Triumph Tiger 800 XCX 2020 — Specifications

Of course we looked at the map! We mostly turned when we shouldn't have and ended up lost at the bottom of the valley. The GPS is, of course, in the pocket of the jacket... the one we left at home. Everything is therefore shaping up for the best because just ahead, the departmental road disappears to face a good old forest road. The perfect excuse to stretch the legs of the 800 Tiger XCx.

That’s the Tiger mid-size’s thing. For a good few years, it has let the XR play on the road while preparing for more countryside excursions. However, being largely technically aligned, the XCx also benefits from a whole series of improvements. On the engine side, with quite a few parts changed to make it more responsive. Add to that a shorter first gear and a new exhaust with revised sound.

Triumph has raised the level of finish and improved some peripherals. WP still handles the suspension, and that’s a good thing. The brand knows the field, especially in off-road. On the brakes, the 800 Tiger is equipped with Brembo. But it’s on the cockpit that the changes are most striking. A new 5-position adjustable bubble overlooks a 5-inch color TFT screen. This screen brings a surplus of high-tech to an already serious equipment list. It can display various types of displays and is controlled from the handlebar with a 5-position joystick. The Tiger XCx is still monitored by a switchable traction control and ABS. But where the electronic fairy adds a layer is on the driving modes. From three, we go to five, including an Off-Road Pro mode – to play with manual control by deactivating a maximum of assistance. Tremble, oh dusty paths. This gives us a final configuration of Off-Road Pro, Road, Rain, Off-Road and Sport. The cruise control, as standard, has been revised. As has the more upright riding position due to a handlebar that moves closer by 10 mm.

Since the XR, the XC continues its difference with spoked wheels and a larger 21-inch front wheel. The duckbill affirms an all-terrain side and the suspensions benefit from a much greater travel. Let's go back to the standard equipment. The beautiful package justifies the premium price but also makes the accessory radius quite distant. The Tiger 800 XCx offers, in addition to what has been cited, a seat height, a handlebar and adjustable suspensions, heated grips, handguards, an aluminum engine guard, engine protection bars, two power outlets (12V and USB), a pair of deflectors around the bubble, comfort stitched seats and an indescribable desire for wild camping.

Facing and confronting the designated German rival, the English sets the bar high and encourages you to try for even more equipment. Far from being essential but inevitably attracting, the Tiger has reserved its LED whiskers, its backlit switches and an additional driving mode for the over-equipped XCa version. Let's already leave the forest and we'll see after – the road promises to be all sorts of fun; the tiger is waiting to unleash its claws.

This 800 will also have to pass the baton to its 900 Rally descendant, with which it will coexist in the catalog for some time.

M.B - Photos constructeur