Contrary to what the name might suggest, the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 is strictly a racing bike.
This is Triumph’s latest motorcycle for India and it has a very familiar sounding name – the Tiger Sport 660 – but this Tiger is unlike any the company has launched in India to date.
The Tiger Sport name is something Triumph has used in the past for a street-oriented, ADV-style bike sold overseas. However, the new Tiger Sport 660 is the first of these bikes to be sold in India, and in this case it’s based on Triumph’s newest and smallest machine, the Trident 660. To make things even more confusing, this bike is also complete Regardless of the Tiger 850 Sport currently available in India, the 850 offers similar performance to the 660 but is based on the same platform as the larger, more all-terrain Tiger 900.
Triumph Tiger Sport 660: design, equipment and quality
The biggest difference between the new Tiger Sport 660 and its sibling the Trident 660 is evident in what you see – this is a much bigger looking bike. With its taller fairing, 17-litre fuel tank and extra height, the Tiger Sport commands the kind of attention that the compact Trident can only dream of.
It looks sharp from the front, with a triangular face and sleek LED headlights that could easily be mistaken for a Japanese motorcycle. The rear section is more familiar to the Trident, but this bike gets a longer subframe, resulting in a much roomier rider’s seat.
The pillion seat isn’t as tall as some might expect, however, considering this is intended to be a sport tourer, but there are some bag attachment slots neatly integrated into the rear. However, the belly pan and engine guards you see on this bike are both optional extras.
With its huge risers, the Tiger Sport’s riding position is upright, open and roomy. The windshield worked decently well for me in its low position, although we’d have to spend more time at freeway speeds to know for sure. It’s a little tall with a seat height of 835mm, but the bike doesn’t feel as big or top-heavy as a Kawasaki Versys 650. At 206kg, the Tiger Sport is also the lightest bike in its class.
The Tiger gets a similar color TFT display as the Trident 660.
The display layout is a little different from the Trident 660, but the actual screens are very similar. The Triumph website lists this as a TFT display, but it’s a fairly basic looking device, mostly black and white with just a little color showing here and there. This bike also features the optional Bluetooth connectivity module that enables features such as music control and navigation aids.
In terms of features, it’s a similar story to the Trident, with self-cancelling turn signals, two driving modes (road and rain) and a switchable traction control system.
The quality is acceptable for the price, but the windshield tended to rattle when driving on rough roads.
The Tiger Sport certainly feels more premium than the Trident, but there are a few issues. For one, the “intake” between the headlights is fake and I don’t know what I think of fake air intakes on a sporty bike. Then there’s the push-and-pull windshield adjuster mechanism, which feels a bit heavy to use, and it’s definitely not easy to snap in exactly where you want it. A little further back, the clutch cable runs exactly where the hand would normally look for the ignition key. On top of that, even at this price point, the clutch lever isn’t adjustable and I found it pulled out a bit too much. And finally there is the seat cover, which does not lie flush against the driver’s seat, but is stretched tautly in the air above it.
Triumph Tiger Sport 660: engine and performance
Now we come to what is arguably the greatest attraction of this bike – its engine. The 660cc triple engine comes straight from the Trident and has exactly the same power and torque and even the same gearbox. That’s actually a good thing, because when we rode the Trident we appreciated how strong the midrange it had and how effortless it was to ride at any speed. That character really suits a bike like this.
Compared to its 650cc competitors, it not only has more power, but also slightly more torque. And it’s the sheer manageability of this engine that you’ll enjoy the most. Low-speed throttle response is fairly smooth and low-to-mid-range performance is excellent – you really can go in as high a gear as you like. At 35km/h we were often in sixth gear or even driving up some of the hilly stretches around Dehradun and Mussoorie with the engine in fourth or fifth gear the whole time. Our bike had an optional quickshifter installed (again, it should have been standard at this price point) which only added to the feeling of ease and enjoyment
We spent our whole day in the hills where the Tiger’s short gearing was a delight. However, if you plan on spending a lot of time at high speeds on the freeway, you might want to make some changes to the sprocket sizes, as I suspect the RPMs could get pretty high at high cruising speeds.
Nonetheless, this maneuverability makes the Tiger Sport easy and effortless to drive in most situations. It’s also a great sounding engine; Its sporty exhaust note will be one of the bike’s big draws.
The Tiger shares the same gearbox as the Trident 660.
However, like the Trident, the engine feels gritty once you exceed 6,000 rpm and there’s quite a bit of vibration in the handlebars and pins. The engine also generates a noticeable amount of heat, and the clutch lever is on the heavy side.
Overall, this smaller triple is definitely not as smooth and revving as the engine in the Street Triple 765. Luckily, the wonderful midrange means you really won’t be revving it too high most of the time.
Triumph Tiger Sport 660: chassis, comfort and handling
The Tiger Sport chassis is quite similar to the Trident, but with slightly sharper steering geometry, a longer wheelbase and a different swingarm. However, the change that will mean the most to customers is that the suspension is different. This bike has more travel and also has a very handy remote preload adjuster. Well, with that extra suspension, you’d expect this bike to be a nice plus, something like the Versys 650, which is one of its rivals. And to a certain extent it is. But it’s not as good as we had hoped.
With 150mm of travel at both ends, the Tiger Sport has a similar setup to the Versys 650. And on slick roads, it has a comfortably plush and floating feel that many will love and expect from their touring machine. Unfortunately, it doesn’t handle bigger bumps and potholes as well as we’d like, and it tends to bottom out rather than absorb. It’s not terribly uncomfortable by any means, and the bike has enough ground clearance to get you through bumpy and broken roads without stress, but it’s just not as impressive as the Versys 650 in that area. The suspension, too, aside from rear preload, is not adjustable.
With its 17-inch wheels and wide Superbike tires, it may not be an off-road vehicle, but it has some potential for fun when it comes to handling. The bike feels light, encouraged and ready to make changes of direction without much effort. You can hit the gas hard and have a good time, but if you’re the type of rider who loves to ride aggressively and push the bike to the limit, this isn’t the bike for you. Then the plush suspension begins to spring, reminding you that this is a bike that prefers to be ridden fast rather than as fast as possible.
Of particular note are the superb Michelin Road 5 tires, which give you enough feel and confidence to keep pushing even when the suspension starts to get choppy.
The brakes reflect the character of the motorcycle. They’re not very sharp or immediate, but once you pull the lever further a good amount of power and feel is available.
Triumph Tiger Sport 660: Should You Buy It?
Ultimately, the Tiger Sport 660 is a comfortable but responsive sports tourer, but it feels a little overpriced, especially considering the suspension is good but not ‘Tiger good’. With an introductory price of just under Rs 9,000 (ex showroom) it already costs more than the Kawasaki Z900 and is currently only Rs 20,000 less than the Triumph Street Triple R. Yes both are naked bikes but they are also much more capable, better equipped and produce about 40 hp more.
This bike is a little more expensive than we had hoped. On the other hand, it fits well in the market, about Rs 2 lakh over the Kawasaki Versys 650 and about the same amount under the BMW F900XR, both of which are ADV-style street-hugging tourers.
For a similar price, you could also have Suzuki’s excellent (and, unfortunately, grossly overpriced) V-Strom 650, but this bike has a 19-inch front wheel and is more of an adventure bike. The Tiger Sport is a pure road bike and it’s all about the triple engine and the looks it has to offer.
See also:
Triumph Tiger 660 video review
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