Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport first ride

We’re riding the mountain roads near Barcelona on the new £9599 Tiger 1050 Sport, Triumph’s adventure-styled sports tourer.

It’s an updated version of the Tiger 1050 that’s been with us since 2007 and has another 10bhp, more torque, more stable steering geometry and better comfort. It has 120 new parts, including new swingarm, wheels, bars, seat and styling.

With all the different genres of bike around now, it’s hard to categorise, but it has a whiff of playful super naked about it, but with a comfy riding position and decent wind protection, although there’s a bit of buffeting from the low-ish screen.

The new gearbox internals make for a slicker change, but the fuelling is slightly snatchy.

ABS aside, there are no fancy electronic riding aids, but the Tiger Sport is no worse for it.

Unlike an adventure bike with dual purpose rubber, I like the Triumph’s road tyres – they give better grip, stability and confidence. In fact, I’m impressed overall and it’s cheaper than the competition.

For me, the best bike in this class is still the slightly more expensive KTM990SMT – it’s the ultimate all-rounder, but the Tiger Sport runs it close.

We’ve got some more riding to enjoy now, so check out my full report in MCN next Wednesday.