In April 2021, we rode the new Triumph Trident 660 roadster in an almost 200-kilometre loop around the Himalayan foothills. The compact Trident 660 certainly impressed us, both with its entertaining personality and its superb road manners. A year later, we are in the same neck of the woods, but this time with the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 as our companion. With a 17 kg weight gain over the Trident 660, the Tiger Sport 660 has been billed as a sport-touring motorcycle, with slightly more suspension travel, bodywork, and wind protection than its naked sibling.
Also Read: How Different Is The Triumph Tiger Sport 660 From The Trident 660?
The Triumph Tiger Sport 660 is a Trident that has been raised with more suspension travel, a slightly longer wheelbase, and decent wind protection, offering more versatility and touring capability.
In essence, the Tiger Sport 660 is a Trident 660 on stilts, offering more versatility and touring comfort. Based heavily on the Trident 660, the Tiger Sport 660 shares the same platform and introduces the smallest model in the Triumph Tiger family. It has the same engine as the Trident, and gets the same frame, but with some chassis changes, including longer travel suspension, a changed steering geometry, new bodywork, and a windshield. But does it still manage to make an impression as the Trident 660 did?
Also Read: Everything You Need To Know About The Triumph Tiger Sport 660
The Triumph Tiger Sport 660 has a good fit and finish, but the overall design is subtle. The looks belie the bike’s superb road manners.
Design & Features
The Triumph Tiger Sport 660 has a sporty-looking face with split LED headlamps and a half-fairing, with a simple adjustable windshield. It has a tall stance with slightly longer travel suspension, 150 mm at both ends, compared to the Trident 660s 120 mm and 134 mm.
Non-adjustable 41 mm Showa separate function forks are non-adjustable, and the 310 mm Nissin brakes offer good stopping power. The equipment may seem basic, but they do the job well.
The 41 mm Showa upside down fork is non-adjustable, but the monoshock gets remote hydraulic preload adjustment. The Tiger Sport 660 also sports a longer swingarm, and a longer rear subframe to support luggage and offering more real estate for a passenger. Overall, the Tiger Sport 660 has a 11 mm longer wheelbase than the Trident 660 roadster.
Also Read: Triumph Tiger Sport 660 Launched At ₹ 8.95 Lakh
The handlebar is wide and the riding ergonomics are more comfortable than the Trident 660 roadster it’s based on. The Tiger Sport 660 also gets a bigger 17.2 litre fuel tank. In all, it’s 17 kg heavier than the Trident 660 with its 206 kg kerb weight.
The fuel tank capacity has been increased to 17.2 litres to give it more range, and the Tiger Sport 660 is also heavier than the Trident 660 by 17 kg. But the Tiger Sport 660 gets a revised steering geometry, with a steeper rake and less trail, to help offset the weight added by the bigger fuel tank, bodywork, and larger fuel tank. The Tiger Sport 660 also gets a new instrument console, with a small colour TFT section. Electronics are the same, with two riding modes, Road and Rain, switchable traction control and standard dual-channel ABS.
Optional My Triumph connectivity offers a long list of connected features, including a handy turn-by-turn navigation system.
Features are basic, but the options list includes Bluetooth connectivity with turn-by-turn navigation through the My Triumph app, as well as an optional up/down quickshifter. The Our test bike came with the My Triumph connectivity module costing just over ₹ 20,000 and the Triumph Shift Assist, costing around ₹ 26,000. Both are handy features to have but will add to the already pricey tag of ₹ 8.95 (Ex-showroom) for the Lucerne Blue/Sapphire Black colour option. If you want the Korosi Red/Graphite colour option, that will hike the price tag by ₹ 13,000.
The 660 cc, inline three-cylinder engine is shared with the Triumph Trident 660 and makes 80 bhp at 10,250 rpm and 64 Nm at 6,250 rpm. Electronics include two riding modes, switchable traction control, and standard dual-channel ABS.
Engine & Performance
The Tiger Sport’s 80 bhp engine is identical to the Trident’s and there’s plenty of grunt across the rev range. Output is 80 bhp at 10,250 rpm, while peak torque is 64 Nm at 6,250 rpm. Power delivery is crisp and on-off throttle transitions are smooth; the flat torque curve offers a wide range and the bike pulls cleanly in sixth gear from very low city speeds. But give it the beans, and there’s no dearth of liveliness; the sporty engine with the short gearing is revvy, and fun, and there’s always plenty of go at all revs.
