One of the big problems facing motorcycle engineers is that technology is always on the move. In the late 1930s, Triumph introduced the parallel twin engine that, overnight, made everything else look outdated and everyone scrambled to catch up. In the late 1960s, Honda introduced the multi-cylinder engine that had the same effect. In 1988, BMW introduced ABS braking and traction control on the K-series of motorbikes. Since then, refinements to that technology have come thick and fast and to be seen without the latest development is to be behind the curve.
Of course, there have been some blind alleys; hub-centre steering and rim-mounted brake rotors to name but two. Also, history is littered with examples of ‘too much, too soon’; the buying public is famously fickle and needs its improvements in carefully graduated steps rather than one giant leap. This also helps the manufacturer as it can keep a model fresh with updates throughout its life rather than letting it stand still after one blinding flash of development or innovation.
Which brings us neatly to the new Triumph Tiger 900, which replaces the successful and largely brilliant Tiger 800. Triumph has opted for a careful evolution of their midrange adventure bike, improving it subtly across the board so that it is undeniably better but doesn’t make the outgoing model seem like a dinosaur.
This story is from the August 2020 edition of Bike SA.
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This story is from the August 2020 edition of Bike SA.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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