The places the Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer is showing its 12,200 miles - and where it isn't!

There’s nothing worse than being trapped in a car when you are in riding paradise – which is how a glorious break in the Lake District this month was blighted by a lack of Triumph Tiger 1200. Even my legendary packing skills couldn’t fathom how to get four adults and their luggage onto the big triple.

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• Update one: First impressions of the big Tiger
• Update two: 575-mile trip teaches me about comfort
• Update three: What I learned from the first 6k miles
• Update four: Simple upgrades reap big rewards

But while I was away, so was the Tiger, having its own little spa break where it got to sleep under hot towels with cucumber slices on its headlamp while it enjoyed a 10,000-mile service and a set of new front brake pads.

As a result, the Tiger feels fitter than ever. In addition to the engine and final drive enjoying fresh oil to gargle, that new set of pads up front has returned full bite and power to the Brembo Stylema calipers – and the Triumph feels great on the anchors once again.

Playing the long game

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The last Tiger Explorer I lived with (back in 2013) was looking very, very tired when I gave it back with 16,000 miles on the clock. So, with 12,201 miles showing on the Rally Explorer’s odometer, you might expect there to be some signs of wear showing, and there are – but they’re remarkably minor, and few and far between.

Bear in mind that this bike has been ridden through winter, on and off-road, been axle-deep in mud, and been soaked more times than a carwash floor. So, what’s showing its age? The most obvious – and I’ve mentioned it before – is the exhaust. The end can is okay, but the downpipes really aren’t.

They’re very exposed and visible, making it hard not to see their inglorious patina. If it were my own personal bike, I think I’d be rubbing them back to perfection, then painting them black with high-temp exhaust paint.

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The Tiger looks almost immaculate after a good wash, so they really let it down. As does the sump guard, which looks the same whether it’s dirty or clean. In terms of finishes and paintwork though, it’s holding up remarkably well and suffering none of the original Explorer’s fragilities.

The left footpeg rubber is slowly chewing itself out of existence, gnawed away against its bear-claw mount by persistent gear action and stepping on and off the bike – but it’ll tolerate a bit more nibbling yet. I’m impressed by how well it’s shrugging off hard use. I obviously need to throw more miles at it now.

Connectivity woes fixed?

A sporadic connection between my phone and the dash put me off using the navigation and other connected functionality – but post-service it now appears stable, so I’ll be trying all the functionality I’ve been ignoring!

The stats

• Miles this month: 909
• MPG this month: 46.6mpg
• Costs this month: £132.64 fuel (E5), £250 service (10k), £181 front brake pads
• Miles to next service: 9743 miles (20,000 miles)