Triumph Tiger 800XC first ride - "the bigger, burlier brother"

Phil West is testing the XC adventure version of the Triumph Tiger in Spain and these are his first impressions.

• Triumph Tiger 800 first ride – ‘the ergonomics are spot on’

“Although mechanically it’s the same bike as the 800 road version I rode yesterday the XC version is very much the bigger, burlier brother of the two. The longer travel suspension and bigger front wheel makes it feel much more like a full sized adventure bike, whereas the 800 seems almost a middle weight

“Because of that the Tiger XC seems a much more substantial bike that takes a bit more effort to throw around, but for me at least it makes it somehow more butch and satisfying.

“So far we have done about 100km on road where the lovely 800 Triumph triple engine has come to the fore, we’ve got some off-roading to come but everything gives the impression so far that BMW should be worried.”