Carole Nash Motorcycle Live: Tiger 800 & Speed Triple UK debut

Triumph enters the middleweight adventure class against the definitive BMW F800GS with its first ever bike designed for genuine off road use. The Tiger’s 799cc engine might be derived from the 675 Street Triple but it’s almost all new, including even the crankcases. See it for yourself on stand R730.   

The frame is as typically Triumph as the engine, a twin spar design with paired steel tubes each side running over the top of the engine, but Triumph says this is the toughest frame it’s ever made, essential to deal with the knocks and bashes it’ll take off road. Note the plastic panels on each side of the fuel tank designed to protect more expensive bodywork and components when the bike’s dropped.

You’ll have read the review of the Speed Triple as well as the Tiger in MCN already, but many will be seeing the bike for the first time in the UK at Motorcycle Live. The 1050cc, three-cylinder engine has received some minor attention which has raised the power by 5bhp to 133bhp along with an eight per cent torque increase to a healthy 82lb.ft, but most attention is on the styling, including controversially the deletion of the old bike’s signature circular headlamps. Pictures only say so much, now’s the time with the bike in front of you to decide if this has worked or if Triumph’s got it wrong on this one!

The show runs from 27 November until 5 December – check back later this week for all the news live from the Carole Nash Motorcycle Live 2010.