Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro Review | Motorcycle Test

Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro Review

Test by Wayne Vickers

The middleweight adventure platform has been good to Triumph. I jumped on board a Tiger 800 XC back in 2013 and have had it as my personal workhorse ever since.

Back then the XC was the more off-road variant, which in 2024 translates to the Rally Pro versions. The more dirt-capable side of the line-up has always been my preference, favouring the ability to get rowdy in the bush and take on some more serious adventures. I think I’ve largely overlooked the more ‘all-roads’ version, until lately.

The Hinckley mob made some healthy updates to the Tiger back in 2020, bumping it up to 900 (888 cc actually) and have sold 45,000 units since then. It’s arguably doing well. And so it should. These new 2024 updates are the biggest since the bump up to 900.

Triumph’s approach and ethos to the update was very similar to their effort on the much improved 2023 Tiger 1200. They simply wanted ‘more’. More power, capability, comfort and attitude. They realise that we riders are both needy and greedy. I am definitely speaking for myself there…

As with the updated 1200, I think they’ve managed to tick all of those boxes.

The glorious T-Plane triple engine gets a major update. New pistons, head, inlet and exhaust porting. New cam and intake all boost peak hump to a healthy 106.5 hp and 90 Nm. A solid increase, particularly in power. That T-Plane crank is in effect a cross plane and makes the engine behave more like a twin down low, transitioning back to more of a triple feel as the revs rise.

It’s an engineering thing of beauty. The dyno curve showed a lovely flat output that no longer tails off up top compared to the last iteration – and now genuinely gives the best of both worlds. Those being the low-down grunt of a twin and enough top end or what almost feels like an over-rev.

It’s a belter of an engine. One of my favourites. So much character down low and this update has brought back the top end that the first iteration of the T-Plane dulled a little in favour of tractability. The fact they’ve managed to do that without losing that tractability deserves full credit. It’s beautifully fuelled – lugs eagerly from idle and the throttle feel is buttery smooth.

A new exhaust and muffler also lets out a beefier note which sounds brilliant – especially down the low- and mid-range and at lower speeds before your helmet wind noise starts to take over. Listening to the other bikes on the Aussie launch come growling and howling towards you through the hills put a smile on my dial.

Weight is largely unchanged at 220 kg wet, but bear in mind it comes with a healthy 20 litre tank which puts fuel range comfortably past 400 km for normal riding. Closer to 450 if you’re gentle with the right mitt.

On the go that weight is hidden. Even walking it around in the parking lot the bike is reasonably light on its feet, rolling around easily on a cast-alloy 19-inch front and 17-inch rear.

The Tiger line-up has been thankfully simplified now back to three models. The GT, the base all-road version, and the GT Pro we tested that gets some additional fruit by way of:

• Electronic rear suspension (adjustable for both pre-load and damping via the dash).
• Bi-directional quick-shifter – although Triumph call it Shift-Assist.
• Centre Stand.
• Heated seats (to go song with the heated grips in the base model).
• Tyre Pressure monitoring.
• LED Auxiliary lighting and a fifth, customisable ‘rider’ mode.

And then there is the Rally Pro variant with 40 mm longer suspension, wire spoked wheels, some engine protection and bash-plate goodies and an additional off-road rider mode. So they have all bases covered. By the time you read this we’ll have been testing the Rally Pro too, so that review won’t be far away…

The Tiger 900 GT is a comfortable bike. The seat feels slightly firmer compared to the previous one and I think it is better for it. The seat shape feels different too, a little less like you’re sitting down into it than the last model. We had no issue after a big day of nearly eight hours on and off the bikes.

Seat height is a usable 840 mm which can be lowered 20 mm in seconds by dropping the seat into a lower position to give the ‘inseam challenged’ a little more confidence.

Nice wide bars with good quality controls and switchgear. In fact, why can’t every manufacturer have a cruise control that’s as intuitive as Triumph’s? No slide to unlock or press and hold this way to activate it, just press to activate and again to set the speed. Simples.

The dash design has also had an update from what was a bit of a pet hate of mine on the last one, with it being overly busy and a bit naff. Now, it has a lovely interface and system from the 1200s. And I rate it. It does take a few seconds to wake up when you first turn it on. And some of the transitions between screens could be quicker and smoother, but I’ll forgive that as I look down on that pretty display.

