Most of you know by now that Triumph is expanding its new 660 platform to at least three products. After the successful launch of the Trident, the next motorcycle in line is the Tiger Sport 660 and the Brit brand has now given us a complete low-down on what to expect. The only thing missing is the motorcycle itself, so read on to find everything you need to know about the Tiger Sport 660.
Sport" is the keyword
This is a Tiger Sport - meaning it isn't an off-road-focused motorcycle like a Tiger 900. The Tiger Sport models are typically sport-tourers in Triumph's lineage, come with plenty of fairing and bodywork for better aerodynamics and weather protection than their comparatively minimalist adventure siblings. The Tiger Sport models have more in common with Triumph's roadsters than off-road vehicles and the new Tiger Sport 660 follows that tradition.
During our presentation, Triumph repeatedly mentioned that the Tiger Sport 660 is not made for the rough terrain or the green lanes and is a road-biased motorcycle like the Kawasaki Versys 650 that it will contend with. To that effect, it rides on the 17-inch wheels and Michelin Pilot Road 5 tyres similar to the Trident 660, which means that you would get more options for sticky tarmac rubber, but limited options for the slippery terrain.
Key segment-firsts
That said, the Tiger Sport 660 will come with a segment-first switchable traction control system for the added safety net when touring on tricky road conditions like ours (and Britain's). It features ride-by-wire and with it come two riding modes - Road and Rain, with the latter dulling down the throttle response. The Tiger Sport 660 gets instrumentation that is pretty much similar to the Trident, but with a different casing to go with the sharp exterior styling. The instrumentation can be mated to the Triumph connectivity module for controlling your phone, helmet communication device and a GoPro action camera. The other segment first is, of course, the unique three-cylinder engine which promises Street Triple levels of enthusiasm and the enigmatic soundtrack that its rivals can't match.
The numbers
The 660cc engine puts out the same power and torque - 81PS and 64Nm - at the same rev range and has output curves similar to the Trident 660. With more than 50Nm of torque available from as low a 3,600rpm, the Tiger Sport should theoretically pull effortlessly in most riding scenarios even with a pillion and luggage. Triumph even assures a class-leading top-end performance. More on that with a road test. The Tiger 660 has a lower power to weight ratio, because of the additional bodywork, a larger 17.2l tank and changes to the chassis amount to a 17kg increase in the wet weight. But Triumph claims that the Tiger Sport 660 still manages a slightly better fuel economy of 4.5l/100km, and therefore a touring range of 350km should be achievable.
The chassis
The Tiger Sport 660 uses the same steel tubular frame as the Trident but has a different subframe that is designed to accommodate three-piece panniers along with a pillion for long hours. To that effect, Triumph has colour-matched polycarbonate luggage systems as a part of the accessory catalogue. The revised subframe houses a wider rear seat than the Trident, but the front seat is taller at 835mm. A low-seat option brings it down to 810mm, but it is still a tad taller than the Trident's 805mm saddle height. The 810-835mm seat height essentially gives the Tiger Sport 660 in the same ride height as the Tiger 850 Sport, so if you have been avoiding the latter purely for how tall its saddle sits or how heavy it feels, the 216kg Tiger Sport 660 isn't going to change much.
There is a marginal change to the rake angle between the Tiger Sport and the Trident (23.1 deg vs 23.9), but the sport tourer sits on an 11mm longer wheelbase. The chassis is suspended by Showa 41mm upside forks and a rear monoshock which are of similar spec as the Trident but have 150mm of travel front and rear. So while the Tiger Sport 660 isn't made for the wilder terrain, it is better equipped than the Trident to take on the rough roads and potholes. It rides on 162mm of ground clearance, which is about 12mm more than the Trident. The Tiger Sport 660 uses the same braking hardware as the Trident.
The styling
The Tiger Sport 660 has a unique design theme compared to other Triumph motorcycles, and while there are some hints of Yamaha and Aprilia in the design, the Tiger Sport does look far better than other motorcycles with a similar name in Triumph's portfolio. While the radiator shrouds are typical Tiger, the edgy fairing and the sleek headlights create an appearance that looks sharper than even the Daytona. The tall windscreen looks a bit much, especially at its highest setting. The side profile shows off the tall tank and establishes that this is indeed a tallish motorcycle. The tail has hints of the Trident's design to it and comes with dedicated recesses for Triumph's pannier system, which when added completes the look. How it interfaces with the compulsory saree guard on the India-spec bike, remains to be seen.
How much and when do we ride it?
Looking at the sticker price in the UK, the expected pricing of the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 is likely to be between Rs 8.25-8.5 lakh ex-showroom. That pricing should allow it to undercut the completion by a fair margin. Triumph also assures the lowest cost of ownership in the segment with longer service intervals and lower labour hours and costs. Like the Trident's chronology, the Tiger Sport 660 too has made its appearance before the festive season and our estimate is that it will land on Indian shores by late January or early February 2022.
highlights
BJP stands exposed of personal vendetta and political terror, Patel tweets.
A confident P Chidambaram backs Congress party's resilience
There appears no sight to the drama in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls. The BJP is reportedly not allowing the counting of votes to take place. It has asked Election Commission to address its complaint over the issue of privacy of votes, reports CNN-News18. Remember, a battery of BJP leaders including Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman, RS Prasad and Piyush Goyal had arrived at the EC headquarters on Tuesday evening.
Ahmed Patel thanks Congress leaders who backed him.
RECAP
To bring you up to speed on the developments in the evening, counting for the Rajya Sabha polls will end soon. The EC has disqualified the votes cast by two rebel Congress MLAs on the ground that they had showed ballot papers to BJP's Amit Shah.
