Triumph Tiger 850 Sport unveiled, heading to India in February 2021

Triumph Motorcycles has unveiled their latest offering, the Tiger 850 Sport which will replace the premium British manufacturer's entry-level Tiger 900 from the international markets. The variant line-up will now consist of the Tiger 850 Sport, Tiger 900 GT and the Tiger 900 GT Pro when it comes to road-biased versions of the new-gen Tiger 900, whereas the off-road versions will continue to be Tiger 900 Rally and Tiger 900 Rally Pro. Triumph Motorcycles have confirmed the launch of the Tiger 850 Sport in India which is scheduled to take place in February 2021. The UK prices for the Tiger 850 Sport starts at  £9,300 which amounts to Rs 9.17 lakh, excluding the duties and taxes. When launched here, the Tiger 850 Sport's India pricing should be around Rs 12 lakh.

Will the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport replace the Tiger 900 GT in India?

No, it won't. Triumph Motorcycles India presently offers three variants of the Tiger 900 - GT, Rally and Rally Pro. The Tiger 850 Sport will be the range starter when launched in February 2021.

The Tiger 850 Sport looks identical to the Tiger 900, what's the difference?

Triumph has retailed the dimensions and design on the Tiger 850 Sport but to differentiate between the two, the Tiger 850 Sport gets dual-tone colours - graphite and diablo red, graphite and Caspian blue. Also, the Tiger 850 Sport gets a smaller 5-inch TFT instrumentation with lesser layout options and two ride modes.

Triumph is also offering Michelin Anakee Adventure tyres  (19-inch front and 17-inch rear) which are essentially 80/20 road/dirt as compared to the Tourance on the Tiger 900 which are primarily for sport touring.

Underpinnings, the engine of the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport

The highlight of the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport is its engine as it continues to use the 888cc triple that also powers the Tiger 900 but makes a lower power output of 85PS at 8,500rpm and generates 82Nm at 6,500rpm. In comparison, that on the Tiger 900 GT makes 95.2PS at 8,750rpm and 87Nm at 7,250rpm.

The company mentions that this has made the motorcycle more accessible for younger riders, also it helps with the A2 licensing that is applicable in Europe. The six-speed gearbox features slip and assists clutch whereas the two riding modes, Road and Rain, adjust the ride-by-wire throttle response and traction control settings. The traction control is switchable.

The underpinning of the Tiger 850 Sport continues to be the lightweight tubular steel frame with a bolt-on aluminium subframe that is seen on the Tiger 900. The front is Marzocchi 45mm upside down forks while the rear is Marzocchi with manual preload adjustment. The front has a 180mm travel while the rear wheel as 170mm travel. Braking duties are being taken care of by twin 320mm Brembo Stylema 4 piston Monobloc callipers on the front and single 255mm disc at the rear.

Rivals of the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport

The Triumph Tiger 850 Sport will be competing with the BMW F 750 GS. The company believes that in the BMW's line-up, the F 750 GS is a more preferred choice as compared to the F 850 GS when it comes to the combination of performance and specifications options, also considering the pricing of the F 750 GS. The Tiger 850 Sport is said to offer a lot more in terms of performance, features in comparison to the 750 GS. Also, the Tiger 850 Sport will be positioned attractively for greater traction among first-time buyers who are getting their first premium motorcycle, where maximum power and specifications are not the main driving factors behind the purchase decision.