2021 Triumph Tiger 850 Sport Review: A Kawasaki Versys Rival with Premium Features and Performance

We’ve all been waiting for a while now, and evidently Triumph was frustrated enough that it went ahead and built one for everyone. There would be a few copyright and trademark issues if it was called a Versys, though, and that being the case please allow me to introduce the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport.

Before you think I’m insulting Triumph for building a Kawasaki, keep in mind that any brand should be so lucky. Kawasaki’s Versys 1000 might be priced in the stratosphere but it’s still a nice machine, and the 650 version is one of the best around, especially for less than $9,000. And if you read young Mr. Greaser’s first-look piece on this Tiger 850 Sport, you’ll know that Triumph was aiming for a section of the market that it felt was thin on competition. Specifically, to be more premium than the sub-$10,000 Versys 650 or Suzuki V-Strom 650 while not being as complex or expensive as full-zoot ADV machines that can be as much as (or more than) $20,000.

 

A 9/10ths Tiger

This is normally where I would explain the design brief and where all the development was focused and what the engineers really cared about. But, if you know motorcycles you’re probably hip to the fact that this 850 Sport is essentially a Tiger 900 GT Pro that has been made less complex in an effort to make it cheaper and more accessible to less experienced riders (which it is). If you’re not familiar with the Tiger 900 family of machines, I recommend my friend Spurgeon’s first-ride review of those bikes for a comprehensive breakdown of their many ride modes, suspension adjustments, horsepowers, and firing orders. He went to Morocco to file that report and while he was there rode a camel. We’re all very proud.

 

The bottom line seems to be that Triumph has essentially chosen to badge a base-level Tiger 900 as an “850 Sport” to suggest that it’s a slightly different model rather than convince buyers they don’t want the top-of-the-line “Pro” models. Some people have expressed disgust that Triumph would try to dupe us. I say it makes sense. Let’s remember that simplicity isn’t all bad in this day and age. Raise your hand if you’re a bit of Luddite who’s a little drained by space-age motorbikes taking the place of bare-bones flagship machines. Anyone? To put a finer point on it, how many of your dollars would you spend for 10 more horsepower, increased suspension tweakability, three more ride modes, heated grips and seat, a more expansive dash, and a quickshifter? Wait, sorry, don’t answer that. First, let’s talk about what you do get.

 

Just walking around a Tiger 850 Sport will likely make veteran motorcyclists raise their eyebrows and nod a bit. Triumph has made a lovely habit of plumbing all of its braking systems with steel-braided lines, and the front wheel’s 320 mm discs are pinched by Brembo Stylema calipers. In other words, the same binders you get on a Ducati Streetfighter or Aprilia RSV4 Factory. The levers are adjustable, as are the seat and windshield heights. Flick the key on and a bright, clear, five-inch TFT screen jumps to life that’s controlled with a five-way joystick on the left switch cluster. It’s all genuinely nice componentry. Not unheard of in the $12,000 price bracket, but notable.

The ride

The biggest surprise you’re likely to get from the Tiger 850 Sport, being a Triumph triple, is the exhaust note. It doesn’t play anything like a Street Triple or old Tiger 800 thanks to the “T-plane” crank, whereby an irregular firing order makes this 888 cc sound a bit like a parallel twin. Or, more accurately, a big inline-four with one cylinder out. As bassy and pleasant as it is, it feels odd not to have the velvety hum of a conventional triple whirring when I twist a Triumph Tiger grip.

 

Instead of the fleet of five ride modes on the 900 Pro models, the Tiger 850 Sport gets two ride modes, Road and Rain. This is one piece of adjustability on the bike that I didn’t feel was useful. The user interface is great, so scrolling through the menus is easy enough, but when the modes change the character of the bike doesn’t. Tractable as it is, I’d prefer to have Rain mode dumb down the power more significantly. The ride modes affect the traction-control parameters, meaning it’s not so much about changing the character of the bike as it is relaying conditions to the computer. That being said, ABS (non switchable) and TC are controlled with wheel speed only. There’s no IMU or lean-angle sensitivity in the systems.

 

I’m harping on this a little, but with good reason; the motorcycle is stronger than I was expecting. Considering all of the rhetoric swirling around this 850 Sport model, it must have seeped into my mind that the powerplant would be tame to the point of sleepiness. Not so. There’s loads of grunt just above idle and, even better, the engine seems to like making power low in the revs. It’s willing and surprisingly energetic, even if it never feels truly fast. Along with the 2014 version of Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000, it’s one of two bikes I’ve ever ridden that feels like it makes more power than the spec sheet.

I only figured out later that I shouldn’t have been shocked that the 850 Sport felt lively when I weighed it. (Triumph usually lists dry weights these days, incidentally, which seems delusional to me — museum curators might thank Hinckley someday but we can’t ride a motorcycle with no gas, oil, or coolant in it, so I don’t see the point, unless every other company does it too, and they don’t.) With a full tank, the bike tipped our scales to the tune of 478 pounds. No featherweight, but I was expecting to see at least 500 pounds on the display. Out of curiosity, I checked the last time I had weighed a Tiger 800, in 2016: 529 pounds. Granted, that bike had wire-spoke wheels and more options, but it was also holding 0.3 gallons less fuel in the tank.

