Triumph Tiger 1200 - a Step in the Right Direction

The brand new Explorer 1200 is the flagship model of Triumph's Tiger range of adventure bikes. With a 1.2 liter 140 horsepower engine and 1 kW electric generator the bike is perfectly suited to long distance rides in excess of 1000 kilometres per day - and after 14 hours in the saddle, who wants to adjust a dirty greasy drive chain?
That's why Triumph sensibly fitted the Explorer with a shaft drive transmission - a first in the Triumph range of sporty across-the-frame triple cylinder machines. Maybe we can hope that this set-up will eventually trickle down to Triumph's road-oriented touring machines such as the Sprint ST. Hell, even the Speed Triple/Street Triple range would benefit from Shaft Drive - while they are fast motorcycles they hardly are race bred sports machines where chain drive would offer a real benefit.

official photo by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd