Triumph Tiger 900 Rally PRO | Long distance review

Join me on a 5 hour roadtrip to the West coast of Wales, where we take the Triumph Tiger 90 Rally Pro loaded with luggage and see what it's made of.
Tried and tested off road, but what's it like to live with?

[@guywolff]

In 1970 as a young American potter I took an aprenticship at a pottery in Haverfordwest and promptly got my UK A licance on a 1968 Bonneville 650 I bought at Llawhaden ...So the roads of North Pembrookshire and Southern Cardiganshire were the lanes I learned to ride on ..(There was a particularly great Italian Ice Cream shop in Cardigan) .... Thanks for showing me the lanes are very much the same ... I still have a red pendragon on my STreet Scrambler's gas tank here in New England ... I remember one November evening noticing a rather thick cloud of fog over the valleys nr Fishgard and realizing my Belstaff gear was covered with ice (and so was the road ) ..The roads are amazing and the weather is somthing to respect :) Thanks for the clip , Yours Guy

[@Willieswheels]

Guy, that sounds like a wonderful time to be riding. Thank you for sharing your experience, would love to go back there on my old Bonnie this summer (not covered in ice 😉)

[@chas4life]

Mine is a 2021 RP and I have 22K miles on it so far. But a fair bit of adventuring. It is... in my opinion, my favorite bike I've ever owned. It's just "Classy". It's not perfect, but it is so so capable of so many adventures and she's taken me on the best of my life. Even now, I'm considering some minor upgrades but TBH it has not kept me from the travels I wished to take up top this point. I can't see ever parting with this bike. She's a keeper.

[@a68war]

Call us wise young man, I've had all the Hayabusa's and Blackbird's and now at 54 love my Tiger 900 GT Pro:-)

[@gerrywilson4588]

Same here buddy comes with age..brilliant bike..

[@kee7678]

Weighted bar ends, soft grips and anti vibration riser, and different tires.... GONE. I agree with you 100% however on the...more road biased GT, (or 1200 GT) and more off road biased Rally Pro. I live in SoCal and will go anywhere including ALL OVER Baja Mexico and back, and this 900 Rally Pro is simply the best option for every and any road going anywhere.

[@Willieswheels]

Totally agree! It seems like a brilliant all rounder, but the vibes on longer journeys was quite surprising - I’d hope with your recommended mods it’d be a touring dream too. Thanks for the comment! I’m taking the GT Pro out to south of France this month, so we’ll see how that is on a longer stint.

[@kee7678]

@@Willieswheels So jealous!!! Enjoy!!

[@orangelion03]

Fellow SoCal rider here, Ventura County. 10 years on GS/GSAs. The Tiger appealed to me for numerous reasons (weight, performance, and previously owned 955 Daytona) Bought a very slightly used and well farkled Rally Pro in Mid-November. I had ridden a Tiger twice previously but only short dealer test rides. After putting 400 miles on it in the days after I got it, I'm disappointed and thinking about selling it. Performance is excellent, quick, handles nice, etc., and the short bit of two track I did on it the bike felt a LOT lighter than it is. But...that vibration...at 75 or so my hands go numb and my Toucan shod feet start feeling thick after an hour or so. Bike has AX41s on it, but a quick pull of the clutch at speed, the vibes stop as the RPM drop, so not the tires. I ordered the Barkbuster weights and Grip Buddies so hoping those might help. What anti-vibe risers are you using? Foot pegs? (if I keep it, want to replace the Pivot Pegz that are on it now). I have no issue with the ergos, 6' tall with x-long arms, but the Barkbusters come way too close to the TFT at full lock for my comfort, and they actually interfere with the wind wings when I rotate the bars up slightly for my preferred off-road position, so the right risers might help there as well. The seat is not great, but if I keep the bike, the saddle goes to BMS for a custom fit.

[@kee7678]

@@orangelion03 wow cool. I ALMOST bought a very slightly used Rally Pro in LA last month. I'm also 6-0 and am gettig same pegs you have. Grip Puppies..$15 Amazon will help and Hepco and Becker hand guards are better than the Bark Busters...service told me that and I agree now. Also..I think that triple there is some inherent vibes at high speed certain RPM range. I might get a new seat eventually also but...when I tour I use the AirHawk cushion thing is amazing. Seriously.