The Tiger Sport 660’s engine has a flat torque curve; overall performance is lively and entertaining, and there’s no dearth of punch across the rev range.
The engine has lively performance, but it’s friendly as well, without intimidating power delivery which will certainly be welcomed by newer riders. But beyond 5,500 rpm, there is some buzz that can be felt on the footpegs and on the handlebar, which could be a minor irritant when sitting at high speeds for extended time on the highway.
The engine is lively and newer riders will appreciate its friendly nature. More experienced riders may feel the lack of top-end performance. Overall, there’s plenty of grunt across the rev range, although you can feel some buzz on the footpegs and the handlebar from around 5,500 rpm and upwards.
If you ride the Tiger Sport 660 on a long-ish stretch of road, experienced riders will probably talk about the vibes or the lack of top-end performance, but it’s a revelation when you hit the twisties.
Also Read: Triumph Tiger Sport 660 Vs Rivals Price Comparison
The Tiger Sport 660 has superb handling and balance. Grip and front-end feel are excellent, offering the Tiger Sport 660 a level of dynamics that is extremely enjoyable.
Handling & Dynamics
Our test route included long sweeping curves and quick switchbacks, and this is where you can’t help but appreciate the Tiger Sport 660’s superb balance and handling. Despite its obvious weight gain over the naked, the Tiger Sport 660 loves being hustled and is extremely flickable! The Tiger Sport 660 not just handles well; in fact, it’s right up there with the very best handling middleweight motorcycles. It has a superb front-end feel and strong grip; qualities that will make both new riders and experienced riders appreciate. As an easy to ride, sporty and entertaining all-rounder, the Tiger Sport 660 completely nails it!
A set of corners is the perfect test for the Tiger Sport 660’s superb front-end feel and balanced handling. Road manners are impeccable and riders of varying experience and skills will appreciate its dynamics.
Price & Competition
The Triumph Tiger Sport 660 is priced at ₹ 8.95 lakh (Ex-showroom), and it’s a little pricey. In the red and graphite colour option, the ex-showroom price goes up to ₹ 9.08 lakh (Ex-showroom). On top of that, these are introductory prices and going forward, the Tiger Sport 660 will become even more dearer in the months to come. At those prices, the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 competes with the likes of the Kawasaki Versys 650, and the Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT in India.
The Triumph Tiger Sport 660 goes up against the Kawasaki Versys 650 and the Suzuki V-Strom 650. While the Kawasaki and the Suzuki have twin-cylinder engines, they are both heavier than the Triumph. The Tiger Sport 660 has entertaining performance, and superb road manners, traits which make it very enjoyable on a twisty mountain road.
While both the Kawasaki and the Suzuki come with twin-cylinder engines, the Tiger Sport’s triple-cylinder engine has a soundtrack and performance which is very, very entertaining. What should also be considered is that the Tiger Sport 660 has a significant 10-12 kg lighter weight advantage over both the Kawasaki and the Suzuki in the middleweight sport-touring segment.
The Tiger Sport 660 has a very good fit and finish, is well-equipped, and the sporty performance and taut road manners make it difficult to ignore, despite its slightly high price tag.
Verdict
It still comes across as an expensive proposition, but the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 certainly is a very entertaining and versatile middleweight sport-touring motorcycle on sale right now. It’s got superb fit and finish, is well-equipped, and the sporty performance and friendly road manners make it difficult to ignore. For someone looking to upgrade from a smaller bike, or even to be considered as a first premium motorcycle that is an all-rounder.
The Tiger Sport 660’s biggest strength is its impeccable road manners and versatility. It may be subtle in design and feel a little expensive, but performance and handling are very entertaining.
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Its biggest strength is its versatility, considering it can certainly be a friendly companion for the daily commute, short weekend blasts, as well as up to the task of touring. After spending a day with the Tiger Sport 660 in the Himalayan foothills, we can say from experience that it’s easily one of the best handling bikes in its category. If you overlook the rather subtle design, and the price tag, the Tiger Sport 660 does offer a compelling package. At the least, it deserves a test ride from anyone looking at something in this segment. Its friendly personality and superb road manners certainly make the baby Tiger pack quite a capable punch that is impressive in every way!
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