[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Breakfast ride on Mysore Expressway

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Anyways, more on that in future posts. Thanks for reading... Next update would most likely be one more from the old timeline, this time a long one - Bangalore to Trivandrum and back.

Before I get to the Trivandrum ride, there was this one small breakfast ride on July 1st - done with the sole intention of riding on the Mysore Expressway. The highway was about to be closed for two wheeler traffic, so the two of us (My friend joined with his Honda CB500X) took the expressway till Maddur, had breakfast and Tiffany's and headed back.

Nothing much to mention for the day (except that the expressway ride confirmed his itch of needing a more powerful machine than the 500X), just some random clicks during a small water break at NICE road.

[KarthikK]

I am a bit late to the party, but better late than never
Hearty congratulations on this near-perfect, lightweight adventure tourer with that creamy triple motor to form a complete package for a long and fun-filled ownership review. Thanks for sharing this amazingly compiled ownership review and your comparison of this 'Red Panther' with the Versys, one can easily make out every word written from the heart with your passion to further your evolved motorcycle journey after the Versys 650 era.

Having seen your T660 in action over the past few rides, it is impressive how versatile it can be - can easily keep up with high speed action on the expressways, handle some light offroad patches to explore deeper territories, or commute to office pottering along peacefully in Bangalore traffic, all while being light weight and offering that street-bike-like stance for maximum confidence.

The first owner was a very generous guy - all nice OE accessories pre-fitted and kept ready for you to grab with the bike purchase, lol! All you need now is one nice Arrow exhaust to grab some eyeballs while on the move

P.S - Great pics and ride reports as always!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

The OE USB charger from Triumph (installed by the previous owner) was placed under the seat on top of the battery. Very inconvenient location and I never used it so far! So finally decided to pull a wire to the handlebar- under the fairing and zip tied to the chassis.

Hope this setup works for the long run!

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I am a bit late to the party, but better late than never

Thanks KK. Party started with you only anyways.

Once again, thank you for pushing me towards this bike. Now the goal is to experience it as much as possible just like you do with your bikes! Fingers crossed for the best.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

All you need now is one nice Arrow exhaust to grab some eyeballs while on the move

Can do, but... Kerala Police!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Bangalore - Trivandrum - Bangalore. ~1570 kms

Happy Dussehra / Vijayadashami! This ride, however, happened in the first week of July. Penning it down now thanks to the extended holidays.

I had planned to ride to Trivandrum once I got the bike, so I could share the happiness with parents as well. Last time around with the Versys - I did the crazy approach of riding 1600+ kms on the same day, spending lunch time with them. This time however, I took it easy and spent a week at Trivandrum

The Tiger Sport lived upto the expectations - the seat may not be as comfortable as the Versys, but over the long run the bike proved to be even more fun and inviting. Another great advantage over the Versys was the panniers, which are so much more convenient than the saddlebags I had. Are panniers worth the price over saddlebags? Not sure, but thankfully the previous owner paid for it - not me.

(OT: I would need a tail bag next, one that I can use on both the Tiger as well as the Aerox. Suggestions welcome please.)

Would I be able to do a 1600km day as with the Versys? Not sure - but an 800+ day sure was easy enough.

This was also the first time I used panniers. Hence prepared them the previous night and made sure nothing is moving





Part - 1: Krishnagiri breakfast meet up

There was no breakfast ride planned that day and most of us were in different locations - hence decided to just meet up at Krishnagiri for breakfast. deepfreak15 was the first to arrive (from Salem no less!) with his brand (then) new RC390, followed by ebmrajesh on his KTM Adventure 390 and shaikhmimran on his Suzuki VStrom 650.

Post breakfast, the other three headed back north to Bangalore whereas I carried on further south.

Excellent efficiency after reaching Krishnagiri- thanks to all the downhill action.



Few clicks while waiting for the others to arrive.







deepfreak15 was the first to arrive with his brand new RC390-







Few pictures of the two bikes, while waiting for the others to join -







Soon the others joined. A quick photoshoot before breakfast:









Part - 2: Onward leg to Trivandrum

I continued riding to Trivandrum, while the others returned to Bangalore:



Small break at CCD, Kovilpetti to escape from the scorching heat:



Crossing the beautiful new bypass to Nagercoil:



Even with the panniers mounted - the Tiger Sport looks very petite and proportionate IMHO. It sure does catch attention, but does not look intimidating.



Home sweet home by around 5pm in the evening:



Good FE of 22.6 for the onward journey



Atleast the cat was happy to see me. Lol!



