Triumph Tiger Sport 660 Review: What we Think of it After a 500 Km Road Trip

Luckily I had to be in Rishikesh by evening and I had just arrived in Delhi on an early morning flight from Jaipur. After a few hours of sleep I had to decide on my means of transportation. Either public transit or the Triumph Tiger Sport 660. Long story short, I grabbed the bungee cords, strapped my backpack to the back seat, and headed for the two-wheeled option.

As soon as I hit the road, I found a comfortable rhythm on the freeway and found the Tiger Sport 660 to be able to hit the speed limit while you slept. What I loved about it was the fact that even at freeway speeds it takes little to no effort to pass two to three trucks at a time, which I appreciated when traffic got a little heavy. In fact, I noticed that the engine hummed so loudly that I often wanted to shift up despite the sixth gear being engaged. I got used to it quickly, but a longer sixth gear would definitely have been a welcome addition to this bike.

The good old gearbox is otherwise a hit. The bike we had came with the Quick Shifter accessory installed, but it was not activated. However, I never felt I needed it, as cycling through the gears is a smooth affair, smooth enough that you can effortlessly perform clutchless shifts and it feels similar to the overall quickshift experience. The clutch is a pain point, however. Despite the slip-and-assist function, the lever feels a bit heavy for driving in traffic. It’s also not adjustable, which doesn’t help its cause.

The front brake didn’t sit well with me either. On our test unit, it had an easy game before it started to grab, and that means every time you want to hop on the front brake, you’re first finding the bite point and then engaging. To avoid this problem, I continuously applied the front brake just enough so that my pads weren’t touching the disc. That way I wasn’t looking for bite every time I squeezed the front brake lever.

Despite all these minor issues, the Tiger Sport 660 lets you cruise the highway with ease. In fact, I completed the journey from Delhi to Rishikesh in just four hours! Even though I stopped a few times and wasn’t fully rested. The way this smaller tiger can carry speed on freeways is really reassuring.

I was due to return to Delhi the next day, more specifically to Noida in the Delhi-NCR region, but before I did that I decided to head to the hills just above Rishikesh. The road to Tehri is newly built, fairly smooth and full of some of the twistiest turns I’ve ever seen.

Now that the Triumph is an ADV and all, it requires a bit of ‘muscle’ in the corners, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, it will reward you with cornering stability, ie on slick roads. Small bumps in the middle of the corner can sometimes catch it by surprise and upset the bike’s balance. In my opinion, the best way to drive the Tiger in such conditions was not to push it to the limit, because even if it surprised me at times, I had enough time to put things right.

I’d like to reserve a special pat on the back for the Michelin Road 5 tires. They have a low profile and feel really stable on the freeway. It doesn’t matter whether it’s full throttle or full braking, the tires never complain. Even in the corners, the grip is very predictable. The tires communicate clearly as you approach the edge, which is a pretty reassuring feeling. As I negotiated turn after turn on the slippery roads leading to Tehri, my confidence grew pretty quickly. The chicken strips on my tires were almost gone as I neared my destination. My destination was this coffee point on the road to Tehri, after which I had to hurry back to Noida.

Having ridden the Triumph in most conditions I have concluded that it is a very easy bike to ride. Traction control only kicks in when you need it, the riding position is quite comfortable, and despite being an ‘adventure’ bike, the weight on the road is quite manageable. There are little things here and there, but nothing that will deter you from buying. You get used to them very quickly. I have driven from Delhi to Rishikesh countless times, but I never thought that driving this route would be more convenient. I was wrong. Mid-weight ADVs are literally made to cover distances like this and frankly, as far as the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 goes, it’s perfect for munching miles!