The first place I took the Tiger was ... the gravel of course ! I ’ d say it ’ s very easy to ride off road ( although I would like to see how much better it would be with 50 / 50 tyres on ). The suspension is fantastic ; the ride is smooth even over lumps and washouts on the gravel . The weight difference is a big factor for the handling ability of the Rally Pro . It ’ s very noticeable between the Rally Pro and my Tiger 1200 . The engine has a change in the torque curve which makes a big difference for off road riding . There ’ s smooth and effortless acceleration from 1200rpm up . The road handling had me curious as I wasn ’ t sure how the handling would be with the 21-inch front wheel and soft suspension , so I took a road trip up to Opononi through the forest , with plenty
of tight corners to test it out . Wow , just wow ! I was very impressed with the handling , those Brembo brakes were fantastic , the quickshift was a pleasure to use , just super-smooth . I could rave on about this bike after my month on it riding tarmac , gravel and a little offroad . It has so much more potential with the right tyres and it is so easy to ride . Will I be looking at changing to the 900 ? Most definitely . I ’ d like to say a big thank you to Triumph New Zealand and Kiwi Rider Magazine for making this happen .
100 KIWI RIDER