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lanninga two-wheeledtripacrossthecountry,the
continentorevenaroundtheworld?youaregoingtoneedtherighttoolforthejob.
overlandingona motorcyclecanbetheexperienceofa lifetimeandourgrowingadVmarket
is proofthatthisculturehasfinallymadeitswaytoindia.
thetwomotorcyclesyouseeheresitrightat thetopoftheadventuretouringfoodchainandcome
fully-equippedtoconquertheunexplored.theyarekittedoutwithan exhaustive array of bells and whistles to
keeptheirriderscomfortable,safe,andhappyoverlonghoursinthesaddle, and are built tough enough to take on
theworld.oneis thelong-establishedkingofthesegment,with
rootsgoingbacktothe1980s;theothermayhaveenteredthefray
later,butis doingitsbesttodethronethechampion.so, without
furtherado,let’sintroduceourcombatants.
First,thechallenger:hailingfromhinkleyintheunited
Kingdomandweighinginat 251kilogramsdry(add 25 kgforan
approximatewetweight),wehavetriumph’stiger 1200 Xcx.
poweredbya 1,215-ccin-linethree-cylindermotorthatmakes 122
nm of twist at 7,600 rpm and 141 hp at 9,350 rpm, this big Brit is
themostpowerfulshaft-drivenadventurebikeintheworld.But
willthisbeenoughtounsettlethechampion?
BuiltinBerlin,germany,thisyear’sr 1250 gsadventuretips
thescalesat 268kgwetandputsout 143 nmoftorqueat 6,250
rpmand 136 hpat 7,750rpmfromitsall-new1,254-ccboxertwin.
thelatestinthelonglineofBMwMotorrad’sgs-badged
adventure bikes that practically created this segment, its lineage is
unquestionable.Variousiterationsovertheyearshavebeenthe
go-tobikesfortwo-wheeledtravellerspreparingtorideintothe
unknown,andther 1250 gsa carries forward this legacy from
the outgoing 1200 with a bigger engine and the next generation
of technical wizardry.nowsomemaysaythatthisisn’ta fairfight.sincetheBMwis thegerman
marque’sflagshipadVinthetop-of-the-lineprotrim,it shouldideallybegoingup
againstthefullyloadedXca variantofthetiger1200;however,triumphdonotoffer
thetop-specbikeinindiaandthisXcx variantis thechoicesttiger 1200 youcanbuy
here.it consequentlymissesoutona fewcreaturecomfortswhendirectlycompared
toitsgermanrival;however,pricedatrs 17lakh,it is a wholers 5 lakhcheaperthan
theBMw’srs 22-lakhaskingprice,andthat’sanimportantconsideration(allprices
areex-showroom).
all thingsconsidered,boththesemachinescomeloadedwithanexhaustivelistof
featurestoeaselifeontheopenroad,includingkeylessignition,heatedgrips,full-colour
tFtdisplays,cruisecontrol,electronically-adjustablesuspension,lean-sensitiverider
aids,heatedgrips,ledlighting,ruggedspokedwheelsthataccommodatetubeless
tyres,andmultipleridemodestosuiteverysituation.thegsgetstheadded
convenienceofa keylessfuellid,super-smoothtwo-wayquickshifter,theextremely
usefulhill-holdcontrol,a heatedseat,andauxiliaryledfog-lamps.it alsoallowsthe
ridertomodifyorswitchofftheelectronicassistsonthefly,ratherthancomingtoa
completestopasyouhavetoonthetiger.thetiger, on the other hand,getsan
electronicallyadjustablewindscreenthatallowsyoutofine-tuneitsheightat thetouch
ofa button,withouthavingtoreachforwardandturna knobasontheBMw.the
triumph’stFtdisplaycanalsobetiltedforwardandbackwardtoretainperfect
visibility,whetherseatedorstandinguponthepegs,whilethetFtontheBMwcan’t
beadjustedandis obscuredbythecompany-fittedgpsmountwhenstandingand
riding.you also get to pick one of three screen layout options onthetiger andi foundBMW R 1250 GS AdventuRe v TriuMph tiGeR 1200 XCx
http://www.bikeindia.in August 2019 Bike India 65