Triumph Tiger Sport 660. Experienced rider. Hated it after test ride, But bought it anyway! 

What a great comment! I think this bike is highly underrated. partly the fault of triumph. It irritates me when I hear dealers refer to it as a budget bike! They need to promote it as a do everything bike. I used to spend a lot of time in Baja with my friend who passed away a year ago. He was down there once or twice a month for 50 years!! It was like having a guided tour. He spoke fluent Spanish and knew everyone down there so it was a safe comfortable experience. Lots of great off-road riding too . I haven’t been down in a while but I hear that it’s still pretty safe. Especially compared to mainland Mexico. Getting back to the Tiger sport, I hear rumors of some kind of variation. Possibly adventure bike. Thanks for the comment. Ron.

Absolutely! Just saw an old friend who I haven’t seen for a long time. Moved back east. just bought a tiger sport 660! Other bike is BMW 1250 gs. Not sure I see the logic behind those two together?? Ron.

I have had a bunch of BMW twins. You will definitely enjoy this bike. Just remember to crank up the rear suspension. Also get past the first 5-6 hundred miles before deciding how you feel . The bike gets better and better. Ron

@@jag64mol - thanks.

I am 73, sold my Honda st1300 Pan and bought a Honda cbr600f4, never had so much fun. Been riding since 1966 on anything and everything. Find the motorcycle that gives you the most enjoyment and test ride whatever you can

@@rogerelwynjones1366 yes I had a ST1300 once. Loved it. Heavy bike mind…

Don’t wait! I’m liking it better and better. I will do an update when I get more miles. Ron

great bike. I’ll do an update soon. Ron

A great bike! Seriously underrated. If I had to pick another bike, I probably would struggle with a choice. I might consider the new Honda transalp when it is available. Ron

Funny you should mention a smaller shield. I’ve used a smaller shield on many bikes, and it usually cures the buffeting problem. Also, I’ve had several shields along the way cut down by professional plastic companies. One time I even had them put an air duct at the bottom of the shield to reduce pressure. On one of my bikes I had an aftermarket adjuster kit that allows you to move the shield up and down, but also to change the angle of the shield. I would run the bike with the shield in the lowest position and tilted back. But when it was freezing cold or bug season I would put it up higher and put up with the buffeting. Thanks for the comment. The one thing I should’ve done when I bought the bike is put some aftermarket suspension on it. 90% of the time the suspension is fine. But some of my favorite roads are beat to pieces and probably would be much better with an adventure bike. I think I could’ve made some serious suspension improvement for about $1000. Ron.

Thanks. I’ve got three thousand miles on it. I’ll do an update soon. Ron

Lots of sd roads need adventure bike suspension! 😱 Ron

Crazy how that's just a ticket.

I am surprised about being hard to find neutral. Mine was impossible for the first 400 to 500 miles. After that it really got better. Definitely check your preload. I am at 20 clicks from the low position.. I’m about 200 pounds and this is Right for me. Ron

Hardly hating it is it ? There is nothing that comes near to this bike in class and for the money.

Thanks. I watch a lot of reviews myself and it drives me crazy when they repeat all the specs. I guess it’s OK to hear it one time but when you’re interested in a bike, you don’t want to hear it 10 times! You totally get what I’m trying to do ! Ron

Did you change seat or suspension? Ron

@@jag64mol Change the front and rear suspension with Nitron racing suspension. Put a full Zard exhaust on. Flashed The ECU with a DNK Tune for the 660 triple. Added Denali T3 back plate lights for more night visibility. Heated grips. Hand guards. Motor guards. front fork protectors. Rear stand Bobbins. Sponge grips. I left the seat stock but added a small Air Hawk for my tired ass 😂 Thinking of taking it to a bike seat upholsterer though. I would like to make it nicer looking and more comfortable. Added Ducati throttle spacers to take up the throttle slop. Front fog lights. USB port with phone mount. trickle charger. heated clothing port. PIAA horn... nice and loud. Left the brakes alone for now. Might go for at 17 tooth front sprocket but riding the bike with the new tune, suspension and pipes before I decide. I feel the bike is a bit short shifting in 1st-2nd. also bought all the stock luggage for rode trips. will probably add the nicer Triumph adjustable levers. All in all it's a totally different bike from the one I bought. light, faster and torque for days in all six gears. I absolutely love it and highly recommend the DNK ECU flash tune. They have poor customer service but the tune is awesome!

