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I’m currently sat under a tarp near Mont Blanc - I’m camping at the foot of a glacier in fact, and there’s a silent thunderstorm going on around me. So it feels like a suitable time to admit something to you guys... Not long after our Wales weekend I found myself on a rare mid-week rideout on a very hot day. I had always planned a Europe tour for this year (currently on it), and by all intents and purposes I was doing it on my F800GT. The mid-week ride was to focus my mind and think about what I’d need to comfortably execute my 16 day camp trip in a self-sufficient manner. So anyway, I wheel my bike out my lock-up and for only the 2nd time in my riding life I had a flat - a pesky nail in my rear wheel. I angrily plug it (this is a PR5 which only had about 2,000 miles to its name). I average 12,000 miles out of a set and PR5’s aren’t cheap so I was pissed! Anyway, plugged in sweltering heat and off I went on a ride. It was my first proper ride out since living back in the Peak District and I found myself naturally gravitating towards my old Triumph garage... I’m sure you get where I’m going...! But before I continue I should maybe explain why I had the F800GT in the first place. I regrettably sold my Street Triple to buy a second home (all of that went to shit) and I was left bikeless. When in the market again I found a second hand (fully specced and still under warranty) F800GT. It fitted the bill so I went for it. In the 3 years I owned it, it never let me down and did everything I asked of it. But unlike my Tiger 800 and Street Triple - it never inspired me. So back on track... as I found myself heading to the Triumph garage I was thinking of my dream bike. The one bike I would want to say that I’d owned when reminiscing as a granny...! That bike? A Tiger 1200.... Now that’s a big bike. Heavier than the huge BMW GSA’s (those 30 litre tank beasts...!). So heavy that unlike BMW, Triumph don’t advertise the fully fuelled wet weight... their claimed dry weight matches a fully fuelled GSA. So by all accounts a fully fuelled Tiger 1200 is in the 260-270kg bracket. And unlike the BMW’s - that weight is all up high. So at 5’8” (on a good day) and an admittedly weedy woman I thought “sod it” and dropped by for a test ride! Knowing full well that if I didn’t enjoy it, I’d revert back to a Tiger 800 (a bike I very much loved). Well that wasn’t a concern... The Tiger 1200 is such a blast! I test rode for a good few hours and couldn’t resist. I managed to pick up a new one before my Europe trip. I feel ashamed admitting it to you guys (being “purists”) but this bike is amazing. Yes it’s entirely electronic - to the point where even I question its longevity. But in reality after its warranty period I’ll likely just hand it back. I genuinely believe that’s how they are making vehicles these days. The engine will go on and on, but I’m not sold on everything around it...! Anyway, I always manage a fair few miles on my bikes (despite working from home) so I’m owning this bike with the mind set that it’ll go back after 3 years. I’m having my mid life crisis early...! Haha. Yes it’s as big and heavy as it feels (I tiptoe on it) but that’s the only negative. It’s comfortable, has things I never knew I wanted in my life (heated seat - I’m talking about you...!) and the engine is what I was missing in the F800GT. It pulls without thought in any gear / any speed. So by the time I get back home this Friday the bike will have over 7,000 miles under its belt and I’ve enjoyed all of them. It’s without doubt the largest bike I’ll ever own. I already know that my next bikes will be lighter (and therefore less CC), but that doesn’t matter. I’m as happy as a pig in .... right now. I’ve ridden this bike over Großglocknerstraße, Stelvio Pass, torrential rain and off-road to this glacial foot. And all of it fully loaded with camping gear. So I’m officially back in the Triumph world - and have fully embraced a modern technologically-advanced bike. And for that - I apologise to all of you...! [emoji23]

Blimey!

Thanks all! It’s such an enjoyable bike to ride - it’s just the manual manhandling which is less dignified...! I’ll share some pictures when I’m back (at the weekend) as I don’t think the below will work (and I have no preview button!) https://i.imgur.com/7LZeA7Y.jpg Ahh ok it did work - just not an embedded image, but you can see the bike if you click it. What’s hard to see in that picture is the glacier which is up by my left mirror. A combination of phone camera, sun, ice and grey mountain means it’s all merging into one...! I do have a better picture of the glacier from further away. This was the closest I could get on my bike. Off-road over some large loose rocks, a sharp uphill left turn and a dead end with hardly any turning space... what was I thinking?! I can barely “on-road” at the best of times! My heart was going like the clappers and my only choice was to manually turn it round after this pic. [emoji23]

Hi mate, welcome back, glad you took the time to come and see us again! All we need now is for GROUCH to turn up and it's old home week.