Ricky Carmichael has had many accomplishments in his life, having earned the nickname GOAT (greatest of all time) for winning more AMA SX/MX races combined and breaking more records than any rider in the series’ history. He even won gold in the X Games for Step Up jumping and had a stint racing NASCAR trucks. Now he’s shifting gears once again, taking on the role of tester and spokesman for Triumph. 

Originally, we heard Ricky would be helping Triumph with testing and development of their new dirt bike models and motocross race program that is currently in the works. But it appears Triumph is also enlisting him to help with their new 1200cc Tiger prototype machine. Despite his diverse repertoire of accomplishments, we can only assume Ricky hasn’t ridden many 1200cc multi-cylinder motorcycles in his life. Perhaps this might even be a first for the champ.

In this latest teaser, we see him put the new 1200 Tiger through its paces in an exclusive first ride. The video features Ricky sliding the big machine in the countryside, shredding around in the woods, leaning it into turns on asphalt, until he eventually reaches a motocross track. While clearing 70-foot jumps on a factory-prepared supercross bike is no sweat for the GOAT, jumping a street bike that’s more than twice the size is something completely different.

Ricky seems to have no problems though ripping around the track on the big girl, looking silky smooth, even sending it over a double and throwing in a cross-up for good measure — exactly what we’d expect from the legend. What we didn’t see in the video was how easy it was for the 5’6” Carmichael to get a foot down on what is predictably a tall seat height. The only time they show Ricky stop in the video is when he parks on the crest of a jump where he can easily put his foot down on the high point.

Even so, it’s always great to watch Ricky ride the track again and see the new Tiger 1200 in action in the dirt. In the video Carmicheal proclaims, “This thing is sweet” and “[it’s] like a Tiger 900 on steroids.” He also states, “I know a lot of time and effort  has gone into this new 1200, and it shows. It handles phenomenally.”

We’re still waiting for the full reveal of specs and details on the new 1200cc Tiger, but Triumph claims “the word ‘transformation’ simply doesn’t do it justice.” From what has been revealed so far, we know it’s going to use their new T-Plane technology in the engine and the machine is undergoing a complete revamp to make it lighter, more powerful and more capable off-road — something that, according to Triumph, will push the envelope in the Liter-Plus category (at least for shafties). 

As always, we’ll report back with more details as we receive them. For now enjoy the show courtesy of Ricky Carmichael.

Author: Rob Dabney

Rob Dabney started a lifelong obsession with motorcycles at the age of 15 when he purchased his first bike – a 1982 Honda MB5. Through his 20’s and 30’s he competed in off-road desert races, including the Baja 250, 500 and 1000. Eventually, his proclivity for exploration led him to dual sport and adventure riding. Rob’s never-ending quest to discover what’s around the next bend has taken him on Adventures in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and throughout the American West. As a moto journalist, he enjoys inspiring others to seek adventure across horizons both near and far.