Triumph says it has made over 200 changes on the new Tiger 800 XRx, so we set out on a ride to Lavasa. At a glance, you’d be hard-pressed to find the differences between the old and the new. Look closely and the subtle changes emerge — it gets LED DRLs, redesigned body panels and aero deflectors, for starters. In fact, apart from the fuel tank, all the panels have been reworked to make the new Tiger 800 look more compact. The motorcycle also features a TFT all-digital console, replacing the semi-digital unit as seen on its predecessor. It displays tonnes of information, and adjusting the various parameters is an easy affair with the five-way joystick. The new windscreen is also manually adjustable, and like the Multistrada 950, it can be done on the go. Standard seat height is 830mm, but the seat can be adjusted to drop by 20mm Power figures from the 800cc, liquid-cooled motor remain identical, as the triple-cylinder mill churns out 93.7hp and 79Nm. However, Triumph has worked hard to improve smoothness and refinement (which are excellent) and the engine does feel a little more free-revving now. Throttle response from the ride-by-wire system is crisp and precise. Having ridden the older Tiger 800, the new engine felt even more tractable and a bit smoother. Making my way out of the city and through the typical traffic snarls, the tractability of the engine helped, but a slip and assist clutch would have been welcome. Once on the highway, the bike felt more comfortable as it munched miles at a brisk pace. Cruising speeds lie between 5,000 and 6,000rpm in sixth gear, and overtakes require just a slight opening of the throttle. The new Tiger 800 is a quick motorcycle, but the linear power delivery and the electronic aids mean that inexperienced riders won’t sweat riding it. The upright riding posture is almost perfect, and adding to the comfort quotient is the generous and well-padded saddle. I was cruising down the highway, soaking in the beautiful vistas, when suddenly the rain gods came down in full fury. The Tiger 800 XRx’s riding modes came in handy here and it gets four of them — road, sport, off-road and rain. With slippery road conditions, I switched to rain mode. You still get full power, but throttle response is mellower now and the traction control is at its highest setting. Even with strong crosswinds and under a heavy downpour, the Tiger 800 XRx was rock-solid. Cruise control now comes standard, as do heated grips, which added to the comfort quotient. In on the fun The road surface continued to deteriorate and soon reached lunar levels of ridiculousness. But the Tiger wasn’t bothered and you just need to stand and roll on the throttle, as the ADV wafts its way over bumps, potholes, undulations and what not! Helping its cause is the Showa USD fork and monoshock unit, with 180mm and 170mm of travel, respectively. Since the XRx is a mid-spec variant, there’s minimal adjustability and you can only change the preload of the monoshock. The Tiger 800 XRx gets a 19-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear one, running tubeless Metzeler Tourance tyres. This makes it more fun to ride around corners than its off-road-focused sibling XCx — but this is still no sports bike. The front end doesn’t feel very connected, and when you do amp up the corner speeds, you’ll find that the foot pegs meet the tarmac quite quickly. The dual discs perform decently, but the brakes have been tuned for low initial bite and fork dive is also quite prominent. Still, rather than being a hardcore off-roader, this bike is magnificent at doing massive distances, no matter what the road conditions, and that’s why you see no off-road shots here. At ₹13.30 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the new Tiger 800 XRx is priced slightly above ₹1 lakh over its predecessor. This is quite a steep hike, but we mustn’t forget that taxes for CKD motorcycles were hiked recently.