Wow! I was in the dealer today looking at their so-called comfort seat. Just looking at it and sitting on it at the dealer, I don’t think it made any sense. I’ve had Corbin‘s and I think they’re over priced and ugly. I’ve had custom-made seats in the past where I demanded that they follow my directions. Hard to do! My basic plan was to keep some of the stock foam near the base and then I would add a layer of 3/8 inch REI type foam used for under sleeping bags. This would’ve add a layer that was dense and hard .helps keep it from compressing too far. Then I would add a little foam on top of that. I would also tend to make it flat and wide so you can move around all over. The three layer foam would compress lightly from the soft foam but then hit the hard layer and stop.These seats were not only can comfortable But worked for a long long time. Unfortunately my upholstery guru died. Regarding the short first gear, I routinely start in second gear. Not 100% of the time but maybe 20 or 30%. I’ve also started it in higher gears just to prove I could ! This motor is very flexible and will handle this kind of abuse and as far as the clutch I really don’t think it’s a problem. After 60 years of riding I’ve never worn out a clutch. I’m impressed with all of your changes. I always hesitate to make a lot of changes because I feel I have failed too often. I loved my street triple but as I got older it got painful and I thought about changing a lot of things but couldn’t work up the courage. Thanks a lot for your comments. Ron

@@jag64mol yah, the stock seat is not very good. The Air Hawk helps a lot but not loving the look. I think getting the seat properly padded by an upholsterer will be the way to go and with some nice stitching it will look much better too. I have a guy near me to reach out to next week. He does cars and bikes. Honestly what was Triumph thinking when they outfitted it with the current seat! I guess they needed to build a bike to a certain price point. Quite frankly the Triumph dealers are just company men IMO. They are not very creative when it comes to after market mods. You really have to do your homework to figure out the best way to bring the bike up to snuff. All the changes I've made to it are what the bike should have come stock with but then we would be pushing 18-20K. I to use second as first in some situations. The ECU flash has really increased the torque so I'm curious what a 17 tooth front sprocket would feel like. A lot of British riders have gone this route. Most importantly I love the bike now. The bike weight is right on point and it fits my 6' 180lb frame perfectly. great bike! Say goodbye to big, heavy and expensive touring bikes 👋

Corbin JUST came out with the custom seat

Thanks. I really wish they would make a street triple sport touring model. I realize it would be more expensive. The street triple was one of my all-time favorite bikes. Also, there are rumors that they will use the tiger 660 sport as the basis for an adventure bike. Could be interesting! Ron.

@jag64mol My wife has toured lots of Europe on her 2015 Street Triple, loves it. She sat on the Tiger Sport 660 at Triumph's Hinckley HQ and found it just a little too tall. She's done 33,000 miles on it with total reliability.

Tail bag works great ! I always use them vs tank bags etc. this is the small Nelson Rigg. Holds everything I need for day ride. Stock screen is not bad. Especially in low position. I plan to do an update and also include some things I forgot when I get some more miles. Thanks for comment. Ron

Nelson Rigg commuter lite. Great bag I have two friends that have the same bag. Ron

Wow! Took ride yesterday and it works! I don’t remember seeing it in the manual. It seems obvious but I guess I missed it. Actually I’m still finding some little quirks about the bike. Usually I know everything there is to know about a bike in the first 500 miles. But at 1500 miles I’m still learning new things. I’ll do an update when I get some more miles. Ron

@@jag64mol any chance you have the OEM heated grips? Mine don’t put out much heat. Had nice ride to lake Poway today. Have 75 miles on bike :)

@@slowsteve3497 didn’t get heated grips. I have had them before and thought they were great for long winter trips. At my age my rides are local 50 to 150 miles. I can be fussy about choosing to ride when weather cooperates! Ron

You should be ok. I’m 6 ft even. I’ve been thinking about the factory comfort seat even though stock seat is decent. It’s fairly inexpensive and about 1/2 inch taller. Also in past I’ve had custom seat made which I usually make a little taller. Ron

@@jag64mol Thanks Ron. I'll keep my pig Super Tenere too but a lighter 1 up tourer would be nice.

I am 5 foot 11 and have no problems with height. My friend rode the bike and he is exactly your height. He had no problems either. I have ridden a lot of bikes and owned a lot. This is one of my favorites. Make sure you withhold judgment about anything till you put 500 miles on it. Everything loosens up. My friend rode the bike twice and commented how much better it was after 1500 miles. Ron

The bike has not had any required maintenance worth talking about at 8300 miles. An oil change and several chain adjustments is pretty much it. So my experience is limited. The bike has a lot of Torx bolts. I bought an inexpensive assortment of torx bolts from Amazon. I really am sold on how great these torx bolts work! Just use a metric driver. there may be a few non torx bolts? I’ll look the bike over. If I see any, I’ll add another comment. Ron

I guess I should have turned it on when I was at the dealership but it was in the showroom and only showed 1 mi on it and when they delivered it today it had an ABS service light on and wouldn't start so they're bringing it back to get it fixed and have to deliver it again I guess later in the week or next week but thank you once again for answering my questions

Tough question! The plus for the Honda is softer more comfortable suspension. 70 miles per gallon!! Also, inexpensive minimal maintenance. The Tiger has the phenomenal three cylinder motor that I love. At 80 hp it does everything I need as far as a motor. The Honda at 47 hp is more than adequate but there were times where I hesitated to pass on the back road because it just took me too long. Also on the freeway the triumph has an advantage at our crazy California highway speeds. Part of the issue with Triumph suspension is that it’s a sport touring bike And a lot of the roads and I like the ride are really beat up. Adventure bikes, work better on that kind of road surface . to complicate matters further Honda is coming out with a new Transalp. Looks very tasty. Possibly the best of both? To answer your question if I was only focused on back road riding, I would probably recommend a Honda for many reasons. If you need the extra power the triumph solves the problem. Triumphs seem to be in good supply and even discounted a little. I haven’t seen a 500 Cbx Honda at a Dealer in quite a while. Good luck. Ron.

