Why don’t you see more Tiger 1200s on the road? Perhaps you do, but we’ve been keeping our eyes peeled while living with Triumph’s flagship adventure bike over the past few months, and we’ve been left baffled at how few we’ve seen on our travels. Of course, we need to take the winter into consideration. Foul weather and short days mean plenty of motorcycles have been tucked up inside. But still, we’ve seen countless big GSs on our travels, but we can count on one hand the number of Tiger 1200s we’ve come across. Our surprise for not seeing more Tiger 1200s in the wild stems from the fact it is an outstanding motorcycle. In fact, it ticks every box if you’re looking for a large-capacity adventure bike that’s designed to cover big distances in comfort. A shaft drive for ease of maintenance: tick. A mile-busting 30l fuel tank: tick. A commanding ‘king-of-the-road’ riding position: tick. A powerful engine that’s both fierce and composed depending on your mood: tick. All the technology and creature comforts you could want or need: tick, tick, tick… But honestly, we can’t think of a feature that the Tiger 1200 GT Explorer we’ve been living with over the winter is missing for someone who enjoys touring on large-capacity adventure bikes. So, if the Tiger is this good, why haven’t we seen more prowling the UK of late? A big reason will be the fact that in price, spec, and performance, its main rival is the BMW R 1300 GS and GSA, two outstanding bikes that are also shaft drive and have maintained an iron grip on big adventure bike sales for years. But the Tiger 1200 is more than a GS alternative. It is a seriously capable motorcycle in its own right from a prestigious manufacturer. It will cross continents in style and comfort, put a huge smile on your face during weekend adventures, and even polish off daily commutes with ease. But, sadly, it’s also a bike we need to give back to Triumph as its loan period is almost over. To those of you who have bought a Tiger 1200, we salute you. You have made an excellent choice. https://www.instagram.com/p/DHs-8P2is3N