VOLUME ISSUE APRIL , P123
When the pace wicks up a touch,
the suspension will handle things up to
relatively quick speeds, but you need
to be slow and careful with your move-
ments to stop the chassis pogoing
itself.
Braking performance is lacking via
its small twin-piston front caliper and
310mm disc setup. The feel at the lever
is progressive, offering good initial bite
without being overly aggressive that
will appeal to newer riders, but don't go
expecting huge performance out of the
stoppers. Cornering ABS comes stan
-
dard, as expected, and works unobtru-
sively in the background.
One of the Tiger 660's strongest
attributes is its comfort. The upright
seating position, combined with the
wider handlebar and well-padded seat,
makes it an easy bike to spend hours
on. The rider triangle feels natural, and
after four hours on board I could have
easily done four more.
Wind protection has been subtly
improved with the new bodywork. The
revised front fairing does a better job
of deflecting airflow away from the
rider's chest, and the adjustable wind
-
screen will deflect air decently as long
as you're under six feet tall. Any taller
than that and it will blast the air right at
your head, so I left it in the lowest set-
ting and just dealt with the wind blast,
which really wasn't that bad in the end.
Passenger accommodations are
also respectable with a good-sized
seat and long grab handles. It's a bike
that can comfortably handle two-up
riding, although I feel that if you're
carrying more than one person with
luggage, you'll want to put a stiffer
rear spring in the shock to stop it from
understeering under all that weight.
Triumph has kept the Tiger 660's
electronics package relatively straight
-
forward, which is arguably part of its
