2022 Triumph Tiger Sport 660 Review [18 Fast Facts For Sport + Touring]

February 17, 2022

Adventure styling with a focus on sport-touring brought to the middleweight category—that is the goal of the new 2022 Triumph Tiger Sport 660. With the same engine as the Trident 660, the Tiger Sport 660 has longer suspension, wider bars, a larger tank, and an upper fairing to take the edge off of long-distance adventure. Oh, and the Tiger Sport 660 makes a fine commuter during the week, so what we have is a super practical all ’rounder. Let’s see how this new Tiger cub purrs.

Street tire dimensions signal Triumph’s intentions with the Tiger Sport 660. The 17-inch wheels front and back mean this Tiger is unlikely to stray far off a casual dirt road. It can get its paws dusty, but you won’t be riding over anything rough without a larger front hoop.

Longish suspension travel gives the 2022 Triumph Tiger Sport 660 a cushion from the battered urban roads, without excluding a large segment of riders. However, because the Sport 660 isn’t going to be flying over obstacles off-road, it doesn’t have ‘true’ ADV travel. That affords a bit of relief when it comes to seat height; at 32.8 inches, it’s the same elevation as the Honda CB500X. Nearly six inches of wheel travel, front and back, provides plenty of room for the suspension to soak up the bumps and lumps of worn-out city streets and freeway expansion joints.

The non-adjustable-damping Showa suspension is impressively credible in multiple environments. Triumph skillfully tuned the 41mm inverted fork and linkage-assisted shock to perform well in the canyons, around town, and droning down the freeway. The only adjustment you can make is shock spring-preload to accommodate luggage and/or a passenger. Although I am an outlier at 115 pounds, I only felt limitations on the bumpiest corners when I got bounced around a bit.

With a flat torque curve, the Tiger Sport 660 has plenty of pull just about everywhere you need it. Off idle, the engine can pull 2nd or 3rd gear from a stop without wincing; I found this out a couple of times after neglecting to shift all the way down. Passing at freeway speeds doesn’t require downshifting the six-speed transmission. The Tiger Sport 660 also has a slip-and assist-clutch which keeps the clutch pull light and helps prevent rear-wheel hop should you downshift too aggressively.

The triple delivers 80 horsepower at 10,250 rpm—and it’s smooth from bottom to top. The inline-3 is a joy to ride with no hitches anywhere in the powerband. It’s easy to get going faster than posted limits allow when acceleration is supplied with so little resistance. The free-revving motor feels like it displaces more than 659cc, and is just plain fun to ride.

On long highway drones, my throttle hand got a bit tingly. The triple can be a bit buzzy when cruising at around 80 mph or so for a couple of hours, and there’s no cruise control—a strange oversight on a motorcycle aimed at the sport-touring crowd.

Keeping the electronics to the basics, the Tiger Sport 660 has two ride modes and switchable traction control to cover essential riding safety. You don’t need an elaborate suite of electronics to have a great time on two wheels, though we do appreciate the option to switch from the everyday Road mode to the power and torque-reduced Rain mode when conditions get slippery. Similarly, being able to turn off traction control should you venture down a (well-groomed) dirt road is appreciated.

There’s a lot of info on the bright dual-screen TFT dash, and it’s customizable. The half-moon-shaped top screen content is fairly fixed, primarily delivering speed, rev counts, and gear position. The lower square screen runs you through “trays” information—as the menu describes it—ranging from coolant temperature to fuel consumption data. It takes a few minutes to understand the process, though once you do, it’s intuitive. The lower screen handles the two ride modes, traction control, screen brightness, shift light, and other settings. There is one strange twist—if you want to see what time it is, you go to the gear-position tray.

There’s plenty of cornering clearance for sporty canyon excursions. The footpegs sit high enough for enthusiastic cornering, even in tight conditions. The Tiger Sport 660 feels quite comfortable as it willingly leans into turns.

The high-mileage, wet-weather-friendly Michelin Road 5 sport-touring tires grip the road convincingly and inspire confidence in various conditions. While Southern California didn’t provide us with any wet weather while testing, we did cover adventure-worthy disintegrating pavement, as well as freshly paved canyon asphalt. The Road 5s felt secure on both surfaces, never causing me to roll back the throttle due to insecure feedback.

The Tiger Sport 660’s front 310mm discs allow you to ride full out, even with modest two-piston Nissin calipers—at least one-up. Initial engagement at the five-position adjustable lever is soft, transitioning into strong linear power. The deceleration is perfectly matched to the Sport 660’s capabilities.

