2015 Triumph Tiger 800 Xc
Ignition
HUSQVARNA FE 501 S -> KTM 690 ENDURO -> ALPINESTARS TECH-AIR STREET
THE RIDE STARTS HERE
FOUR VERSIONS: Triumph’s Tiger 800 will come in XCx, XC, XRx, and XR versions. That little “x" designation means gets you considerably more standard features. It’s worth every penny.
2015 TRIUMPH TIGER 800 XC
CW FIRST RIDE
BY THE NUMBERS
17
PERCENT: Improvement in claimed fuel economy, compared to cur rent Tiger 800. Range on a full tank is extended by 50 miles.
36
SETTINGS: Max number of settings that can be selected via the 800 XE's customizable ride mode and its TC, ABS, and Throttle maps.
95
PS: Metric horsepower maintained to keep the Tiger legal in coun tries with output limits. That's equal to 93.6 US horsepower.
New electronics make Triumph’s middleweight ADVs much better in the dirt
Blake Conner
It's amazing that more companies aren't building middleweight ADV machines. Currently, only Triumph and BMW (F800GS) have completely modern versions in their lineups. Bigger is not always better, especially off the beaten path.
Triumph’s Tiger 800 XC has impressed us over the years, particularly with its street chops, one of the main things that helped it win a Ten Best award in 2011. Any complaints with the smaller Tiger have focused on the bike’s off-road abilities. But as an adventure-tourer used primarily on the street, the Tiger is awesome.
Even so, the ADV class has been maturing at a quick clip lately, as KTM and BMW have pushed the technological boundaries with advanced traction control (enabled by ride-by-wire throttle control) and the latest ABS. These bikes are significantly better than they were just a couple of years ago, and Triumph was beginning to fall behind.
Now, though, for 2015, Triumph’s four Tiger 800 models have made up some serious ground on their Austrian and German competition. The lineup begins with a pair of cast-wheel, roadoriented models dubbed 800 XR and the higher-end 800 XRx. The more offhighway-friendly (wire-spoke wheels) XC will also be available as the featurepacked XCx model. We’ll focus on the XC varieties here.
Both the XC and XCx include switchable ABS and traction control as standard. On the base XC, the rider is able to switch both of these functions off. On the more featureladen x model, there are multiple options: Traction control can be set to Road, Off-Road, or Off, and the four available throttle maps include Rain, Road, Sport, and Off-Road. Further, three riding modes can be selected:
The Road setting automatically sets ABS, TC, and the throttle maps for best street performance; the OffRoad setting switches the same three parameters so they are suited to when you leave the tarmac; the third is customizable. Triumph makes it easy for the rider to switch modes when riding on frequently changing surfaces. All x models also have standard cruise control.
As for features, the XC is fitted with the aforementioned wire-spoke wheels (17-inch rear, 21-inch front), a highlevel front fender, fully adjustable WP
suspension front and rear (Showa on the XR), a trip computer, radiator guard, sump guard, hazard lights, adjustable levers, and a 12-volt power socket. The XCx adds engine protection bars, an advanced trip computer, the previously mentioned Road and Off-Road riding modes, auto-cancel turn signals, cruise control, centerstand, hand guards, aluminum sump guard, and a second 12-volt power socket.
At the international press introduction in Marbella, Spain, the first thing I did on the 2015 Tiger 800 XCx was head
for some dirt roads to get a quick taste of the new electronics package and its functionality. I immediately noticed the improved fueling of the ride-by-wire throttle. On our brief dirt-road foray, I toggled the bike between the default OffRoad setting and a Rider mode that I set up with zero TC intervention, Off-Road ABS, and Sport throttle setting.
For pure entertainment, my custom setting was awesome. It allowed me to hang the rear end out aggressively, but the Off-Road setting allowed a decent amount of rear-wheel slip as well. Despite not having lean-angle-sensitive TC/ABS à la KTM, the Tiger does a good job of managing traction, both on the gas and on the brakes. The Off-Road ABS permits the rear wheel to be locked completely for better control in the dirt, while allowing effective braking from the front without locking up or extending stopping distance dramatically. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s on the same level as BMW’s or KTM’s Bosch ABS systems, but it’s a big improvement over the previous Tiger.
On road, fueling was impressive.
The throttle never felt overly sensitive, and the on/off throttle transitions were smooth midcorner, helping to keep the Tiger settled. Also, the gearbox shifted more smoothly than on the last Tiger 8001 rode. Power output remains the same as before (95 PS, or 93.6 hp), to maintain compliance in European countries with horsepower limits), but we’ve never complained about the torquerich delivery or awesome exhaust wail. And Triumph tells us that modifications to the tractable three-cylinder have improved fuel efficiency by 17 percent, which means range has been extended by around 50 miles. It’s further claimed that this is now the lowest-emissions triple the company produces.
The Tiger 800 has always been an excellent middleweight adventure bike—as long as you stuck to the pavement. But the new electronics package has dramatically upped the XC’s dirt game without stealing any of the asphalt sporting chops the bike has always had. Fill
TRIUMPH TIGER 800 XC
ENGINE TYPE liquid-cooled DOHE 12-valve triple
DISPLACEMENT 800cc
SEAT HEIGHT 33.1 in./33.9 in.
FUEL CAPACITY I 5.0 gal.
CLAIMED WET WEIGHT 481 lb.
PRICE $12,399
