Cycle News Staff | January 21, 2020
Triumph has announced two new special-edition Tiger 1200s, the Tiger 1200 Desert edition and the Tiger 1200 Alpine edition.
These 2020 Tigers come with special paint schemes and are preloaded with equipment, such as Arrow titanium silencers, Triumph Shift Assist, Triumph semi-active suspension (TSAS), Brembo Monobloc brakes, and adjustable seat heights.
Triumph says each Tiger took inspiration from thrilling motorcycle adventures:
- Tiger 1200 Desert Edition – Inspired by epic adventures taken across the most inhospitable deserts in the world, from the Sahara to the Kalahari and beyond.
- Tiger 1200 Alpine Edition – Inspired by the epic alpine adventures riders have made across one of the world’ most breathtakingly beautiful mountain ranges.
They have a special-edition “Sandstorm” paint with SE (special edition) radiator badges. The Tiger 1200 Desert has “Desert Edition” graphics and the Tiger 1200 Alpine has “Snowdonia White”graphics.
Both have Triumph’s 1215cc shaft-driven triple engine, delivering a claimed peak power of 139 hp at 9350 rpm, maximum torque of 90 ft.-lbs. at 7600 rpm.
Triumph tech on the Tigers includes Triumph Shift Assist, adjustable full-color TFT instruments, optimized cornering ABS and traction control, selectable riding modes (four on the Alpine and five on the Desert), all LED lighting, illuminated buttons, keyless ignition, cruise control, electrically adjustable windscreen, heated grips and multiple power sockets.
Triumph Shift Assist helps give the Tigers seamless clutchless up and down gearshifts.
Both of the new Tiger 1200s come with a lightweight Arrow titanium silencer.
Triumph’s ABS and Traction Control automatically selects the appropriate level of ABS and Traction Control intervention by constantly measuring roll, pitch, yaw and acceleration rates, in order to calculate the lean angle.
Both Tigers have keyless ignition and cruise control.
Triumph Semi-Active Suspension (TSAS) features WP suspension, adjustable damping for front and rear. The TSAS also automatically adapts the RSU preload settings to maintain optimal ride height for different rider sizes and payloads. There are two TSAS modes: Auto / Off-Road.
The duo of Tigers both have heated grips and three power sockets, including a USB socket under the seat, plus an electrically adjustable touring windscreen. The seat height on both is 33.7, but it can be lowered to 32.9 inches to suit rider preference or terrain.
The windscreen is electronically adjustable.
The 2020 Tiger 1200 Alpine Edition has four riding modes (Rain, Road, Off-Road, and Sport) and the 2020 Tiger 1200 Desert Edition has five: Rain, Road, Off-Road, Off-Road PRO, and Sport.
Activating the riding modes adjusts throttle response, ABS and Traction Control settings for each riding conditions. The Off-Road PRO riding mode is Triumph’s most extreme off-road set-up for advanced off-road adventure, with ABS and Traction Control turned off, and an off-road throttle map.
The Off-Road PRO riding mode on the Desert has off-road throttle mapping and shuts off ABS and Traction Control.
2020 Triumph Tiger 1200 Desert and Tiger 1200 Alpine Specifications
| Engine Type |
Liquid-cooled, 12 valve, DOHC, inline 3-cylinder |
| Capacity |
1215 cc |
| Bore/Stroke |
3.35 in (85mm) / 2.81 in (71.4mm) |
| Compression Ratio |
11.0:1 |
| Maximum Power (Claimed) |
141 Hp (104 kW) at 9350 rpm |
| Maximum Torque (Claimed) |
90 ft.-lbs. (122 Nm) at 7600 rpm |
| Fuel System |
Ride by Wire, fuel injection |
| Exhaust |
3 into 1 header system, Arrow titanium silencer with carbon-fiber end cap, side mounted |
| Final drive |
Shaft drive |
| Clutch |
Wet, multi-plate hydraulically operated, torque assist |
| Gearbox |
6-speed |
| Frame |
Tubular steel trellis frame |
| Swingarm |
Single-sided, cast aluminum alloy with shaft drive |
Front Wheel (ALPINE)
|
Cast aluminum alloy 10-spoke 19 x 3.0 in |
| Front Wheel (DESERT) |
32-spoke, aluminum rim, for tubeless tires 19 x 3.0 in |
| Rear Wheel (ALPINE) |
Cast aluminum alloy 10-spoke 17 x 4.5 in |
| Rear Wheel (DESERT) |
32-spoke, aluminum rim, for tubeless tires 17 x 4.5 in |
| Front Tire |
120/70 R19 |
| Rear Tire |
170/60 R17 |
| Front Suspension |
WP 48 mm upside down forks, electronically adjustable damping, 7.48 in. (190mm) travel |
| Rear Suspension |
WP monoshock, electronically adjustable semi active damping with automatic preload adjustment, 7.6 in. (193mm) wheel travel |
| Front Brakes |
Twin 305mm floating discs, radially mounted monobloc Brembo 4-piston calipers, switchable ABS |
| Rear Brakes |
Single 282mm disc, Nissin 2-piston sliding caliper, switchable ABS |
| Instrumentation |
TFT multi-functional instrument pack with digital speedometer, trip computer, digital tachometer, gear position indicator, fuel gauge, service indicator, ambient temperature, clock and Riding Modes. |
| Handlebar Width |
32.68 in. |
| Height Without Mirrors |
57.87 in. |
| Seat Height |
Adjustable to 32.9-33.7 in. |
| Wheelbase |
59.84 in. |
| Rake |
23.2 º |
| Trail |
99.9mm / 3.93 in |
| Dry Weight (Claimed) |
534 lbs. |
| Tank Capacity |
5.28 gallons |
| Fuel Consumption (Claimed) |
54.3 mpg |
| CO2 Emissions |
122 g/km |
Click here to see the 2020 Triumph Tiger 1200 Desert and Tiger 1200 Alpine Specifications