Few random pictures of the bike from the next few days of stay at Trivandrum:











Was cleaning the chain for the return journey when heavy rain started. Had to abandon the bike and run inside and let the rain do a proper testing of the panniers. Thankfully, found just two drops inside and even that i was not sure if it fell when i opened.



One last garage click before the return run to Bangalore:



Part - 3: Return leg back to Bangalore

Started by 5am as usual to avoid traffic inside Kerala. Was able to cross into TN before sunrise itself:



Breakfast at my usual stop, Hotel Udupi International, Nagercoil:





Few more clicks from around Nagercoil:









Lunch was at Salem. I had recently developed a liking for this place - Salem RR Biryani (part of the Saravana Bhavan group).



Reason for it - cool Jigirthanda. Not only is it tasty and sweet, it also helps cool down the body for a bit longer as well.



775 kms for the return leg:



Good efficiency of 22.2 kmpl for the return. Overall, the Tiger Sport seems to be 1-2 kmpl more efficient than the Versys for similar speeds.



Later on by end July - I did another Trivandrum to Bangalore ride, this time on the Aerox 155 scooter. That log is here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5595115 (Ownership Review | 2022 Yamaha Aerox 155 | Racing Blue)

But before that I also did a beautiful weekend ride to Chikmagalur with the group by mid July. That log should be coming up next in the old timeline.

Once again, Happy Dussehra / Vijayadashami!

[100Kmphormore]

Great ride pictures. The highways are fantastic from Nagercoil to Bengaluru - 120-140 kmph is easily doable. How are the vibrations compared to Versys upwards of 5000 rpm?

Any particular reason as to why you had to route through Nagercoil? It diverts away from the direction of KA towards Kanyakumari. Have seen atleast 2 others take the same route instead of Thenmala - Rajapalayam - Madurai, which is quite doable as I found out during my Varkala to Bengaluru ride.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Great ride pictures. The highways are fantastic from Nagercoil to Bengaluru - 120-140 kmph is easily doable. How are the vibrations compared to Versys upwards of 5000 rpm?

Thank you.

I think 110-120 marks for the sweet spot for me - nothing to do with the machine - just a personal preference. I usually have the same cruising speed in the car as well - (also to avoid the 120kmph beeps).

The triple is very refined and that is one of the first comments given by everyone who has ridden the bike so far. Talking of only refinement - the twins and singles are no match and only the Ninja 1000 in our group could be smoother.

But over the longer 500km journeys, you do feel a light tingly feeling in the hands that make you realize there could be a buzz in the handlebars afterall. Grip puppies were able to solve this and I didn't face it the second time I did Trivandrum and back.

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Any particular reason as to why you had to route through Nagercoil? It diverts away from the direction of KA towards Kanyakumari. Have seen atleast 2 others take the same route instead of Thenmala - Rajapalayam - Madurai, which is quite doable as I found out during my Varkala to Bengaluru ride.

I prefer Nagercoil route over Thenmala 90% of the time, and the probability is only going to increase once the last remaining 30kms of two lane section gets converted to 4 lane near Nagercoil.

I have done the Thenmala - Rajapalayam - Madurai route many times, two round trips on the Versys and many a time in the car. It is good for a relaxed drive and I would suggest this route to someone doing this journey for pleasure, once. For repeated drives/rides, Nagercoil route is more relaxing, just as fast (though distance is more, but road quality is excellent), safer and offers far more options for food and rest.

I might take the Rajapalayam route occasionally when returning from Trivandrum though - when the mind is more relaxed and fresh early in the morning to hit the ghats and take in the forest scenery.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

A very cheap, yet value-add accessory that got delivered today morning - I had this on the Versys as well and really liked how it helped take some pressure off the fingers and also helped keep my grip loose.

Even though this was a re-order of the exact same item that i had on the Versys, the plastic quality seems to have moved to the cheaper side as with the pricing. I'm not happy with the plastic quality but will anyways will monitor for a ride and see if I need to order some other brand.



Also looking at quick throttle options, but unable to find any - even in the UK websites. Any suggestions welcome.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Rajesh's N1k fell victim to some large nail, or we suspect some leftover screws from.road markers. Getting that sorted took about two hours and turned out to be a royal pain even though the tyre shop was just 200meters from the place we got stuck, thanks to being on two sides of the barricade.

One cheap, yet extremely helpful device that came in handy during this situation was a small connector - A Battery Alligator Crocodile Clips to Female Car Cigarette Lighter Socket Connector. This was something I always carried on the Versys and thankfully the new owner (our friend Maha) never removed it from under the seat during his ownership period.

