One month with… Triumph Tiger Sport 800

So, the Tiger Sport 660 I’ve been riding for the last month has gone and in its place is Triumph’s significantly more potent twist on the same formula – the Tiger Sport 800. The fundamentals of sports tourer/’tall rounder’ versatility remain, and it has the same flexibility to adapt to any riding situation with the option of neat quick-release panniers and topbox. But performance takes a significant step up, the triple at the heart of the 800 derived from that in the Street Triple 765. Which Triumph provides as the stock engine in its role as official partner for the MotoGP supporting Moto2 championship. Racy, then! So-equipped the Tiger Sport 800 lines up as compelling rival to the highly respected Yamaha Tracer 9 GT, freshly updated for 2025 with new tech, also triple-powered, acclaimed for its ‘one bike to do it all’ versatility and costing to within a couple of hundred quid of what Triumph asks for the 800. First impressions suggest the Tiger Sport is at least a match for the Yamaha – we’ve got a month and some big trips ahead to put that theory to the test.
Skip to: Month 1 – Putting the sport into Tiger Sport

Enthusiastic 40-something mid-life crisis rider new to motorcycles and keen to make up for lost time by riding as many as possible now I’ve got my full licence! Living up north means I’ve got great roads to enjoy them on, but I’ve also switched to a bike for commuting over the tops to Manchester for the savings in time and parking costs. Still trying to figure out what kind of motorcyclist I actually am!

Dan says: “Even when trundling you can sense the extra urgency in the 800”

Jumping from Tiger Sport 660 and onto the 800 it all felt very familiar. Which is no great surprise for the fact they’re built on the same frame and matched 17-inch wheels, and with near identical suspension travel and geometry. So, just as comfy, just as friendly and just as usefully sized. Even within the first few yards I could tell the Showa forks and rear shock were just that little more sophisticated than those on the 660, and while physically the same both get slightly fancier internals with adjustment for rebound and compression up front and for rebound at the back, along with the same remote preload dial. The latter is really handy for a bike where you maybe switching between be riding solo, two-up or with or without luggage. The growl of the triple is similarly familiar, likewise the creamy low-speed power delivery and flexibility. But even when trundling you sense the extra urgency in the 800, which is no great surprise given output rockets from the 660’s 81 horsepower and 64Nm to a much more serious 115 horsepower and 84Nm. No A2 licence option with numbers like that, so if you’re still on a restricted licence you’ll have to stick with the 660, and maybe upgrade to an 800 once you’ve got your full ticket. Suffice to say, I was looking forward to putting some miles in, an overnight trip to Wales to attend a Skoda event looking like the perfect opportunity to load up the panniers and test the sports tourer promise. Even the sun looked like it was going to shine for the duration of the trip. Then disaster. Loading the panniers the night before departure the key jammed in the lock barrel. A bit of wiggling managed to free it but in trying to replicate what had happened on the other pannier it got properly stuck, this time with my laptop and other work essentials inside. I’ll spare you the whole saga but, in the end, my efforts to release the key ended up with it snapping. Given it’s also the ignition key that meant the bike was going nowhere. The switch to four wheels wasn’t as heartbreaking as it might have been for the fact my Mazda MX-5 needed a run and a razz across Wales with the roof down wasn’t the worst outcome. But I was still gutted not to use the 800 for exactly the kind of trip it’s built for. Credit to Triumph for getting a spare key sent over in double quick time to get me back up and running, and I’ll be making up for lost time (and miles) before the next update… Back to top