Triumph Motorcycles could be in the process of developing an all-new version of the Tiger 800, and this time it could be more than just a few technical and cosmetic updates. Latest spy shots reveal that Triumph is already testing the updated Tiger 800, and this time there could be significant changes, possibly even a slightly larger and more powerful engine. From the looks of the spy shot, the bike being tested doesn't quite look like an early prototype, so Triumph could well be looking at introducing an all-new middleweight Tiger as early as next year.
The test mule of the new Tiger 800 has a different engine, with a shallower sump, new cases and slightly thicker header pipes. Now, these could well be Triumph's updates to the model for it to meet the upcoming Euro 5 emission regulations, but there could be even more changes, possibly even a brand new engine. Latest reports indicate that Triumph may be looking to plonk a slightly larger 900 cc triple engine on the Tiger, which is expected to make around 100-110 bhp, making it ready to tackle competition.
The bike seen in the spy shot is clearly the off-road oriented XC variant, and it sports the usual 21-inch spoked front wheel, but suspension travel seems to be longer than the current Tiger 800 XC range, and also boosted is the ground clearance, which seems to be more than the current generation bike. The current Tiger 800 also has the rear subframe and pillion pegs bolted on to the frame, so a crash off-road may completely damage the frame. On the test mule though, the rear subframe seems to be bolted on to the main frame, and the pillion footpegs are also removable.
So far, it's not clear when the new model will be available commercially and what its final specs will be. And closer to production, the new Tiger could well see several cosmetic updates as well. Earlier this year, Triumph updated the existing Tiger range, with lots of improvements to the Tiger 800 as well, so an all-new model replacement will take some time, but maybe not that long as well. We expect Triumph to continue testing the bike in the coming months, with an official unveil sometime in 2019, with the bike going on sale in 2020. Expect more buzz and even more spy shots of the new Tiger in the coming months!