You see the portable compressor we manage to retrieve was a high powered one and directly plugging it in to the 12V socket of the Ninja or the Versys would have most likely blown the fuse, resulting in even further woes for us. This helped bypass the fuse and power the compressor directly from the battery.

Ordered one and kept it handy under the seat of the Tiger Sport 660 once again. It will come in handy for regular air checks at home, but hopefully won't run into emergency situations were it is needed.

PS: Perhaps there should be a thread on the cheap, yet value-add accessories for bikes as is the case with cars.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Happy 1st birthday!

My Tiger Sport 660 turns one today. 7/11/2022 was when the original owner took delivery of the bike, even though i bought it 6 months later in May.

I was reminded of this by the nice folks at Oriental Insurance and PUC board. So yes, happy birthday to my Tiger Sport 660!

Service booking

One year mark also brings up the annual service and since I have an AMC with Keerthi till the next year end - booked with them only with all the apprehension. Slot received for next Monday, fingers crossed.

I had a decent experience with them the last time and Jaydev especially has been excellent in his interactions so far - so will try to take his help and not any of the other famous names that gives Keerthi the reputation it has.

MAP sensor recall

Triumph Motorcycles has initiated a recall for the Trident 660 and the Tiger Sport 660 for malfunctioning Manifold Air Pressure (MAP) sensor. This issue could further lead to the ECU receiving incorrect reading data and thereby stalling the engine - although I haven't been affected by this issue in any way.

Replacing the map hose replace seems to be half a day's work. The tank, airbox, throttle body and all needs to be removed to replace the map hose and sensor. So it's unlikely that I'll be getting the bike on the same day, with Service also completed.

In other news - Keerthi Triumph seems to have opened a separate center for the 400s right opposite the currently facility. So that reduce some volumes from the existing overcrowded facility.

Insurance Renewal

Checked with my usual guy on the insurance renewal and got a quote of 13,793 for an IDV of 7.72L. Additional to the IDV of the vehicle, accessories have been included too - as these OEM accessories are very expensive if needed to be replaced. 1.52L worth of non-electrical accessories plus 27k of electrical accessories were added to the policy.

I was on the way to office when he asked for pics to be submitted. Here are some quick snaps taken for submission to Oriental Insurance.

Small yet value add items

1. Shoe protectors - For the occasional situations were I have to take it out for local runs. Usually I do wear my Woodlands for those scenarios, but even those get discoloured (not eaten!) by the gear lever in the long run.



2. Helmets Action cam mounts - Didn't want to do permanent glue fixtures on the Shoei as I had done on my earlier MT Revenge. Hence got these from Amazon and they seem to be very sturdy - yet to try it out on a ride though!

How the mount looks on my primary helmet - The Shoei GT Air 2:



And the city helmet - the MT Thunder3 SV:

Riding Gear Update - Forma Adventure Low

Better half picked up these boots for herself - the Forma Adventure Low.



Damage to the wallet - 20,250/- after some club discounts she got through a riding group she had recently joined. Not bad - that's a cool 2k off compared to the pricing on most websites currently.

I had the full sized Forma Adventure boots for the past five years and they did a very good job indeed. Hence the repeat purchase, albeit this time for her.

Next up - time to replace her old HJC CS14 with something better! Looking for options now.

Office Duties - A wonderful daily ride!

One of the best aspects of the Tiger Sport 660 is how easy and nimble it is to manage in city traffic - I use it as my daily to office more often than not now. The Jeep comes in handy whenever there is a chance of rain in the morning - can't wear raincoats while going to office, return is ok. With the Versys, I always had doubts in my mind for its city capabilities, parking and all - but no second thoughts need for taking the Tiger Sport.

IMHO - this would probably be one of the easiest to manage ADVs priced north of the KTM 390 Adventure.

The Triumph showroom experience and the Speed Triple 1200RS

Meanwhile, visited Keerthi Triumph for checking out the Streetfighter triples for a friend. He is looking for a fun bike to join his practical CB500X. I also took the opportunity to take a short city TD of the Speed Triple 1200 RS and the Katana (no pics from that encounter). He eventually ended up booking the Street Triple 765RS though- after test riding options like the Suzuki Katana, Kawasaki Z900, Ducati Monster 821 etc.

The scene at Keerthi Triumph these days! Thankfully atleast the top floor is dedicated to the big bikes.



