By John Burns

2021 Triumph Tiger 850 Sport

Editor Score: 86.5%

What Tiger 850? When I went to St. Louis to learn all about the new Triumph 900 family way back in December 2019, there were five Tiger 900s – two 900 GTs, two Rallys, and a base model Tiger 900. Sometime between then and now, Triumph decided to distinguish the base model by calling it Tiger 850 Sport, but in fact, it has the same 888 cc Triple as the other four bikes, supposedly slightly detuned.

Like a couple other manufacturers lately who’ve seen the advantage of having a low-price leader (like BMW and its new F900R and XR), Triumph throws the Tiger 850 Sport out there with an MSRP of $11,995. Which is pretty cheap, really. Off the bat, it reminded me of another favorite bargain street-biased ADV bike, the Suzuki V-Strom 1050. But the base model V-Strom now lists at $13,399; the off-roadier Honda Africa Twin starts at $14,399. And BMW’s new F900XR undercuts them all, at $11,695. Go, exotic Europeans!

If you’re one of those people who always comments that you don’t need no stinkin’ badges or ABS or cruise control or electronic suspension, you’re all set. The Tiger 850 is a super-fun, highly capable runabout for all seasons, and you’ll love it. For people like me, who are on record saying they wouldn’t buy a new motorcycle without electronic cruise control, well, the Tiger 850 is a non-starter. If I’m bustin’ out $12k for a new motorcycle, I’m going to go ahead and spend $2,775 more for the Tiger 900 GT. Which comes with …read more

Source:: 2021 Triumph Tiger 850 Sport Review – First Ride