Taming The Tiger

Ever heard of a friendly Tiger? Well, allow us to introduce you to the 2018 Tiger 800 XRx…

- Ravi ved

The monsoon is here, and while it does bring temporary respite from the heat, it also brings with it conditions that are far from ideal to ride a motorcycle. The rain causes potholes the size of graves and, in a city like Mumbai, even water logged and flooded roads. And if you happen to own a litre-class sports bike, you would want to ask yourself this – how often could I take it out, bearing in mind that the stiff suspension and low ground clearance won’t go well with the horrible state of our roads, especially in monsoon?

It’s no wonder then that a lot of superbike owners tuck their steeds away and choose to ride on more than two wheels. But not if they happen to own a Triumph Tiger, for this kitty loves to play – come hell or high water. And this is precisely the reason that it’s gained tremendous popularity over the years. Since its launch in 2010,

Triumph has sold more than 68,000 examples of the Tiger globally. With each update, the Tiger has only become better in some sense or the other. So, it’s no surprise that the 2018 iteration is the best of them all.

Features aplenty

Triumph claims that they’ve made more than 200 changes to the 2018 Tiger range. A lot of these changes are in the technology that it comes fitted with. We got our hands on the road-focused XRx variant, and although it’s not the top-spec model, it does have a long list of features. The most talked about of the lot is the full colour, 5-inch TFT screen for the instrument cluster. It’s the same unit as on the Street Triple RS and the Tiger 1200. The light sensitive display is crisp and paired with a 5-way joystick to toggle through the menu. In terms of safety, the Tiger 800 XRx comes with switchable ABS and traction control. Other features include cruise control, heated grips and a 5-way adjustable windscreen.