Triumph Tiger Trails – Off-Road Training Experience

Next up was a short but fun obstacle, crossing a stream. Here we just stood up, got the Triumph Tiger in first gear and kept good enough momentum to cross through, splashing water and looking all cool in the process. While this seemed easy, it really wasn’t because there were rocks and slush in the water which was making it slippery to cross through. However, the Triumph Tiger is equipped with a host of electronics and I kept my traction control on, so when I was in the stream, I could feel the wheel slipping but the electronics were kicking in to keep things under control.

It’s best to have a light hold on the handlebar in order for the bike to make its own way on a slushy terrain

Post this was the biggest challenge of the day. An almost 400 metres off-road excursion, filled with slush, stones, grass and of course it was raining, so it was wet. Vijay Parmar did it like it was a cake walk, the others not so. One had to turn right and then turn left and gun it all the way up a slope which was all slushy from the start. Thus you had to carry a lot of momentum which seemed difficult as before you turned, the loose mud had already caught you. The trick here is to leave the handlebar loose, most of us tend to hold it tight, thinking we are in control.

So why do you keep your hand loose on the bars, simple, you let the motorcycle take its course. Now by leaving, I don’t mean going hands-free but being a little light with your hold on the handlebars. With most of us not being able to clear this, Triumph closed this route and opened an alternative one to go up the hill. While coming down, one had to be careful because it was very slippery and when you put your foot down, you lose hold on the rear brake so applying the front brake doesn’t really help.

The last obstacle, which was another easy one, was crossing the stream which was slightly deeper than the stream we crossed before. Here again, it was all smooth, first gear, standing up on the pegs, looking far ahead and keeping constant throttle to maintain momentum, you don’t go too fast, neither do you go too slow, the speed has to be just right to do it comfortably. With that done, it was the end of a fun filled adventure day, we not only learned a lot but also put all this in practice.

Triumph is the leader in the adventure motorcycle segment in India, it has sold around 850 Tigers which speaks a lot about the popularity of this bike. Not only is the Triumph Tiger very capable off-road, it is also an apt tourer, munching miles effortlessly, that gives it two very big USPs. Of course, the thing I love the most about this bike, it’s the inline-3 whistle. The 800cc motor gives is terrific performance and that coupled with its off-road abilities, makes it a motorcycle apt for our roads. Triumph is offering training to riders which is a great way for the British brand to cement its leadership in the adventure motorcycle segment.