The Triumph Tiger 1200 XRx builds on the base XR to deliver a mid-range machine with some new top-shelf gear for a welcome dose of lagniappe. Updates to core features include ride-quality electronics to deliver more safety and comfort as you tackle the tarmac or the less-civilized paths alike. This machine carries Triumph's next-gen engine, which is the larger displacement engine in its adventure bike range.

Triumph Tiger 1200 XRx Design

Triumph hits all the usual design high points with its adventure bikes, and the Tiger 1200 XRx is no exception with its bird's beak front fairing, tall fuel-tank hump and deep-set seat that rises up at the p-pad to pull you into the bike for positive mankind-machine integration. A close-fit front fender handles the bulk of the spray control. It's mounted to the cast fork-feet with splashguard-style uprights to protect the inner fork tube from the grit and grime that leads to early fork seal failure. The fairing is full-width viewed head-on, but in profile it's rather narrow with just enough room for the dual recessed headlights and DRLs, all of which are LED emitters for maximum visibility.

New for this year, the five-inch, Thin-Film Transistor instrument display bundles all the pertinent metrics together on a color screen with backlit switch cubes and a five-way joystick to manipulate the various electronic subsystems. Heated handgrips ride behind stock handguards for extra comfort in cold-weather conditions, and the clear windscreen punches a hole in the weather with push-button adjustability that lets you dial in for your body type. The stock seat is also adjustable at either 32.87 inches or 33.66 inches off the ground on the base XRx, and on the XRx Low, those numbers drop to 31.1 or 31.88 inches.

Mid-mount foot controls and a newly-positioned handebar complete the rider's triangle, and as with the rest of the Tiger range, it will accommodate a standing position that's ideal for technical work. In the rear, a set of J.C. handles and fold-up footpegs complete the passenger's gear, and over the LED taillight you'll find a small luggage rack for some open-air cargo capacity.

Up front there's a small bash plate to protect the exhaust headers where they make their turn to run aft, and the muffler is kicked up at an angle to keep it clear of terrain. LED blinkers and a short mudguard/plateholder assembly wrap up the gear in the rear.

Triumph Tiger 1200 XRx Chassis

A tubular-steel Trellis frame provides the main structure for the Tiger 1200 XRx. It uses the engine as a stressed member to complete the assembly and eliminate the downtube and cradle sections of the skeleton in a bid to keep weight down. The cast-aluminum material in the swingarm does its bit to shed pounds, as well, and it pulls double-duty as a housing for the shaft-type final drive. Cast aluminum is used for the new 10-spoke wheels, as well, that come lined with a 120/70-19 hoop up front opposite a 170/60-17. The rubber comes with a deeply grooved tread biased toward the road but will perform well in softer surfaces and light terrain.

WP suspension products support both ends. A set of inverted, 48 mm fork take care of business in the front with 6.61 inches of travel and electronically adjusted damping values. A coil-over monoshock tames the swingarm with 6.22 inches of travel along with adjustable semi-active damping and automatic preload adjustment. This gives you a machine that'll handle light terrain and unimproved roads with enough give to absorb some harsh bumps, but of course, it's the automatic adjustment that's the icing on the cake.

The electronic wizardry continues into the anchors with switchable ABS to modulate the four-piston Brembo calipers that bite dual 305 mm front discs and a twin-piston Nissin caliper that grabs the 282 mm disc out back. Both the base model and Low variant come with a 59.84-inch wheelbase and short steering geometry that measures out at 23.2 degrees of rake and 3.93 inches of trail to give both a great deal of both low- and high-speed agility; just the thing for hairpins and tight trails.

Triumph Tiger 1200 XRx Drivetrain

The beating heart of the Tiger 1200 XRx is a 1,215 cc, liquid-cooled triple putting out an impressive 139 horsepower at 9,350 rpm with 90 pounds of grunt at 7,600 rpm, numbers that clearly indicate a mill made to stay wound up fairly high in the rev range and like it. Dual over-head cams time the poppets with four valves per cylinder for efficient aspiration, and the exhaust is comprised of a 3-into-1 header with a stainless muffler for low-resistance to finish it off. It runs an 85 mm bore with a 71.4 mm stroke and medium-hot, 11-to-1 compression ratio that will take premium pump champagne, but that's the price you pay for all those ponies.

Throttle control is a ride-by-wire system, and it comes with a quartet of riding modes, switchable traction control, and an immobilizer on top of an IMU that optimizes both the ABS and traction control for cornering. In between the engine and the six-speed transmission is a torque-assist clutch that negates much of the backtorque that develops on hard downshifts and engine-braking maneuvers. Although it lacks the low-down grunt of a twin-piston engine, power delivery is very smooth and progressive, which makes for predictable power and fine control throughout the range. Top speed is governed at 136.7 mph (220 km/h).

Triumph Tiger 1200 XRx Pricing

The 2018 Tiger 1200 XRx and XRx Low carries directly over into MY2019 with a starting MSRP of $18,900 for the Jet Black finish. If Matte Cobalt Blue or Crystal White is more your style, you'll have to shell out $19,150 to get started.

Triumph Tiger 1200 XRx Competitors

Ducati is frequently my go-to manufacturer when I need a competitor for a Tiger, but this time I decided to hit BMW up for its R 1250 GS to see what the Bavarians have to offer against the Tiger 1200 XRx. Much like the British ride, the “GS” has a function-driven form that fits the genre formula to a Tee, but with its own unique aesthetic. I mean, the thing looks German with its aggressive bent and sharp/angular details.

BMW gets off to an early lead in the engine department with a 1,250 cc boxer twin that cranks out 136 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque against the Trumpet's 139/90, and not only does it make more torque, but the torque band is broadened by the ShiftCam feature that rotates the cam relative to the drive gear. Top speed is claimed to be something north of 125 mph.

The electronics suite is more or less on equal terms, though Beemer offers an extra riding mode for a total of five and a larger TFT screen at 6.5 inches. Both rock some sort of hill-start feature that'll hold the rear brake so you can put both feet down for stability on a steep grade. The GS also comes with Beemer's Dynamic Brake Control that is geared for stability in emergency situations, but that's more or less a sidegrade from the cornering ABS on the Tiger. BMW sends the GS out with fixed-variable front suspension and rebound-damping/preload adjusters out back to fall shy of the Tiger again. The GS comes in similar paint schemes plus a rally-style white,red and blue package and a two-tone black finish, and it rolls for $17,695 in a strong finish for the German.

He Said

“Like the rest of the Tiger family, the XRx enjoys some name recognition, and at this price point, a few extra grand probably isn't going to overcome brand loyalty. That said, this is a much better machine than the next model downrange, and offers a lot of bang for the buck. Oh, and let me just say I love the Cobalt Blue; that's a great color and a nice contrast against the blackout and generally dark treatment everywhere else on the bike.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “The Tiger 1200XRx, like the XRt and the XR, is very comfortable. The rider position is neutral and the seat is plush, so it's about as comfortable as sitting in your favorite easy chair. The suspension is quite nice in that it is active all the time, so you don't have diving or squatting. It's just steady and controlled. I like that the XRx has a 'Low' version. Loaded, 1200 XR can be a bit of a handful if you're not at least 5' 10”, which I am not, so having a low-seat version is welcome. The XRx is the middle child of the XR stable, but still under $20k.”

Triumph Tiger 1200 XRx Specifications

Further Reading

BMW R 1250 GS

See our review of the BMW R 1250 GS.

Triumph Tiger 1200 XR

See our review of the Triumph Tiger 1200 XR.

Triumph Tiger 1200 XRt

See our review of the Triumph Tiger 1200 XRt.

Triumph

Read more Triumph news.