[@orangelion03]

@@kee7678 So no risers? I do still have an Airhawk I used when touring on my Bandit 1200, I'll try that. Will also try a sheepskin I used on my GS in summer. Caution with those H-B guards. Took an off-road training class last year, one of the other students had those on his green/white TRP and the right one folded when he fell while doing low speed drills on hard pack; broke the plastic OEM part, but it did prevent damage to the lever.

[@tealbunny]

Road tested one today and it was very balanced and nimble. It’s a 21 pro with low mileage. Turned 60!this year and been riding a v85 for the last 3 years adventure camping the PNW and to AK. This bike is something else a true adventure touring motorcycle with a proper suspension and plenty of power. GT PRO for me.

[@Willieswheels]

Ooh lovely! How did you find the V85? I’ve always been intrigued by them.

[@defylifeadventure]

I gave up sports bikes in the UK in my 20s. Made no sense in the UK. Roads were poor and the traffic bad. Don't think anything has gotten better. Moved to ADV bikes and never looked back. Opened up way more touring opportunities too. Such as the 6 month tour I did around South America across all kinds of road/off road surfaces. The problem with the Tiger 900 is that it was designed to be a BMW 850gs killer, but KTM came along with the 790/890 adventure and completely moved the goalposts at the higher end of the market (and now along with Ducati). Yamaha moved the goal posts at the lower end of the market with the T700. The Tiger competes well considering, but it will be interesting to see what Triumph comes it with next given how the competition has changed the market.

[@Willieswheels]

Couldn’t agree more! Nowadays you can get great performance from adv bikes and also long distance comfort & luggage, pillion options etc. I reckon the next generation of middle weight adventure bikes will be something else.

[@chrischart]

Still defrosting from a ride on my Bobber earlier and it wasn’t even that cold - I seem to have aged a lot since owning it 😂 I’ve gone from loud pipes and mini apes to perving on these with heated everything and wind protection. Booking in for a test ride on this and an F850GS asap ! Great vid man. Subbed.

[@Willieswheels]

Thanks Chris! I totally agree with you there. I’ve saved a bunch of 1200GS listings which feels like a dangerous place to be! Let me know how the test ride goes and thanks for the kind words man 🤘🏼

[@lonelybikr]

I'll be adding a 2023 tiger 900 to my small collection of toys in two months. It's winter here but I am so excited to take delivery. Such a sharp looking bike that will be much more comfortable than my 2015 monster 1200 with no windscreen or heated luxury.

[@Willieswheels]

Oh yes, congrats! That’ll be a huge change and upgrade for you. I’ve just changed from a Sportster to scrambler 1200 XE and can ride in any weather now thanks to more protection / heated grips. It’s a dream! Enjoy the ride.

[@ianross225]

I rode one of these last week and had the same experience on the riding position. I was canted forward and the bars don’t have much rearward sweep which, after and hour, was noticeable on my wrists. I rode one in the States in the summer and it was fine for me but it had bar risers giving 45 degrees up and back. It made all the difference. And I got numb bum too. My Africa Twin is very relaxed by comparison but the handling is nothing like as planted as the Tiger and it’s more work to steer.

[@Willieswheels]

Totally agree, great that you found some tweaks helped! I was really impressed with how sure footed and nimble the Tiger felt

[@BuckyUSA]

That matte sandstorm color is sweet, reminds me of the multistrada.

[@Willieswheels]

It’s my favourite for sure! 🙏🏼

[@orangelion03]

It's not the tires Willie. I bought a low-mile 2021 T900RP on November 19th. Put 400 miles on it over two days the following week. Barely enough miles to figure out the switchgear. Loved the performance, quick-shifter, cruise, handling (after some adjustments), general ergos fit me well enough, but the vibrations are intolerable for me at anything close to highway speed. Numb hands after 10-15 minutes, feet tingling after a half hour (I could attribute some of that to aftermarket Pivot Pegz, but I was wearing Toucan heavy boots). I'll probably be listing it for sale after the holidays. FWIW, I'm coming off BMWs, and have spent a few days on an Africa Twin, but I also owned a couple of 955 Trumpets that did not buzz like this thing does. Extremely disappointed as I thought the Tiger would be my unicorn...something a bit lighter that my BMWs and a little sportier than the AT.

