After making a big splash with news of the updated Bonnevilles and Speed Triple, Triumph has now announced significant upgrades to the Tiger Explorer and expansion of that family’s lineup. The original Explorer was conceived to compete against ADV machines from BMW and KTM, and proved to be very successful for the British company. But as technology in this segment accelerates, it was time for some significant changes. As Triumph did a year ago with its Tiger 800, the Tiger Explorer name is no longer tied to a single machine and instead represents a new family, which in this case is made up of six bikes with distinct purposes and levels of equipment. It sounds confusing at first, but in reality you just need to know that there are two sub-families with three levels of standard equipment fitted to them. For those interested in exploring off-highway occasionally, the dirt-oriented XC line includes the base XC and then two more tiers that are each outfitted with more bells and whistles including the XCx and the fully-loaded XCa, and have spoked wheels in more off-road oriented sizes. 
Those looking for a more street-biased ride, will want to look at the XR family which includes the base XR, mid-level XRx and top-of-the-line XRt, all of which come with cast-aluminum wheels in more street-friendly sizes. All six machines share an updated version of the 1215cc inline-triple that delivers its power through a shaft final drive enclosed in the single-sided swingarm. Power was increased over the previous model by use of an all-new exhaust system. The torque-assisted clutch keeps action very light to help reduce fatigue off-highway and to improve feel in urban riding conditions. Like its younger sibling the Tiger 800, the Explorer models received major updates to the electronics suite. Entry-level XR and XC models get multi-channel ABS and traction control, both of which are switchable, while the mid- and top-tier-level bikes get corning-optimized ABS and TC. To enable these latter capabilities, a new Inertial Measurement Unit takes information from a variety of sensors, including bank angle, acceleration and other engine information to optimize both braking and rear-rear-wheel traction. Up to five different Rider modes (Road, Off-road, Rain, Sport, and Rider) can be selected, four of which are preset, while Rider (like that found on the 800) can be customized with any combination of power, ABS, and TC settings the rider chooses. 
Also new to the Explorer, is Hill Hold Control, which when activated prevents the motorcycle from rolling backward on a steep incline by automatically applying some brake pressure until the bike is moving forward. This should be beneficial if you find yourself trying to get going when your bike is fully loaded with luggage and a passenger, in say, downtown San Francisco or the Himalayas. Another key addition for the upper-tier models is the use of what Triumph call semi-active suspension. Based on Triumph’s description, we interpret it as electronically adjustable suspension. The rider can set the shock preload electronically while also setting front and rear damping. But based on the press release, the system doesn’t appear to alter settings on the fly, as do systems on some models from BMW, Ducati and KTM. As the adventuring-touring class has grown it has become the place where companies show off all the latest features, and Triumph and the Explorer are no exception. Items that we only could have dreamed about just five years ago are now available. Without a breakdown of which model gets which feature it’s impossible to speculate on which of these will find its way onto each of the six models. 
But according to Triumph the following features will be available in some combination on the 2016 Explorer. Two low seat variants, on-board computer and a more advanced and feature-laden computer, IMU, tire pressure monitors, electronically adjustable windscreen (XRt and XCa come standard with taller touring screen), 12 volt power sockets, 5v underseat USB socket, heated rider/passenger seats, heated grips, cruise control, handguards, aluminum or plastic skid plates, radiator guards, crash bars, fog lights, and a whole line of accessories and luggage. Pricing for the U.S. market and the features included on each tier have yet to be released, so stay tuned here for more information as it becomes available. 
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