Earlier in the evening, Congress had alleged that rebel MLAs had flashed their ballot papers to BJP President Amit Shah. Thereafter, the party approached the Election Commission and the counting of votes, which was to start at 5 pm, was put on hold.
Remember Congress leader Ahmed Patel needs 45 votes to make it to the Rajya Sabha. Reports indicate that he got 43 votes from Congress and one each from the NCP and JD(U).
The battleground then moved from Rajya Sabha to Election Commission which disqualified votes cast by two rebel Congress MLAs.
BJP legislator Nalin Kotadiya admits to crossvoting for the Congress.
The cliffhanger doesn't end at EC disqualification. BJP MLA Nalin Kotadiya says he voted for Congress nominee Ahmed Patel, in a Facebook post. This is likely to tilt the scales in favour of Patel.
Celebrations after EC disqualification of 2 rebel MLA votes.
The wait on the Election Commission verdict has ended. Big setback for the BJP. The EC has disqualified the votes cast by two rebel Congress MLAs, reports CNN-News18.
CNN-News18 reports that Election Commission officials have reviewed the video and that the counting will be completed tonight. No word yet on the decision over the validity of votes cast by two MLAs.
Surjewala says that Congress has communicated its grievances to the EC in writing and has given evidence to support their claim.
Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala and RPN Singh are addressing the media outside the Election Commission. He says the party wants cancellation of two votes. There is a legal ground for quashing of votes, he adds. The party has expressed its concerns and raised a complaint with EC, says Singh.
The sole JD(U) legislator has confirmed to News18 that he voted for Ahmed Patel.
Congress' Gujarat in-charge Ashok Gehlot admits that one party MLA cross-voted, but insists that Ahmed Patel will still win.
CNN-News18 reports that Congress legislator Karamsinh Makwana has cross-voted.
Some more bad news for the Congress. Senior party leader Arjun Modhwadia says that two party legislators who were part of the group that was shipped off to the Bengaluru resort have defied party orders and voted for the BJP candidate.
Shankersinh Vaghela, who resigned as Leader of Opposition and quit the Congress a fortnight ago, says he will not vote for Ahmed Patel. This is important given that his loyalists may also follow suit.
Voting has begun in the state Assemblies.
That's a wrap on the high-stakes Rajya Sabha elections. Thanks for staying tuned. Follow moneycontrol.com for news, views and updates.
SUMMARY
* Congress' Ahmed Patel wins Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat
* Patel received 44 votes, the exact number needed to win the election
* In late-night drama, Election Commission disqualified votes of two Congress rebels
* Amit Shah and Smriti Irani also elected to Rajya Sabha
In all, 11 Rajya Sabha members — one from Goa, one from Madhya Pradesh, six from West Bengal and three from Gujarat — were elected.
FULL REPORT | Rajya Sabha elections: Here who's got elected and re-elected
Why Patel's win matters: A defeat could have meant more trouble for the Congress.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also congratulated Ahmed Patel on his victory.
"How much more evidence do we require to understand that we opposition parties are up against a ruthless, finely tuned BJP political machine," Abdullah said.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has said that Congress leader Ahmed Patel's win in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls "should have never been this difficult" and the opposition needs to introspect and shift strategy to counter the BJP in the 2019 general elections.
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath says the party has always fought back.
Amit Shah is choosing to focus on the third anniversary of his tenure as BJP President, thanking his followers his Twitter for their wishes. He has not yet commented on his Rajya Sabha victory or the BJP candidate's defeat to Ahmed Patel.
There is no confirmation from the BJP yet over whether they will approach the courts over the EC's decision to disallow two votes.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi says she is very happy with Ahmed Patel's victory. "Thank god for the Election Commission," she says.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad says the defeat is a lesson for the BJP and they are free to approach any court.
Kailash Vijayvargiya puts things in perspective. "We have won two seats and Congress only one [in Gujarat], no question of disappointment," the BJP leader tells News18.
JD(U) legislator Chhotubhai Vasava is also believed to have voted for Ahmed Patel, defying the party whip.
JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav has congratulated Ahmed Patel on his Rajya Sabha victory. The JD(U) is now part of the NDA, but Yadav has been against the idea.
Meanwhile, six leaders were elected to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal on Wednesday. Five of them were from the Trinamool Congress -Derek O'Brien, Dola Sen, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Manas Bhunia, Shanta Chhetri. Pradip Bhattachya of the Congress was also elected to the Upper House.
Meanwhile, there's been no official reaction from Amit Shah on either his victory or BJP's defeat to Ahmed Patel. He completes three years as BJP President today.
Meanwhile, there's been no official reaction from Amit Shah on either his victory or BJP's defeat to Ahmed Patel. He completes three years as BJP President today.
There is speculation that the BJP may approach the courts regarding the Election Commission's decision to disqualify the two votes. We should get some clairty as the day progresses.
In the end, it was two disqualified votes that helped take Ahmed Patel over the line. Here's a recap.
SUMMARY
*Congress' Ahmed Patel wins Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat
* Patel received 44 votes, the exact number needed to win election
* In late-night drama, Election Commission disqualified votes of two Congress rebels
* Amit Shah and Smriti Irani also elected to Rajya Sabha
Ahmed Patel has gone from a low-profile politician to the centre of attention in the past month. Here's a short history of Patel's career.
Why does Patel's win matter so much? Read our report.
After late-night drama that saw Ahmed Patel retain his seat, we can expect to see reactions pour in through the day.
That's all from the Rajya Sabha election for now. Log on to www. moneycontrol.com for coverage of the Rajya Sabha elections during the day. Thanks for staying tuned.