[@Willieswheels]

Sorry you’ve had a bad experience. Quite a few people recommended some mods to the bar to quieten down the vibes at higher speeds. I also was quite surprised!

[@orangelion03]

@@Willieswheels I've kept the bike, it's just too damn fun!* I tried a set of Rox damped risers and they didn't work well enough to justify the compromises to my ergonomics. Grip Buddies and Barkbuster bar end weights helped a bit, and I'm just going to have to get used to the vibes. Have not had the opportunity to ride more than 300 or so miles on separate day rides, so have not experienced a long multi-day trip yet. I can say that my bottom tolerates about 200 miles on the stock seat, and a few dozen more if I use a fleece...custom seat is in the plans before spring. *so much fun with that quick shifter, that I am constantly accelerating hard, and have worn out the brand new AX41 rear that came with the bike after just over 1000 miles.

[@MrAndrew1953]

Brilliant. The only bike I can think that would rival the Triumph for me, would be the Moto Guzzi 85tt with its shaft drive /twin pots. Spending the extra cash is worth in terms of the extra use you get out of the bike in cold weather. Heated grips and seat are essential on long trips,especially the longer you get in the tooth 🦷.

[@Willieswheels]

Cant do without heated grips now I’ve experienced them! Essential for a practical bike

[@masteroutlier]

the leg toaster feels good in the UK. Who would have guessed?

[@joshpilsbury]

Absolutely quality mate. You are a natural.

[@Willieswheels]

Thanks Josh! Let's do one together soon man

[@joshpilsbury]

@Willies Wheels all over this mate let’s do it!!

[@Khevyn360]

Tks for this video, I'm from Brazil and I got a tiger with the exactly amazing color. Could you share what cellphone support are you using? Tks

[@Willieswheels]

Oi! Moito obrigado meu amigo 🙏🏼 parabéns! Eu usei uma Quadlock mount. Com wireless charger

[@DaleMt09sp]

I went out and bought a 2018 tiger 800xca when I passed and it’s hard to pick fault with the bike it has none of the vibey or comfort issues of the newer model was riding rather spiritedly around the peak Sunday and I’d be hard pressed to find a better bike to do it on

[@Willieswheels]

Nice one! Epic first bike you’ve got there

[@DaleMt09sp]

@@Willieswheels coming off the z650 I passed on it feels like a Bentley 😂

[@AshwinNoel02]

Sick video Will!

[@Willieswheels]

Legend! Thanks so much

[@fjeewani]

What is the make and size of the rear storage tank ? Can you please post a link to that ? I like it .

[@Willieswheels]

I believe it’s the triumph pannier case, part of the set.

[@golfncars5094]

Nice review I’ve been split between this and the vstrom

[@Willieswheels]

Thanks! I haven’t ridden a Vstrom but if aesthetics plays a part I’d say the Triumph is a clear winner here, it’s a beautiful bike

[@70DMac]

A simple set of bar risers will solve that problem with your hands in no time. Costs less than 80 bucks and 15 to 20 minutes to install.

[@Willieswheels]

Good to know mate!

[@ianross225]

I got the same vibration irritation as you. It’s the engine for sure. Tyres wouldn’t do that at higher speeds. Along with the riding position it put me off. The Africa Twin has it’s issues but it’s a comfy place to be especially on dull motorways. I love GS/GSAs but too wide for traffic and build quality has steadily deteriorated along with customer service. I speak from experience hence the change to Honda and the world of DCT. Jealous of your ride which looked epic!

[@Willieswheels]

It was an epic journey. Must say I am nitpicking with the seating position but it was noticeably annoying within an hour of riding so I think some bar mods would be in order. Then again, it’s the rally pro not the GT so I’ll reserve judgement for the France trip on the GT to see if that’s just the way better option for touring.

