Triumph manufactured the Tiger Trail in response to their French importers', C.G.C.I.M., request for a large capacity dual purpose machine to compete with the BMW R80G/S model.

[2] Instead, Meriden's director of engineering Brian Jones based the proposed model around the 750 cc TR7V Triumph Tiger with its single 30 mm Amal carburettor and electronic ignition by Lucas.

[3] Certainly, French magazine Moto Verte entered and reported upon a 750 cc Tiger Trail in the Paris-Tunis rally and whilst failing to finish, praised the engine feeling only suspension adjustments rather a complete chassis redesign was needed.

[4] Competition success soon came in June 1981 when Tony Beaumont of the Federation of Police Motor Clubs team sponsored by British Petroleum beat BMW R80G/S and Japanese opposition to win the 750 cc and above class of the Rallye des Pyrénées, a tough on/off-road timed race.

[5][6][7][8] Triumph exploited this fact both in press advertisements[9] and in a publicity poster featuring their sales manager Bob Haines leaping through the air upon a TR7T, describing it as "The Bike For Adventure".

[11] The frames of these white Tigers omitted the pillion footrest brackets whilst the silencer was of a different box-type design and their tanks sported metal badges instead of decals and being of later Italian manufacture, had 'flip-up' petrol caps.

This was despite opposition from Meriden's non-executive board member and political sponsor Geoffrey Robinson that both this, a proposed 125cc learner motorcycle and the 650cc Triumph TR65 Thunderbird itself would take away sales from the more profitable 750cc range.

Press reviews of both versions of the bike were generally favourable but with often common criticism particularly of the off-road-biassed Mudplugger tyres' road and wet weather performance,[14][15][16][17] as well as the overall weight, suspension travel off-road,[18] and a too short protective engine guard.

Whilst the press road test version was finished exactly as per the 750 cc model, the 1982/1983 brochure shows the 650 cc version, again in 'Sunburst Yellow' (Bike also reported a 'Lime Green' colour scheme for the TR65T which only appeared on Triumph's exhibition stand at the 1981 Earls Court Motorcycle show with a perforated sheet alloy guard curved over a TR7T silencer), to have different stylised 'T' tank decals with longer tails, the engine completely finished in satin black, a rectangular box silencer with perforated sheet alloy guard, extended bash plate, 'dog leg' clutch and front brake levers, no headlamp stoneguard, centrestand as standard and the adoption of the roadster's instrumentation with centralised ignition/warning lamp panel and tachometer.

[11] Passenger footpegs on the 1982/3 brochure TR65T (and like the example held by the London Motorcycle Museum), in the absence of the usual subframe footrest brackets (omitted to accommodate the new style muffler/silencer), were instead welded upon the swingarm as on the 1973/4 TR5T Trophy Trail.

Ex-International Six Days Trials Gold Medallist, Ken Heanes, reported on a TR65T for Dirt Bike Rider (which erroneously referred to it as a TR7T in their by-line to the piece), rating it very highly as a competition machine.