Sam Sunderland teases new 2027 Triumph Tiger 1200 for around-the-world record attempt
Sam Sunderland has begun his attempt, but the bigger story is the bike he's riding, as it appears to be a new-generation 2027 Triumph Tiger 1200.
Sam Sunderland teases new 2027 Triumph Tiger 1200 for around-the-world record attempt
- Thread starter Noobie
- Start date
I wonder how long the soft-roader/round-the-world/adventure class will last. Virtually no one ever rides them off-road, and on-road they're compromised by skinny wheels and semi-knobbly tyres. For most riders they're purely a styling exercise.
I wish more manufacturers would dial back on this trend and offer more tall-rounders instead of "adventure" bikes.
In the 1 litre+ class the only genuine tall-rounders (essentially a supernaked on stilts with 17" wheels aimed purely at road riding) I can think of is the BMW 1000XR, the R1300 GS and the V4 Multi. I don't know if the Multi and the GS come with 17" wheels and so can take proper sports tyres. If not, the only one is the XR.
It's a great concept. Supernaked performance but far more spacious and comfortable with good weather protection and luggage carrying capacity without the knobbly tyres and scaffolding.
Triumph offer the 800 Tiger Sport which fits this description but why don't they do a full-fat 1200 version with the Speed Triple engine? I'm sure they'd sell far better than Euan and Charlie replicas.
I wish more manufacturers would dial back on this trend and offer more tall-rounders instead of "adventure" bikes.
In the 1 litre+ class the only genuine tall-rounders (essentially a supernaked on stilts with 17" wheels aimed purely at road riding) I can think of is the BMW 1000XR, the R1300 GS and the V4 Multi. I don't know if the Multi and the GS come with 17" wheels and so can take proper sports tyres. If not, the only one is the XR.
It's a great concept. Supernaked performance but far more spacious and comfortable with good weather protection and luggage carrying capacity without the knobbly tyres and scaffolding.
Triumph offer the 800 Tiger Sport which fits this description but why don't they do a full-fat 1200 version with the Speed Triple engine? I'm sure they'd sell far better than Euan and Charlie replicas.
Mega money though.
I suppose the MT09 Tracer counts as a tall-rounder, But why not an MT10 version?
At the moment, the pick of the bunch for the money is the 1000XR, but that I/L 4 engine leaves me cold. A Triumph 1200 Tiger Sport is the non-existent bike I'd most like to own. The Speedie is just too compact for me but a 1200 TS could be the perfect only-bike for me.
Maybe in Pommy land they don't, but here in NZ and across the ditch in Oz they're used on-road, dirt track/ Gravel roads and some off-road stuff too. Watch this years Red Bull Romaniacs, there is an Adventure bike class now, impressive stuff. Plus there is this, was in my home province last year...
KTM adventure rallye nz 2025 - Search Videos
Watch videos instantly on Bing—enjoy direct playback, discover related clips, and dive into trending content all in one place.
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True, but Aus/NZ is a small segment of the market. There's a dual purpose market on the US too but it's dwarfed by road-only sales. Same situation in continental Europe. Some interest but most sales are tarmac only.Maybe in Pommy land they don't, but here in NZ and across the ditch in Oz they're used on-road, dirt track/ Gravel roads and some off-road stuff too. Watch this years Red Bull Romaniacs, there is an Adventure bike class now, impressive stuff. Plus there is this, was in my home province last year...
KTM adventure rallye nz 2025 - Search Videos
Watch videos instantly on Bing—enjoy direct playback, discover related clips, and dive into trending content all in one place.www.bing.com
I haven't got the figures but I'd be very surprised if manufacturers like Triumph, who don't offer a top spec tall-rounder - all their Tiger adventure class except the 800 Sport are dirt-styled - are losing sales in Europe and the US by not competing with bikes like the S1000XR.
In fact, I'd say the XR is in a class of one. It's the only tall-rounder that is based on an existing supernaked model that just been given longer legs. You ride one and it does feel like a plusher, more spacious S1000R. You sit on it rather than in it and it doesn't have any Dakar pretensions. But you have to like the peaky and rather buzzy I/L four engine, which personally I don't.
Technically the latest R1300GS is an out-and-out road bike. But it'll never shake off it's round-the-world DNA; and the boxer engine is marmite. I rather like it but many don't.
The V4 Multi is a road bike too but it feels to me like it's trying to be an Italian GS. You sit so deep in it you're almost resting your chin on the fuel filler cap. Personally I hate that. And it feels like it's four feet wide and it's bloody expensive - to buy and run. What it definitely isn't is a taller version of a V4 SF.
Triumph, perhaps uniquely, is in a position to offer a proper top-end tall-rounder with the 1200 Speedie. Rather than offering a Tiger Rally with all the Dakar protection guff and a 19" front wheel instead of a 21" and calling it a road bike, IMO they'd be better off leaving the Tiger Rallys as they are and offering the option of a 1200 Speedie either as a compact supernaked or as a Tiger sport.
@West Cork Paul has the MT tank version
