2025 Triumph Tiger Sport 660

The Purchase It Finally Earned

Chase previously rode the Tiger Sport 660 and gave it a pass. The bike had a lot right, 660cc triple from the Trident / Daytona 660 family, approachable ergonomics, a sub-$10k price, but it was a sport-touring motorcycle without cruise control, which Chase called out as a dealbreaker at the time. Triumph listened. The 2025 update adds:

• Cruise control (the big one)
• Up and down quickshifter
• Slipper-assisted clutch
• A new colorway

Those four updates turn the Tiger Sport 660 from a "Triumph I can't recommend" into a "Triumph I can." The rest of the bike is the same proven package. "A big shout out to Triumph for sticking with it and putting something on this bike that it absolutely needed."

Performance highlights

660cc inline-triple (shared with the Trident 660 and Daytona 660), 79 horsepower, 47 lb-ft of torque, 456 lb wet, 4.5-gallon tank, 32.9" seat height. Throttle response scores 7, "a little bit of a wind-up time" is actually a feature; it makes the power approachable rather than spiky. Sport mode adds real initial hit; Road mode is the touring default; Rain mode actually tames the bike meaningfully for weather.

Acceleration earns 6. The 40-80 pull in second gear was "a little long" in Chase's honest read, partly because he had to short-shift through fourth to finish the pull and the bike only had 40 miles on the odo. What he did notice: power delivery is odd. Strong initial punch, a lull in the middle revs, then another push near redline. A three-peak curve rather than a smooth parallel-twin-style ramp. Quirky.

Agility is the surprise 8. "The combo of the balance with the handlebars makes this bike an absolute breeze to throw around." At 456 lb with a wide bar, the Tiger Sport carves through city traffic with effortless commitment. Chase specifically called out the lightness of direction-change as a standout.

Brakes rate 4. Nissin brakes that bite too hard up front. Chase's observation: "You have to barely touch the brakes to just get that tiny bit." Combined with the soft front suspension, that produces significant nose-dive under braking. You can learn to modulate around it; on a sport-tourer at this price, you shouldn't have to.

Suspension is 4 and is the other knock. Non-adjustable Showa front (the spec is there but tuning isn't). Hand-adjustable rear preload. Plush and touring-comfortable on straight road. Sportier corners reveal a lack of mid-lean stability, "the bike just was wiggling a little bit. It did not fill me with the confidence I want." The right tune for a comfort-first sport-tourer; the wrong tune for Chase's mountain-riding preferences.

Rider experience & tech

Comfort is 7. Wide, comfortable seat with enough room to scoot forward (aggressive) or back (relaxed). Legs tucked slightly back from neutral, arms relaxed on moderate-width bars. Adjustable windscreen that Chase manually raised mid-ride to cut the highway wind on his shoulders. The overall body position is a "solid touring body position": mostly upright, eyes-up, city-and-highway-equal.

Tech scores 7 and this is where the 2025 update earns its keep. Cruise control is the headline. Chase called the pre-update lack of cruise on a touring bike "a travesty." Now it's there and it works. Plus a full up/down quickshifter (which Chase called "smooth as butter. So smooth you can almost barely tell you're shifting"), a slipper-assisted clutch, three ride modes (Rain / Road / Sport), switchable ABS and TC, adjustable windscreen, phone-app integration with on-screen navigation via the Triumph app. Nit: the dash doesn't tell you what mode you're in. Same UX oversight as the Speed Twin 1200 RS.

Ease of use is 7. Controls are placed sensibly, clutch is light, quickshifter removes most of the clutch work anyway, dashboard is simple to read (though it won't show you your ride mode, which Chase explicitly flagged as an unforced error). Bike is approachable for a new rider despite the 32.9" seat height. Legs can get flat-footed with a 32" inseam thanks to a narrow tank.

Versatility is 7. City: excellent (the 8-rated agility makes this a commuter sleeper). Highway: excellent, now that cruise control is here. Touring: credible, especially with accessory panniers. Canyon: capable but the soft suspension limits your confidence. Off-road: no. This is "sport-tourer with ADV styling," not a real ADV. Fun-for-the-money is 7. $9,695 for a Triumph triple with cruise, quickshifter, and the whole updated package is the sub-$10k price bracket's best sport-tourer proposition.

The Chase Score & final thoughts

With a Chase Score of 64/100, Good Tier, the Tiger Sport 660 finally lands where its pricing and mission suggest it should. 29 ride points + 35 usability points = a balanced package where the suspension and brakes hold down the ride score and the usability carries the weight.

Buy it if you're looking at the $10k sub-tier sport-tourer segment (and the Yamaha Tracer 7 or Honda NC750X DCT are on your shortlist), if you want into the Triumph family without jumping to a Tiger 900 / Tiger 1200, or if the Tuono 660 and similar middleweight nakeds are too sporty for your actual riding. Skip it if you want adjustable suspension out of the box, if you're going to track-day it, or if the Trident 660 (same engine, naked chassis, lower price) suits your use case better. Chase's close: the bike went from "pass" to "purchase" purely on the addition of cruise control, which tells you how much one missing feature can drag a whole motorcycle's reputation. Good save, Triumph.