I had one...at least I had the off road biased version with wire wheels but all else is the same bar a few extras. Lovely engine and build is almost on par with the bmw GS bikes. It's better in some areas and worse in others. Engine casings are covered in paint that sheds after a few years especially around the header pipes which are hard to get to for cleaning, on the flip side, switches are better by a country mile and illuminated!
Wind protection on the newer ones is superb. Triumph have got it licked in that department.
Seats are very comfortable but standard ones really are too soft and need changing for their comfort models (which are firmer)...call my a cynic but I suspect this is a marketing con/opportunity by Triumph...why the heck isn't the standard seat a comfort seat???
On the sidestand with luggage or a pillion it's a beast to manhandle and seriously, don't believe a word anyone tells you to the contrary...they have not shifted the CoG anywhere near enough to prevent the 1200 being anything other than a massively heavy lump with most of the weight up top where it will challenge even the less muscularly challenged amongst us. Mine was so heavy with a full pannier load that I'd often need a hand getting the damned thing off the side stand, especially where adverse cambers were encountered and I know I'm not alone in the world of Triumph 1200 owners here.
On the go the mass dissapears until you break hard then it reminds you that this is no numble sportsbike but for all that it corners on rails. It's definitely the most stable big capacity motorcycle I've ever ridden on fast sweeping A roads. Not so good on tighter stuff. Had the odd (ok...frequent!) moment on hairpin bends where it is just scary as it feels like it's going to drop all the time. You never get used to this because it IS almost going to drop on you. Slow speed and top heaviness = disaster waiting to happen. It was this and getting fed up with muscle strain wrestling the damned thing off the sidestand that persuaded me to sell it for a GS which is so much easier to handle at slow speed, it's laughable. You stand the chance of picking up a GS after a drop (I speak from personal experience!) but the 1200? forget it unless you have a spare pair of helping hands unless you're built like Geoff Capes.
Low down torque is lovely. If ever a word was meant to perfectly describe the 1200 motor's character then "Peachy" is it. Creamy smooth gobfulls of torque which waft you onto the next corner in top. Drop to 30mph in 6th? No problem, just wind it on and it spins up smoothly and gently at first, building momentum like an electric motor until past 5K revs when it howls addictively like a mad banshee on steroids. Peachy. I once used the phrase "Gruntier than a pig fed on beans" to decribe my old Aprilia RSV Mille. This isn't like that. It's more like an aristocratic shire horse, an unstoppable but well mannered force of nature. Overtakes are a breeze in any gear from any revs really.
The GS has just as much if not more ultimate top end poke but the Triumph feels more special when on song and on A roads, a good rider on a 1200 XRT will keep with just about anything.
Heated seat is great as are the grips. TFT screen is great but I felt way too cluttered and I personally hated that little joystick come button on the left cluster...all in all it makes the TFT functionality too much of a distraction. They ought to have kept it simpler imho.
Electric screen is a joy and zero buffeting for me in the raised position unlike the GS.
Working on the bike is a little more awkward than the GS and you would need to set aside more servicing time especially getting to the damned air filter and spark plugs. Triumph (or their design) have always made this awkward perhaps to lure you to the dealership...who knows?
Reliability on mine was generally good but (in common with many of the 1200's) it did play up when hot a few times and randomly cut out when coming to a stop at junctions. It was an electrical fault which was never properly diagnosed nor sorted but loads have reported as much. They have a few other electrical niggles too so best check before you buy that you're going into ownership with open eyes. The dealerships all deny any reliability issues but ownership says different. Early ones had serious cam/camchain or cam follower issues but newer models have this resolved. Shaft drive is generally reliable but there have been a few reported failures and it's probably best not to tune these bikes too much as I suspect things like the final drive are made within tight performance envelopes. The bikes though when riding them feel indestructible with fewer rattles than the GS bikes.
Tyre wear is pretty good much like the GS and tyre choice is as good, unsurprisingly they share similar profiles. My (older) 1200 trumpet was shod with skinnier 150 rear section rubber but was alt he better for that as turn in was more neutral.
The frame is enormously strong and rated to take something massive like 250Kg loading. Rear rack and passenger rails are super strong and very well made. Pillion experience is definitively better on the Triumph than the GS. It is a more supportive seat and the grab rails are more conveniently placed and better shaped. It's less of a ballet act getting onto the pillion seat too as it's not quite as high.
Overall, it's a damned good bike but I would never ever be tempted back onto one for the one simple and critical reason that is the elephant in the room...at least it weighs about as much as an elephant and feels it....the mass. It's just something I couldn't look past and as much as I loved the looks and the engine, the weight was the clincher for me and I'm no 9 stone weakling. It's just too much and spoilt every tour I did on the bike. Slow speed handling was too fraught and my back and arms suffered when the centrestand was used or when hauling a loaded bike upright off the sidestand. It was ridiculously heavy. The GS has its own issues but generally I'd say the Triumph is a sideways move and unlike the gS, its faults can not be overlooked after a few thousand miles of ownership. The engine cutting out was downright dangerous, the weight was horrible and in the summer, the damned thing cooked your thighs with engine heat.
If you take those things on board, go enjoy a test ride but then reflect on whether the issues that had me change from the Trumpet are things you can live with. Trust me, if you are not honest about them, they will come and bite you down the line a few thousand miles later and you will want to go back to a GS. If you get on with the bike, can put up with engine heat in the summer, can handle the top heavy weight then go for it.