 

The Tiger 850 Sport is a bike I adapted to quickly, and some of that is due to a long list of things it does really well. Even if it strays just a shade from the impeccable fueling of most Triumphs the throttle response is linear and very good. Match that with intuitive clutch feel and a solid transmission and the whole drivetrain is a treat to use. Then there are the excellent brakes, no surprise based on the Italian jewelry dangling off the bottom of the fork. Also, the little stuff is largely superb — mirrors are clear and well placed, and the switchgear is laid out thoughtfully. Basic yet effective adjustability in the windshield is a nice addition and, as if I needed one more thing to praise, the seat is good. Even the passenger seat is good, or so reports the Director of Passenger Comfort in my household, and that includes enough legroom for her five-foot, 10-inch frame. I didn’t even feel the need to spin more preload into the shock via the handy, remote adjuster. It seemed fine to me.

 

Oddly, while I was testing this bike I almost forgot to take notes about how it handles. Not because it’s bad. More like the reason nobody talks about customer service unless it’s fantastic or terrible. It’s good but not memorable. The center of gravity feels low, which makes the 850 Sport fairly agile. At the same time I never found myself really wanting to lean on the tires, despite it being perfectly stable and easy to ride. There’s some directness missing, a bit of enthusiasm to bend into a curve that never came to me. Based on Triumph’s reputation for sweet-handling bikes, I’m ready to blame the Michelin Anakee Adventure tires that come stock on the 850 Sport. I think something with a rounder profile more suited to sport-touring would benefit this Tiger, but until I can try that I’ll withhold dropping the gavel.

 

As a whole, this bike feels well made and substantial in all the ways a machine should, especially one with a starting price above $10,000, and Triumph’s engine is at the core of it. BMW’s F 900 and F 850 engines, as an example, have always felt a little bit fluttery and unconvincing. The Tiger engine feels weighty, like an expensive flashlight. Good heavy. It inspired confidence even when it did things I didn’t like, of which there’s only one. The gearing is wrong. It’s so burly and eager to accelerate at only a couple thousand rpm I don’t know why it’s set up to spin 5,000 rpm at 80 miles per hour. I often reached for a seventh gear, and usually at about 60 mph. The engine didn’t feel uncomfortable at 5,000 rpm, it just buzzed a little more than seems necessary and made me wonder how much more than 44 mpg I would have gotten if I could put a rear sprocket on it with fewer than 50 teeth. Still, it proved good on the highway. The narrow windshield punches a big enough hole in the atmosphere that the upper half of my six-foot, two-inch self was protected, with only the top of my head and my arms getting hit with any wind.

 

The bottom line

If I’ve done any part of my job right, you’ll feel more ready to answer the question I posed earlier. How badly do you need the Tiger 900 GT Pro upgrades? If you didn’t bother to read ol’ Spurg’s piece, the 900 GT Pro sells for $16,600, well above the 850 Sport’s $11,995 MSRP. Admittedly, I’m a real sucker for heated grips, and more horsepower usually makes me smile a little bigger. Although I’m not sure I care much about the larger TFT dash, increased suspension adjustability, or additional ride modes, especially if I put myself in the mindset of someone shopping for a practical bike. If there’s a combination of these factors, or other things you have identified as important, that add up to or approach $4,600 of your bike budget, then you’ve got a tough decision on your hands.

 

Savvy shoppers will look outside the Triumph universe, surely. This is not a comprehensive list, but to name a few competitors, maybe a V-Strom 1050 for $13,400, or a KTM 890 Adventure for $13,100. Those willing to splurge might even go for a Yamaha Tracer 9 GT ($14,900) for more new tech and included saddlebags, or a base Ducati Multistrada 950 ($14,495). Priced under the 850 Sport there’s the BMW F 750 GS or F 900 XR, if you can find one that isn’t dripping with enough accessories to take it over $12,000. There’s always the stalwart Versys 650 from Kawasaki, $9,400 with terrific Givi saddlebags from the factory. If only it had better brakes, an updated dash, LED lights, and a better engine, right? Versys 850 dreamers, this is your moment.

2021 Triumph Tiger 850 Sport
Price (MSRP)	$11,995
Engine	888 cc, liquid-cooled, 12-valve, inline triple
Transmission,final drive	Six-speed, chain
Claimed horsepower	84 bhp @ 8,500 rpm
Claimed torque	60 foot-pounds @ 6,500 rpm
Frame	Tubular steel, separate rear subframe
Front suspension	Marzocchi 43 mm fork; seven inches of travel
Rear suspension	Marzocchi shock, remotely adjustable for spring preload; 6.7 inches of travel
Front brake	Brembo Stylema four-piston calipers, 320 mm discs with ABS
Rear brake	Brembo single-piston caliper, 255 mm disc with ABS
Rake, trail	24.6 degrees, 5.24 inches
Wheelbase	61.25 inches
Seat height	31.88 to 32.67 inches
Fuel capacity	5.3 gallons
Tires	Michelin Anakee 2CT, 100/90-19 front, 150/70-Z17 rear
Measured weight	478 pounds
Available	Now
Warranty	24 months
More info	triumphmotorcycles.com