Although the rear brake has good feel once engaged, the pedal is tucked in and slippery. As much as I like the front brake package on the Tiger Sport 660, I am puzzled by the stubby brake pedal with a slippery finish. As one who utilizes the rear brake often, I was disappointed with the Tiger’s brake pedal. ABS comes standard and is non-intrusive, requiring a firm push to trigger it.

The neutral handling is smooth and inspiring. With a curb weight of 454 pounds and a somewhat higher center of gravity due to the longish travel, I was surprised to find the Tiger Sport 660 encouragingly nimble. It’s not sport-bike nimble, but it’s willing to change direction without a lot of muscle should you need to correct your line in a turn. In a straight-line speed test, the Tiger happily romped into triple digits gracefully, its 55.8-inch wheelbase contributing to a stable, planted feel.

The wide seat is roomy and comfortable, and the seat/tank interface is perfectly designed for a good grip by your knees. The seat strikes the right balance between firm and plush, and there’s plenty of room to shift around. After several hundred-mile non-stop rides in a day ranging from tight mountain roads to open valley highways, I had no numb spots on my posterior. There’s no need for a tight knee grip on the tank with the chassis’ upright ergonomics. However, with the throttle twisted for high-speed riding, I appreciate the Tiger’s well-proportioned mid-section.

The six-position windscreen enables multiple coverage options. You can easily switch from full-coverage, where you’re looking through the windshield when running top speed on the freeway, to the lowest position, below the line of sight. Theoretically, this adjustment takes one hand, and can be adjusted while riding. Realistically, it’s better done at a stop as it takes some muscle to accomplish.

The 4.5-gallon fuel tank qualifies the middleweight Tiger Sport 660 for mid-length adventures. Triumph claims approximately 44 mpg, which gives the motorcycle nearly a 200-mile range. While not as far-roaming as a true ADV motorcycle—the Tiger Sport 660 can still take you on epic adventures as long as fuel stops are scouted.

Well-designed integrated luggage mounts mean the Tiger Sport 660 still looks sleek without its optional panniers. Frequently touring bikes look like something is missing when their side cases are not installed—not a problem for the Sport 660. The rear looks neat and tidy, with or without bags. Plus, the optional side cases are exceptionally easy to install and remove. For those who will tour two-up on the Tiger, there’s a voluminous top box capable of storing two helmets, though most riders carrying a passenger will likely eye the Tiger Sport 850 or jump up to the Tiger 1200 GT line. A nice touch is Triumph’s low prices for the luggage—the hard panniers are $585 for the pair, and the top box runs $325.

The 2022 Triumph Tiger Sport 660 is an ADV-styled sport-touring bike that is immensely capable, and sized for a wide range of riders. It has plenty of power and handling for weekend backroad romps, while also being predictable and easy to manage. Utilizing the beautifully integrated luggage options, the Tiger Sport 660 opens up the touring window and makes it an excellent commuting partner for the workweek. Versatile and a bit customizable, the sub-$10k price—even with the optional panniers—makes the 2022 Triumph Tiger Sport 660 affordable, as well as affable.

Photography by Don Williams

RIDING STYLE

Helmet: Arai Signet-X Oriental-2
Communications: Cardo Packtalk Bold
Jacket: Dainese Nikita 2 Lady Leather
Back protection: Dainese Pro-Armor G
Gloves: Racer Gloves USA Women’s Guide
Jeans: Dainese Amelia Slim Lady Jeans
Boots: Dainese Aurora Lady D-WP

2022 Triumph Tiger Sport 660 Specs

ENGINE

Type: Inline-3
Displacement: 659cc
Bore x stroke: 74.0 x 51.1mm
Maximum power: 80 horsepower @ 10,250 rpm
Maximum torque: 47 ft-lbs @ 6250 rpm
Compression ratio: 11.95:1
Valvetrain: DOHC; 4 vpc
Transmission: 6-speed
Clutch: Wet-multiple w/ assist and slipper functions
Final drive: X-ring chain

CHASSIS

Frame: Tubular steel perimeter w/ steel swingarm
Front suspension; travel: Non-adjustable Showa SFF inverted 41mm fork; 5.9 inches
Rear suspension: Linkage-assisted, cantilevered spring-preload adjustable Showa shock; 5.9 inches
Wheels: Cast aluminum
Front wheel: 17 x 3.5
Rear wheel: 17 x 5.5
Tires: Michelin Road 5
Front tire: 120/70 x 17
Rear tire: 180/55 x 17
Front brakes: 310mm discs w/ Nissin 2-piston calipers
Rear brake: 255mm disc w/ Nissin single-piston caliper
ABS: Standard