There is a standard bunch of ride modes (five actually – Rain, Road, Sport, Off-road and Rider) on the GT Pro – all customisable in terms of ABS, Engine Map and TC. You will have to stop to jump into a mode that has TC set to off, otherwise everything else can be tweaked on the fly.

I found the Road map, as opposed to Sport, to be most to my liking for on road. It’s just so damn smooth. Both the throttle and the box. Power is unchanged apparently relative to Sport, just a softening of the throttle.

And yes, TC needs to be off in order to loft the front which meant I ran it in off-road mode a lot of the time. Which is also a damn fine thing. Weelies rather nicely actually… if that’s your thing. Nice balance point. I had to test that thoroughly. And repeatedly.

Nice balance from a handling perspective too. Really nice. And there is more than enough room for tweaking the setup to find exactly what you’re looking for, be it adjusting the rear electronic suspension, the front traditional suspension, the seat height or rolling those bars into your preferred position.

I opted to have the electronic rear suspension pre-load set to pillion just to give a little extra feel on the front which worked a treat. I then firmed up the clickers a smidge on the front to take out some of the dive under braking. Lots of change felt from some clicker adjustments too which is always a good sign. You’ll no doubt find a setting that floats your boat.

I ended up with a bike that was super compliant over bumps, happy to roll onto its side and still more than able to get funky, especially on corner exit. Think second and third-gear gentle slides as I was getting hard on the gas. Confidence inspiring? You bet.

Heaps of feedback and feel, masses of it. It still felt a little heavy on corner entry until I dialled up the front a little, but the blend of comfort and performance is bang on for our Aussie roads.

That word composed comes to mind. Soaking up hits, holes, ripples and surface changes and laughing them off. Just super well balanced and controlled.

I found myself deliberately running tight on tight left-handers, to see how it would react to the corrugation line caused by the inside wheels of trucks. Aiming for little patches of gravel to see how it would respond.

Nothing upset the Tiger 900 GT Pro. Super impressive. And the great part about these bikes is that they’re just as happy out in the hills as they are filtering through peak hour traffic.

The quick-shifter is super smooth, especially in road mode. Both up and and down. I opted to give it a little clutch from first to second, as much out of habit and being mechanically sympathetic as anything – just as the box passes through neutral, but other than that I didn’t touch the clutch.

High revs, low revs, part throttle, full throttle – no drama. Like most boxes, down-shifting is smoother when done before getting too low in the revs, but it’ll still shift fine.

Those brakes are supremely powerful with great feel. Surpisingly powerful. Literally one finger is all that is needed to shed speed. If you do get into a hard braking situation the rear indicators will both flash in hazard pattern to let anyone behind you know to pay attention. Another nice detail.

At 24 and a bit grand for the white and another couple of hundred for the other two colours it’s a pretty hard thing to fault. That lift in power output is now making it an even more attractive option. There is an Akrapovic slip-on available that drops another two kg that I would have to opt for (Akro are an official supplier to Triumph now).

I’d also personally remove the centre stand for another kilo or two saved. I’d throw on a full system , tune it to suit, then it’d have to be getting up around the 115 hp mark. Giddy up.

The fact that I’m thinking through all of the things I’d do to it should tell you how much I rate it. In fact – I’m calling it as the sleeper model of Triumph’s line-up and one of the most underrated bikes on the market.

The question is, will I be wooed by the ‘more capability again’ of the Rally Pro when I get a chance to put it through its paces… You’ll just have to wait to find out, but not for long…

I like the Triumph Tiger 900 GT because:

• Such a great overall package. Massively underrated. A real sleeper.
• That lovely triple engine has so much soul.
• Box and quality suspension makes for a super smooth, composed thing.

I’d like the Tiger 900 GT more if:

• That dash display could be a little faster on startup.
• Not sure everyone will want/need a centre stand, but then you could just option up a GT instead. Or unbolt it and save some weight.
• I’d have to go the Akro path. Yummy.

Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro Specifications

For more information head to the Triumph Motorcycles Australia website.