@@jag64mol Thanks for your reply!

200 +. Usually, the low fuel light comes on around 160-180. But there is still more than a gallon left. Pays to top off tank when refueling. I usually squeeze in .4 gallons extra without creating problems. Ron

I put 38,000 miles on 1000 cc v strom . It had a custom seed that was great. I put 33,000 miles on my 650 V Strom. I had a Corbin seat on it. I don’t put big miles on my bike anymore so I haven’t noticed a seat problem yet. I didn’t notice the heat but I’ll try to focus on it next ride. I’m going to do an update in a few weeks. Ron

@@jag64mol thank for replying. Appreciated the review. I have my 650 Vstrom since 2006 with 40 miles / 64k kms on it. Amazing bike... and that's why it's a "problem" to replace.

I used to take my wife for rides but a few years ago I decided it was time for her to stop riding. It probably was a wise decision since about a year after that, I was hit by an oncoming motorcycle!! I was very, very lucky and didn’t even go down. The oncoming bike took off the foot peg and foot peg bracket ,the side stand and part of the shift lever. I’m not sure the tiger would be a great two up bike? I’ve got 2700 miles on it and I have really grown to love it. I’ll do an update soon. Probably only the suspension is questionable. A lot of the back roads I like are really beat up. To be fair, a lot of the bikes I’ve had recently are adventure bikes and dual sports. If they made an adventure model out of the tiger 660 I could be really interested. I’m kind of interested in the upcoming Honda Trans Alp. I rode the old Africa twin 750 two different times in Europe. All through the Alps . I loved it. Not crazy about the new Africa twin but the trans alp could be interesting. All in all I think I’m going keep the Tiger sport for a while. Ron

@@jag64mol - I’m having a top box fitted with a view to my wife being an occasional passenger. I’m not planning on long trips at the moment. Yes, safety is at the top of my list of requirements. We will carefully review our trips. Look forward to watching your future video about the Tiger 660.

No. But I’ve been accused of looking like a number of people.

I always wear long pants with knee protection on the bike. I just bought a new pair that have dyNema threads woven in to make them stronger. I’ve worn them in high temperatures and they’re better than other jeans that I have used. I don’t think there’s much heat coming from the engine. I’ve had bikes that instantly toasted your legs!! After 60 years of riding, I’ve only had a few accidents. In one accident, 2 L of oil in a plastic bottle had dropped onto the road and when a car hit it,and spread it all over the road. It wasn’t like I was sliding, the bike just disappeared. I found myself sliding down the road, facedown on my hands and knees for a long, long time. When I got up my gloves had saved my hands, and the kneepads had been ground down a half an inch!! if I hadn’t had those pads on I’m not sure if I would be able to walk 10 years later. Knees are the first thing that hit the ground in a lot of accidents. But I do understand what it’s like to ride in the hot temperatures. I bought an ice vest, that really keeps me cool for about 45 minutes. It was cheap and if I had to do again, I would sew some pockets in an old jacket or vest to use in the summer. Great bike ! good luck. Ron.

tx for the info ...me 20 years enduro raider ...now cb500f maybe later this machine will c...+ one accident i hit street light with knee 3 weeks plaster 🥶

I think you will love the bike. I really believe that a lot of people buy the quick shifter because the transmission is very tight when new. I thought about it when I first bought the bike. However, at about 400-500 miles the transmission loosens up and is easy to shift and not any real issue. I’ve ridden other bikes with Quik shifters and they are really nice. I’ve heard people comment on the shifter for the tiger sport and I’m hearing mixed results. It certainly works. But, I’m not sure it’s as flawless as some of the bikes That come with a factory quick shifter. I recently rode an Aprilia Tuano And the quick shifter was amazing. You can actually hear the throttle blip on every shift. really makes it sound like a race bike. I probably would ride the bike for 4 to 500 miles before I made a decision. Good luck. Ron.

@@jag64mol Thanks Ron of course my sales rep is really pushing it hard and complaining how they are not making much off me!!! lol Can't wait til spring to ride this zippy bike on side streets to work!!!

Thanks! 900 is a great bike. You can’t go wrong with either one. Ron.

Could be overfilled with oil.