes but balancing practicality made you look at an adventure bike. How often will you ride with a pillion? Will this change after a year? Will your pillion ride with you once a month? Once a quarter? Will it be less than 5% of the total usage? If your pillion seat usage will not be much and you are happier buying a naked, then get a naked instead.
• You have a good budget in hand but firstly, do a test ride every bike in your budget. Don’t close your mind to any options right now. You will be surprised to find that bikes that are often perfect on paper, don’t match what you experience on the road.
• Kawasakis will cost about the same service as a Triumph. Here or there, there will be a +/- 5% difference in the long run but it is not something that should cause you to disqualify any Kawasaki motorcycle.
• If you are looking at naked bikes, check out the Honda CB650R as well, it’s an excellent and very user-friendly motorcycle.
• If you are looking at adventure/sports tourers, the Versys 1000 is an incredible sports tourer. You mentioned that you aren’t going to ride off-road. The Versys 1000 can be the perfect motorcycle for you if you will be doing highway riding over the weekends.
• Coming to Triumph’s adventure tourers, the Rally Pro is the top of the line offroad bike from the Tiger 900 series. If you arent going offroading, do you need the Rally Pro? I will suggest the GT and accessorize it up instead if you are keen on the Tiger 900s. Don’t take all the accessories from Triumph. Get what you can from reputed aftermarket companies instead and save a load of cash. That Rs 15K difference will be a much bigger number once you get parts from outside the showroom.
• The Tiger 900s are vibey at highway speeds and you shouldn’t discount that factor if you will be doing a lot of highway rides.
• For that money, you should strongly consider the Honda Africa Twin as well.
• Once again, test ride every bike and see what you connect with. Please don’t buy any motorcycle without getting an extended test ride.

Here’s what BHPian no_fear had to say on the matter:

I am curious as to why you upped your budget from 11 lacs for 18 lacs. And then you are trying to seek alternatives to save a few k on bike consumables. It feels contradictory – spending pounds to save pennies, as the saying goes.

I don’t want to sound like your financial advisor but are you overstretching your budget to accommodate a bike that you want but don’t actually need?

I also found your choices a bit bewildering. You wrote off the Ducati Monster for tractor sounding l twin engine but you kept the Multistrada 950 as a contender. But here is the kicker. Both are L-twin and have the same engine.

And why is the Z900 dismissed? It’s actually a brilliant bike. From a servicing point of view, it’s one of the few litre-class bikes in India for which you can source parts easily. Other members have already highlighted this.

The Triumph 900 rally is a very good bike, but if you only want to do 2 long rides a year, I think it’s too much bike for the money you want to spend. You mentioned you don’t even want to do off-roading. Then why buy an off-roader.

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