[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Triumph has officially teased the upcoming Tiger Sport 660, based on the Trident platform. The production version will be unveiled by October 2021, and could make it to Indian markets next year.

Tiger Sport 660 will be powered by a retuned, inline3 motor from the Trident.

https://youtu.be/Lra_6gvqSn4

[AtheK]

Looks pretty nice and well proportioned, this one if priced well, could really get some good numbers.

[Axe77]

https://youtu.be/MtgAcwaIhog

Here’s a good overview by Rohit Paradkar.

This is actually an excellent addition to Triumph’s broad product range. If they can get the pillion comfort and size right, it can be a great (and importantly less size intimidating) alternative to the Versys 650 and hopefully cheaper offering to the VStrom too.

Let’s see how this comes out. Potentially a great first ADV for people with a 650 segment budget

[neil.jericho]

Now this looks a lot more promising, than the Trident does! I think the Tiger Sport 660's success (or lack of it) in the Indian market is all going to come down to the pricing.

Right now the ex showroom price of some of its competition looks like
- Honda CB500X : Rs 6.87 L
- Triumph Trident 660 : Rs 6.95 L
- Kawasaki Versys 650 : Rs 7.15 L
- Suzuki VStrom 650 : Rs 8.84 L
- Kawasaki Versys 1000 : Rs 11.55 L
- Triumph Tiger 850 : Rs 11.95 L

So where will Triumph slot in the Tiger Sport 660? At Rs 7.5 L to Rs 7.75 L ex-showroom? That will take it well beyond the Rs 10L mark in several states, which is a lot of money for a small(ish) road based tourer.

It will face a lot of heat from the pre-owned market. Used Triumph Tiger 800's are going 70 - 80% of that price and they are arguably a lot more bike per rupee.

Among new bikes, I think the Triumph will have to wage a dual pronged war. At an on road price below Rs 9 L, the Honda CB500X starts making a lot of sense for veteran tourers who dont want a big and heavy bike. So the small and light and affordable battle is not going to be easy to win for the Trident 660. Yes, it will make a lot more power than the CB500X but this market (as minuscule as it is) isnt going to be looking at chest thumping numbers.

And the excellent Versys 650 is going to undercut the Tiger Sport 660 as well. The Versys will likely be roomier, more comfortable for rider and pillion, has a ton of accessories in the market, and could be cheaper to own and run.

For someone looking for a more substantial looking (and feeling) road tourer, with a bigger budget in mind, the Versys 1000 and the Tiger 850 become very appealing options.

I wish Triumph had priced the Trident at Rs 6.49 L and then they would have had the room to price the Tiger Sport at Rs 7.25 L. Now that would have been a gamechanger and these two bikes could have turned around their sales fortunes. Last month's dispatch thread for July 2021 had only 5 units of the Trident. Hope this is just a one off for the British brand.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I think the Tiger Sport 660's success (or lack of it) in the Indian market is all going to come down to the pricing. Last month's dispatch thread for July 2021 had only 5 units of the Trident. Hope this is just a one off for the British brand.

Neil, one of your posts previously highlighted the dangers of Triumph cannibalizing its own sales with the variety of bikes it has launched. I agree with you on your latest post.

Pricing wise, unless the Sport 660 is in the 7 - 7.5 lacs, it doesn't make sense. Versys, Vstorm and used Tigers are well positioned and have strong demand. Its tough to break into this market unless pricing is sharp.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by no_fear

Pricing wise, unless the Sport 660 is in the 7 - 7.5 lacs, it doesn't make sense. Versys, Vstorm and used Tigers are well positioned and have strong demand.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

It will face a lot of heat from the pre-owned market. Used Triumph Tiger 800's are going 70 - 80% of that price and they are arguably a lot more bike per rupee.

While I agree that used Tigers will give this a run for its money and are much better value, there are two segments where the baby Tiger may score.

1. First time buyers:

I have been speaking with a few off late and while they are more than open to consider buying used, being first time buyers they constantly gravitate back to buying NEW for peace of mind, comfort etc. Many of these folks may well pick the 660 on that count.

2. Buyers with Loans:

Getting a loan for a used bike over 3-4 years is not as easy as a new bike loan and definitely costlier as well. There are enough purchasers who need to take a bank loan for these bikes and they too may prefer / find it easier borrowing for a new bike as opposed to for a 4-5 year old bike.

[Kashi053]

First look pics are out.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CS--tfQI...dium=copy_link

[ToThePoint]

Looks good and seems to have far better road presence than the Trident.

Wonder why they didn't give any thought towards pillion comfort though. He/She would still be sitting on those grab rails. Is the platform so restrictive?

Let's see how Triumph prices this one.

[a_chelat]

Looks well proportioned (from the pictures, at least), unlike the Trident which was underwhelming in person. With the Road 5 tyres, this is definitely more of a sports tourer than a baby adv. Would still meet most buyers' requirements and I feel this would do decent numbers.