TD of the Speed Triple 1200RS: I just had a short spin around MG road and the acceleration was just impossible to experience even with minimal traffic on a Sunday morning. Felt flickable and very well balanced in weight - for what is a bike from well above litre class displacement class.

The biggest pain point I noticed was the heat - but not the usual wave of heat as with most big bikes. In the Speed Triple, that portion of metal frame below the tank gets very very hot and for me - that's exactly where my knee was rubbing when trying to hold the tank. Felt like a hot rod in constant contact with the leg.

Biggest reason for not opting for it was the low sales. The bike sold 4-5 units, pan India, for the entire year. My friend thought it was too much of a risk - where he already was taking a huge leap of faith with Triumph India.







Street Triple 765RS in yellow that he ended up booking finally:

Exhaust Mod?

Almost everyone who has seen or heard the bike asked for when the exhaust is getting purchased, a question I never used to get on the charecterless parallel twin sound of the Versys.

After KarthikK also suggested it above, I did some research and finally landed on this VFM product - https://www.tecbikeparts.com/product...s-trident-660/. Seems like they have quite a reputation and popularity among the Trident / Tiger Sport 660 riders abroad.

Sounds really good too - and is supposed to bring a 3hp gain.

https://youtu.be/swGUWgBLn2g?si=Qq5CQVFzc8bCNJwm

https://youtu.be/ba0gel4nHEU?si=_U8DruBdNi_yRAQY

But then I contacted Tec Bike parts UK and came to know the don't ship to India because Speedmonks is the distributor for India. And upon contacting Speedmonks - I'm looking at a 76k quote for the TEC Fang 3-1 Full Stainless / Carbon Exhaust System for Triumph Tiger Sport 660 with the DB killer/ Quiet baffle.

Not very happy with how £340 is becoming 76k INR, but this is still much cheaper than most options available in the market.

Not decided if an exhaust mod is worth it - never ridden a bike with a loud (with DB killers only I mean) exhaust before. So not sure if it's worth the pain and hassle. Suggestions welcome.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Breakfast ride to Mallappa Konda

- a small photodump:

This ride happened in July. Mallappa Konda witnesses the confluence of the three states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The lush green surroundings and the beautiful locale made for a relaxed weekend break fast ride. 5 bikes joined this ride - KarthikK on his brand new Ninja 400, ebmrajesh on his KTM 390 Adventure, csentil on his Royal Enfield Meteor 350 and our friend Maha on his Versys 650.

The confluence of the three states as depicted in the maps. This would be my first visit to Mallappa Konda.



The confluence point as seen from the top of the hills



Our bikes parked atop the hill:









Also the opportunity to take a couple of shots of my bike as well







This was my first ride with KarthikK's brand new Ninja 400:



Some pictures of all the bikes while heading back to Krishnagiri:













For breakfast at Krishnagiri:



This one has immense road presence, thanks to that KRT colour scheme:



Also used the opportunity to click my old and new steeds together, pictures already posted once on the front page of this ownership report

[kratswat]

That parking lot looks an awful lot like the Amazon parking space in BLR 21/Deloitte building! As a fellow Triumph-ant rider, i think we may share more than our bikes?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Got a couple of PM queries on the boot purchase in the above post - so mentioning here as well if that is of benefit to anyone.

These were purchased from 6kiom in Kasturba Road, Bangalore.

Price mentioned above was discounted price for a riding group bulk purchase, not sure about the current pricing and if that offer will be applicable now.

Originally Posted by kratswat

That parking lot looks an awful lot like the Amazon parking space in BLR 21/Deloitte building! As a fellow Triumph-ant rider, i think we may share more than our bikes?

Small world.

My profile does not require full time presence in office, but I do visit a couple of times a week. If I'm around, you can see the bike / car parked there.

Would be good to catch up sometime

[kratswat]

Haha small world indeed! Would love to meet up and ride sometime. Not able to figure out how to DM though.

[gauravdgr8]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Small world.

My profile does not require full time presence in office, but I do visit a couple of times a week. If I'm around, you can see the bike / car parked there.

Would be good to catch up sometime

Let's make that a 3 way connect . I am in BLR 22 once a month.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by gauravdgr8

Let's make that a 3 way connect . I am in BLR 22 once a month.

Haha! This is getting interesting indeed

Do let me know when you visit the next time around.

Originally Posted by kratswat

Haha small world indeed! Would love to meet up and ride sometime. Not able to figure out how to DM though.

DM option will be automatically enabled once the initial 25 posts are over.