Sam Sunderland is already underway. The double winner of the Dakar Rally He left London on September 5 with a goal that was as simple to explain as it was difficult to achieve. Wants “complete the fastest motorcycle trip around the world in history«. And, he does it at the command of a Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer. Be careful, you will have to travel more than 29,000 km across 5 continents in less than 19 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes.
However, the record is not the only reason why this adventure is attracting so much attention among fans of the world of two wheels. The snapshots taken during the outing have allowed us to observe, in considerable detail, a Tiger 1200 which does not exactly match the version currently available in dealers. In fact, everything indicates that SunderlandEdit you are using a prototype or pre-production unit of the future Triumph of adventure.
A Triumph Tiger 1200 different from the current one
The most obvious difference is on the front. The photographs show a completely redesigned optical group compared to that of the Tiger 1200 current, accompanied by a configuration that had already appeared in previous spy photos of the new generation. But there is another even more interesting element: a radar sensor located above the headlight and below the screen.
The presence of this radar coincides with what some test units photographed in recent months had already shown. Everything indicates that Triumph is working on an important evolution of the electronic assistance systems of the Tiger 1200possibly with new active safety features and some form of adaptive cruise control.
Nevertheless, Triumph has not yet officially confirmed that the bike SunderlandEdit be the Tiger 1200 2027. The firm itself is publicly presenting the motorcycle used in the challenge as a Tiger 1200 Rally Explorerso references to the future generation should still be understood as a conclusion based on the images and test units seen previously.
The engine could be maintained without major changes
Precisely for this reason, one of the possibilities that is gaining more strength is that Triumph is preparing a relatively deep update in design and electronics, but without completely transforming the mechanical base of the Tiger 1200.
The current generation uses a 1,160 cc inline three-cylinder engine that develops 150 hp at 9,000 rpm and 130 Nm at 7,000 rpm. In the Explorer Rally It is combined with a steel multi-tubular chassis, cardan final drive, semi-active suspensions Showa and 21- and 18-inch tubeless spoke wheels. The information from the photographs points precisely in that direction: an evolution of the whole rather than a technical revolution. In addition to the new front and radar, modifications have also been detected in elements such as the exhaust, while a good part of the motorcycle’s architecture appears to be maintained.
Tiger 1200 faces extreme test
The choice of the Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer For the challenge it is not coincidental either. The British maxitrail has a 30 liter tank and is designed to travel long distances with a high level of comfort, 2 characteristics that are especially important for an attempt in which SunderlandEdit You will have to spend many consecutive hours on the motorcycle.
This adventure is divided into 6 large stages. From London it will travel to Istanbul and then continue from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur. Then it will be Australia’s turn, with a route between Perth and Sydney, followed by New Zealand and the very long North American stage between Vancouver and Montreal. Finally, SunderlandEdit You will travel through Morocco from Casablanca before returning to London.
In total there will be more than 29,000 km, with days in which you will have to travel around 1,600 km and spend up to 17 hours a day on the machine. The record he is trying to beat was established in 2002 by Kevin and Julia Sanders and is set at 19 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes.
This attempt also has a very important personal component for SunderlandEdit. The British driver had previously planned to take on the challenge, but his plans were ruined after suffering a serious training accident that left him with fractures in his back.
After months of recovery, the double winner of the Dakar Now he once again faces a test in which maximum speed will not necessarily be the determining factor. The truly complicated thing will be to maintain an extraordinarily demanding driving pace for almost 3 weeks, with little room for rest and facing constant changes in climate, roads, time zones, borders and a long list of inconveniences. “I’m going to be shooting 17 hours a day, non-stop, for many days“, he explained SunderlandEdit before starting. “The accumulation of kilometers and fatigue will be one of the hardest parts of the attempt“He concluded.
An early reveal of the 2027 Tiger 1200
If it is finally confirmed that the motorcycle used by SunderlandEdit It is really a unit of development Triumph Tiger 1200 2027the British brand would have found a rather peculiar way to show its future maxitrail for the first time: by making it travel the world at a pace of almost 1,600 km a day.
And while Triumph remains silent on the exact identity of the machine, Sam Sunderland continues with its much more ambitious goal: to go around the world in record time on a Tiger 1200 which, paradoxically, could also be telling us what the next generation of the English adventure machine will be like.
