Triumph debuted an all-new Tiger 1200 lineup in MY2022 to include the GT and GT Pro models for your urban-bound adventures. This new generation comes with a new fuel tank, a new T-plane engine, built around a fresh frame and swingarm, all covered by new bodywork. New brake hardware comes with lean-sensitive ABS tech as part of the stock equipment package, right along with top-shelf suspension and electronics upgrades.

The all-new T-Plane Triple on the Tiger 1200 GT and GT Pro is the star of the show. The engine has an 89.9 mm bore and 60.4 mm stroke that gives it a total displacement of 1,160 cc with a sizzlin’-hot compression ratio of 13.2-to-1.

While the ECU is no doubt capable of running on less-noble fuels, it will still behoove you to stick to the highest octane you can find. That’s the price you pay for performance such as this.

The trade-off that brings home the bacon is the power and torque metrics. The Tiger 1200 GT and GT Pro produce 148 horsepower at 9,000 rpm with 95 pounds of torque that top out at 7,000 rpm. That’s up eight horsepower and five pounds o’ grunt from the previous gen.

The factory boosted tractable power in the low- to mid-range through a 180-270-270 firing order that gives the rear tire plenty of time to get a bite between power pulses. A new head caps the mill and carries four poppets per cylinder with dual overhead cams on distribution duty. Weight saving was a front-burner topic for the design team and all of these changes go to that end.

Power flows through a slip-and-assist clutch that enables a light clutch-lever pull and some back-torque mitigation to help prevent rear-wheel hop on hard downshifts. A six-speed transmission crunches the ratios and delivers, with the drive-shaft bevel gears factored in, the Tiger 1200 GT and GT Pro’s top speed of at least 137 mph (220 km/h) from the previous gen.

Traction control is a constant across the board, while the base model runs with a trio of Riding Modes, the GT Pro carries five profiles for greater flexibility. The Pro also comes with a stock shift-assist feature that lets you bang, unerringly, both up and down the range with nary a touch on the clutch lever nor a roll-off of the throttle. Unfortunately, this does not appear to even be available as an option on the base model, so the Pro is the only way to get it.

The updated bodywork on the Tiger 1200 GT and GT Pro, scant as it is, maintains that typical Tiger appearance all the same. A duckbill mudguard juts out over a molded fender that actually handles the wet and dirty work. It rests on the usual spoiler-type uprights that are rather tall due to the generous suspension stroke in the front forks.

Dual headlights dominate the visage with penetrating LED emitters, complete with a DRL feature, and LED light bars for the front turn signals on the base model. To that, the GT Pro adds LED auxiliary lights along with Adaptive Cornering Lighting. The ADL feature reads data from the IMU and aims the headlights where you’re going, not where you’re pointing, illuminating your path through the curve.

If you decide on the base model, you can still get the Auxiliary Lights from the optional equipment list. It’s a nice feature to have, and once you have it, you’ll never want to go back to plain ol’ headlights again.

The adjustable windshield strikes a balance between protection and drag, and it comes vented to reduce the head-buffet effect at the top of the pocket. Both models roll with stock handguards to protect your hamburger shovels, but if you want heated grips and their accompanying heated pilot/passenger seating, you’ll have to go to the accessories catalog no matter which of these two you choose.

The seat height for the pilot is adjustable between 33.45 inches and 34.52 inches. This flexibility gives you some control over the shape of your rider’s triangle.

Behind the glass, a seven-inch color TFT display handles all of the instrumentation and higher electronics that include the My Triumph Connectivity System. The MTC System networks through your smartphone with all sorts of the usual infotainment goodies.

The rear-end lighting is also LED. In a switch from the norm, the taillight mounts on the fender instead of riding recessed in the tip of the actual subframe structure. A hang-down plate holder joins with a rearward, swingarm-mount hugger to complete the spray-containment coverage out back with a street-wise flair to match its blacktop bias.

Tubular-steel members on the Tiger 1200 GT and GT Pro make up the main frame while lightweight aluminum is the material of choice for the bolt-up subframe region. The yoke-style swingarm is also aluminum for a lower unsprung weight. This contributes an extra suppleness to the rear suspension. It also serves as a housing for the shaft-type final drive to keep that component well protected and out of sight.

In a nod to its globetrotting heritage, large wheels round out the rolling chassis with a 19-inch rim and an 18 incher out back. However, the choice of rubber on the GT pair reveals its true purpose. The Metzeler Tourance hoops come with a street tread in a 120/70 ahead of a 150/70 strictly for on-road work.

Brembo supplies the anchors with two of its four-bore M4.30 Stylema monobloc calipers biting dual 320 mm discs up front. The GT Pro alone comes with a stock Hill Hold feature for safety on inclines. In the rear, a 282 mm disc and single-pot binder take care of business, while both ends benefit from ABS as part of the stock equipment package on both variants.

The top-shelf suspension system has 49 mm Showa front forks ahead of a Showa mono-shock, both of which sport an electronic control feature that automatically dials in dynamic, event-driven damping adjustments. Suspension travel is quite generous for a street bike at 7.87 inches long front and rear, which almost makes one question its strictly on-road billing.

The Tiger 1200 GT costs $19,100 for 2022. The GT Pro offers a more complete palette with the Snowdonia White rolling for $21,400, while the Sapphire Black and Lucerne Blue fetch $21,600.

No doubt this Brit is a tough act to follow, but as usual, BMW seems to have a match for the Tiger 1200 GT base model in its R 1250 GS.

In case you were wondering, the GS stands for gelände straße, literally terrain-road, in a nod to its ADV roots. Far from stodgy, the “GS” maintains a respectable bulk that is confidence-inspiring with edgy bodywork wrapping up the package.

One tiny advantage the GT has over the GS is the LED headlights. Beemer is feeling the pinch from the current problems with the procurement of microchips, so the headlight reverts to halogen. It’s unclear if the Swiveling Headlight feature supports halogens.

The GS is undoubtedly more well-rounded as it comes with some middling off-road ability, far beyond the Trumpet, but there is likely to be a trade-off in road performance. Beemer has a massive 1,254 cc boxer-twin engine, and with it, one of those trade-offs. The GS’s power falls off with 136 ponies on tap, but the grunty nature of the boxer-twin boosts torque to 105 pound-feet against 148/95 from the Brit, respectively.

The Beemer rides on manually-adjustable stems to cede the advantage to the Trumpet, but ABS is a wash. BMW ekes out another small victory at the checkout with its $17,995 MSRP, though admittedly, that’s not a very substantial gap at this price point, and is unlikely to sway prospective buyers.

“In the end, I’d say test ride both of the above machines, Brit versus German. The Tiger seems just a skosh cleaner, while the bodywork on the BMW is busy by comparison, even as scant as it is. That said, the Tiger 1200 GT line looks like good long-distance bikes and excellent commuters, especially with some baggage added from the options list.”

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “This is an all-new Tiger and quite removed from the Tiger 1200 launched in 2012. The new engine spins up faster than the previous version and power delivery is robust. The new semi-active suspension gives you sporty performance and the generous suspension travel makes for a plush ride, though that same metric makes for a tall bike that will have height-challenged folks bouncing from toe to toe at a stop.”