2025 Triumph Tiger Sport 660 Review

In the myriad of mid-weight (sub-900cc) sports touring segment, one bike stands out as a unique option, Triumph’s Tiger Sport 660, which is an outlier as the only inline three-cylinder machine.

In the sea of crossplane parallel twins (see Yamaha Tracer 7, Suzuki V-Strom 800 RE, Honda XL750 Transalp), having a triple in the mix adds a slightly more exotic option. To find out how the updated bike handles, we’ve headed out for a one-day test on the updated machine, testing it back-to-back with the already reviewed Triumph Trident 660.

What’s new with the Triumph Tiger Sport 660

The really big news for the 2025 bike is, like as with the 2025 Trident 660 we already reviewed, the Tiger Sport 660 gains an IMU, meaning cornering ABS and lean-sensitive traction control. The braking hardware remains the same as before, with two-piston Nissin calipers working on the front wheel, and the ABS is non-adjustable and can’t be turned off via the TFT.

The bike now boasts a Sport riding mode, sharpening up the throttle response. The new riding mode is joined by the two existing Rain and Road modes, which remain the same as before.

Further bolstering the bike's appeal, especially among sportier riders, is the addition of a quickshifter which is fitted as standard on the 2025 edition of the bike. It’s the tried and tested Triumph Shift Assist system which is being used, that was formerly a £335 option on the previous generation bike. Another sensible addition, and one you couldn’t add before, is cruise control, with Triumph bringing its simple and fuss-free single-button cruise control system to the Tiger Sport 660.

The final update is one that we’ve seen rolling out as standard on most of Triumph’s new models, Bluetooth connectivity. The My Triumph Connectivity system means you can now link up your phone and control calls and music, and get turn-by-turn navigation on the neat LED/TFT dash.

Price, colours and availability

The new bike comes in four new colours with updated graphics. Colour options are Sapphire Black (£8,995) or from three premium colours: Roulette Green, Carnival Red or Crystal White, each of which costs £9,095 OTR. Bikes are ready to go in UK dealerships - find your nearest dealership here.

The Tiger Sport 660 (and its cousin the Trident 660, Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X, and the Speed Twin 900) are bikes at the centre of Triumph's Ticket to Ride initiative, which gives new riders a helping hand thanks to new bike incentives. In the case of the Speed Twin 900, Tiger Sport 660 and Trident 660, riders who have passed their motorcycle test within the last 12 months to claim up to £500 contribution towards the purchase of their new bike. Riders picking the Speed 400 or Scrambler 400 X can benefit from £250 off the purchase price.

More information on this can be found on the official website.

What’s it like to ride

When it launched in 2021, the Tiger Sport 660 was lauded by the press, for its smooth revving and easy to ride engine. There were a few negatives pointed out, though, with the lack of an IMU and no sporty riding mode being the biggest two of them. Well, people asked, and it seems as though Triumph has listened, as today I’m stood outside Triumph’s UK HQ and the new model does indeed have those boxes, plus many more, ticked.

Hopping on the bike and it’s all much as it was before, with only the discreetly mounted cruise control button highlighting this as a 2025 edition. Pulling out of the carpark and into the sea of articulated lorries on the A5, we head off for a crisp morning blast on the baby sports tourer.

And I say baby sports tourer, but it’s actually not, really. It feels roomy enough for my 5-foot-7-inch frame, and the pillion seat is actually fairly expansive. It also doesn’t feel cheap in any way, which is a neat trick from Triumph. The switchgear, rider controls, and the general fit and finish of the bike are just like you’d expect from the Hinckley brand.

With the traffic left behind, we thread our way through Leicestershire and head toward our lunch stop at Rutland Water, and with some of the twistiest and nicest roads in the region in front of us, one of the Tiger Sport 660’s trump cards is starting to make itself felt. This thing is so supremely easy to ride. The spread of mid-range is so wide and flat (a claimed 90 per cent available throughout the rev range) that it really doesn’t care if you pull out of a tighter corner a gear or two higher than is ideal. And instead of faltering, stuttering, shuddering or chugging, the little triple just pulls, cleanly and without any fuss.

That’s not to say it doesn’t reward being ridden in a more dynamic manner, and with the Triumph Shift Assist system working faultlessly up and down the gearbox, it’s just as happy to have you keeping it right in the sweet spot of the torque and power. In doing this, you’ll also be rewarded with that unique exhaust note, something you don’t get anywhere else in the sector.

The handling of this new bike is very much as it was before, as aside from the inclusion of IMU controlled ABS and traction control (which you should only need if it goes wrong), the chassis hardware is all as it was. It is though, a very sweetly handling bike, agile around town but composed and plush when you start to push on. Our riding day took in the B664 from Uppingham to Market Harborough, which is one of my favourite roads in the Midlands. With its mix of fast sweepers, tight hairpins and large elevation changes, the only real change I felt from the outgoing bike was that I had more confidence on the brakes, especially in some of the downhill hairpins. Granted, this was more of a psychological advantage, as I felt safer in the knowledge that I had the IMU support, but it was there nonetheless.

It also highlighted the only real negative points I have about the bike, and it’s something I noticed while also riding the similarly specced Trident 660 earlier in the day. Firstly, it’s the front brake. A pair of two-piston calipers on a bike like this feels like a compromise, and in my mind, the front brakes lack a little initial bite and could benefit from a nicer, less spongy lever feel. The second negative is around the new Sport riding mode. Switching up from the standard Road riding mode (which was previously the sportiest fitted to the bike) and you get a throttle map that feels only marginally more direct than the Road riding mode, and still not quite where I’d want it to be for proper dynamic riding.

The final update for the 2025 bike is the My Triumph Connectivity, which I didn’t use on the day, but have used on my long-term test bike, the Tiger Sport 800. It’s relatively easy to set up, pair the bike, then the app, drop in the destination and off you go. The only issue I’ve found is that occasionally the app will stop directing me if my phone locks while it is in my pocket. I’ve since fitted a Quadlock mount to my bike, which should help to prevent that happening.

Tiger Sport 660 Verdict

Triumph’s little Tiger Sport yet again hits a sweet spot in the mid-weight sports tourer segment. It’s fast, fun, effortlessly easy to ride, and now has pretty much all the kit you’ll need, and a spec sheet to match. It’s also superbly comfortable, extremely versatile, and when you push on, highly entertaining to ride. It also does a thing that not many other bikes at this price point can do, and that’s hide any and all the cost-saving measures away, and whether you’re riding it, or simply gazing at the thing, it looks and feels every inch a premium bike.