The only thing I didn't is that pillion comfort still looks iffy.

[Pd_007]

Was hoping the pillion seat would have been better considering it being a " tourer ", I don't think a pillion would be able to sit comfortably. Despite this issue on the already existing Trident, wonder why they didn't improve up on the pillion seating/comfort.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by ToThePoint

Looks good and seems to have far better road presence than the Trident.

Wonder why they didn't give any thought towards pillion comfort though. He/She would still be sitting on those grab rails. Is the platform so restrictive?

Let's see how Triumph prices this one.

Ya this one still looks like a single seater at best. The pillion will not feel welcome for any long ride. A top box accessory where the pillion can probably use it as back rest may help, that will also make sure that they do not fear falling off the bike.

The bike though has road presence and will feel at home with big bikes mentioned by Neil, unlike the trident, which is just a small bike with a nice engine. Pricing will be Achilles heel too, add to it the maintenance cost of Triumph which is higher then the Kawasaki or Honda.

That said I am really happy the way the market is evolving, if we keep getting new launches like this quickly, market will soon have something for varied budgets. Good times.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Pricing will be Achilles heel too, add to it the maintenance cost of Triumph which is higher then the Kawasaki or Honda.

I was going to comment to Axe77's post with this. Axe raised some very good points but I was wondering if the lure of Triumph for first timers can be tempered with the lower service costs of the Japanese.

At least with the Japanese bikes, there are independent service centers that can do a decent job. For Triumph, its dealer service. Also how is the availability of parts?

[Axe77]

Agree with everyone’s points on cost of buying.

Also agree on the observations by many re pillion comfort. It still doesn’t look pillion friendly by touring bike standards. I’m not sure we can call this a Versys killer - that bike is astoundingly good for 2 up touring.
____________

Originally Posted by no_fear

I was wondering if the lure of Triumph for first timers can be tempered with the lower service costs of the Japanese.

At least with the Japanese bikes, there are independent service centers that can do a decent job. For Triumph, its dealer service. Also how is the availability of parts?

Originally Posted by AtheK

Pricing will be Achilles heel too, add to it the maintenance cost of Triumph which is higher then the Kawasaki or Honda.
.

Coming to the quoted bits, at least in Mumbai I have the clear understanding that Triumph is cheaper than Kawasakis on the service cost front and at best comparable - definitely not higher. This is validated to me through multiple sources. The only brand cheaper than Triumph would likely be the Honda and we all know what retail price predicaments are around Hondas.

Secondly, one can easily take even a Triumph to a SBK garage just like any Japanese and its not only for FNGs. I would take my bike for any work to Zubin for instance in a heartbeat in Mumbai. In fact there are times when he has done some minor work on my bike I think. I’ll be surprised if its any different in other major cities. It’s just that I am so happy with Triumph official service I haven’t really had to take it elsewhere for anything much.

Finally for the first time buyers I was referring to, I was only stating possible preference vis a vis used Tigers. Some of them tend to prefer “new”, regardless of which brand. I didn’t mean they would prefer a new Triumph over a new Kawasaki or Suzuki, per se.

Hope this clarifies.

[a_chelat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsXnzDymwtg

Undisguised images are out. Looks really nice, IMO.




More images here - https://www.motorbeam.com/scoop-triu...y-undisguised/

[neil.jericho]

Great points from everyone!

The tires could prove to also be the biggest difference maker in the long run, with respect to ownership costs of the Tiger Sport vs its similarly priced competition. The Trident and Tiger Sport 660 use 180/55 - 17 tires at the rear. The Versys 650 uses the 160/60 - 17 tires at the rear. I dont recall the latest pricing of the 120+ 160 combos but the 120+ 180 combos with 2021 manufacturing were retailing for an eye watering Rs 42 - 45K recently.

For regular services at the dealerships, my assumption was that the Versys would be cheaper to service but I dont have latest bills from Kawasaki and Triumph, to back this up.

Also for regular services at an FNG, the Versys should be cheaper since it uses less engine oil (1.8 litres) as compared to the Trident (2.8 litres) with the change of the oil filters. Both figures taken from the owners manual that is available online.

On the pillion seat being small, Triumph would know how well these this variation of the 660 platform will sell. Its all down to pounds and pennies and the cost of re-engineering the 660 platform would not have balanced out the sales that they would have seen. Also if they made it genuinely comfortable for 2 up road riding, they would have effectively eliminated their Tiger 850 and to some extent, the 900 GT as well. So I would say the decision to keep the 660s small is quite deliberate! If you want more, you have to pay more!

Originally Posted by no_fear

At least with the Japanese bikes, there are independent service centers that can do a decent job. For Triumph, its dealer service. Also how is the availability of parts?

Incidentally, just today a Triumph owner from Pune shared that parts availability has become unpredictable. Some are easily available while others are taking upto 2 months. Also their electronic parts have become more costly now.