Harley-Davidson really put the cat among the pigeons when its Pan America adventure bike arrived and featured self-lowering rear suspension in order to address the high seat heights of adventure bikes when coming to a stop or at a standstill.
Now Triumph has come up with its own version of the technology, the first of the major manufacturers to respond to Harley’s innovation.
The Triumph Tiger 1200 models feature Showa semi-active suspension and the new Active Preload Reduction feature has been developed to reduce the rear suspension preload as the bike slows, allowing the seat heights to be reduced.
For the GT, GT Pro and GT Explorer there are currently two seat height settings – 850mm and 870mm, while for the Rally Pro and Rally Explorer these are 875mm and 895mm. Through the accessory-fit low seat option, customers are already able to lower the seat position by an additional 20mm, giving a lowest seat height of 830mm on the GT family and 855mm on the Rally family.
The new Active Preload Reduction feature allows these seat heights to be reduced further. Depending on the combined weight of the rider, pillion and luggage this could lower the riding height by up to 20mm when the motorcycle comes to a standstill, offering the rider greater ease and confidence. New customers will be able to access this new minimum preload feature by simply pressing the ‘Home’ button on the switch cube for one second.
Chief Product Officer Steve Sargent said: “The new Tiger 1200 range is already a global success, attracting new fans and increasing Triumph’s share of this highly competitive market. This new feature can be enabled on the fly, lowering the centre of gravity at slower speeds, making it even more accessible, offering riders more confidence at slow speeds and better contact with the ground as they come to stop.”
For more information on the system, contact your nearest Triumph dealer.