[@indraska4659]

Put Barkbusters with end weights on, vibrations gone till 205 km/h

[@orangelion03]

Just bought a Tiger RP and was stunned by how bad the vibrations are at highway speeds (well, at anything over 3500 RPM to be honest). I had a few test rides before, but not long enough to get the full effect. I'm coming off 10 years of GS/GSA so maybe I'm spoiled. BTW, I never thought the Geezers as too wide...many of my miles were lane splitting through Los Angeles traffic (though my 17 GSA FEELS massive =D). I'm probably going to an Africa Twin...have ridden a friend's for extended periods and it's a comfortable tourer once you get the seat sorted.

[@ianross225]

@@orangelion03 Ironically I’ve just sold my ATAS DCT for a KTM 890 Adventure. Light, much smoother, more planted, way better brakes and exceptionally good economy. The ATAS was too big, too heavy, vague steering, and generally hard work to ride in traffic. My town riding is on very narrow and poor quality streets hence where the GSA was too wide. Good luck!

[@orangelion03]

@@indraska4659 My bike came with Barkbusters, and I ordered the weights in hope it helps tame the vibes. Your comment is encouraging. Thanks! BTW, have you checked the clearance between Barkbuster and TFT at full lock? I slightly recontoured the bends of the buster bars to add a little extra.

[@jamesfairmind2247]

Now imagine having 106 bhp over that 93 bhp with more torque, more comfortable seat and better aerodynamics and you have the 2024 version. Frankly most people would be much better off getting the GT Pro with its 19 inch front wheel instead of fantasising that they are going to take the Rally Pro off-road.

[@Willieswheels]

Totally agree. It’s hardest to take your own bike off-road especially when it runs over 15k new 😩

[@jamesfairmind2247]

@@Willieswheels Plus a 21 inch front wheel on an big adventure bike, as a opposed to a light dirt bike , is of very little advantage in comparison to the substantial disadvantage it creates on the road. I am going to buy a 2024 GTPro and I will source a 19 wire Akront front (from Moto Guzzi or Ducati) and put the 17 Rally Pro Akront on the back for certain semi offroad adventures.

[@Ve8g]

Hello, how tall are you ? I'm 1,76 meter. Do you think I'll be comfortable, even with a passenger?

[@Willieswheels]

I’m 184. I think you’d be great, you can get a lower seat I believe for standing at lights, on the move you’ll be fine as the pegs are nice and high.

[@MordDorr]

Why is it that every UK video I watch, its either raining or had just rained haha

[@Willieswheels]

…. It’s the UK 😂

[@richardgiles2484]

Lovely bike 😂 I'd be careful about putting your speed and riding style on KZbin mind 😂😂

[@Willieswheels]

Pretty tame to most of the shorts KZbin are pushing me it would seem! But point taken 😊

[@maximilijan77]

Is that a new color? I have green version rally pro.

[@Willieswheels]

Congrats on the ride! It’s a great bike. This is the sandstorm colour.

[@jacob14163]

What gloves are you wearing?

[@Willieswheels]

Helstons condor, got mine from urban rider I think! Nice gloves, perfect for summer as they’re light & the phone touch still works great after 2 years.

[@garymills660]

What phone holder do u have on that.

[@Willieswheels]

Quadlock with vibration mount & wireless charger. Works a dream!

[@martyn_g]

People have toured on a C90;) you tour on anything if you want to….

[@jblue1299]

Are your arms stretched out too far ?

[@Willieswheels]

They’re not over extended but I felt my weight is shifted forward onto the bars a little too much putting pressure on palms & wrist so wasn’t super comfortable after a few hours

[@jblue1299]

@@Willieswheels , I am experiencing the same on my Rally 900, not sure what to do about it, even thought of selling!

[@Willieswheels]

@@jblue1299 I’d look into some bar risers or some other mods recommended below by another commenter before selling! It’s an awesome bike

[@jblue1299]

@@Willieswheels , yeah, thanks, I did put risers on it but something still seems off, I made a rotation adjustment to the handlebar, will ride tomorrow and see if that helps ..