If you're a fan of middleweight adventure bikes, then chances are excellent that you've been wondering why on earth Triumph hasn't made a more ADV-focused Tiger 660 yet. Rumors about the possibility started almost as soon as Triumph took the covers off the Tiger Sport 660, and there are multiple good reasons why.
To be totally clear, Triumph has not, as of February 23, 2024, offered any kind of confirmation that such a machine is on its way. However, there are still several reasons to believe that it's more than just wishful thinking at work.
Adding further fuel to a fire that's already burning brightly, we have a recent Facebook post from the dealership Triumph Motorcycles Mumbai. Although it's a dealership and not the OEM itself, the fact that it's still an official arm of Triumph's international presence seems to put a thumb on the scale in favor of its likelihood.
Keen observers of both Triumph and the motorcycle industry more broadly will see at least a few other facts stacked in favor of a Tiger Rally 660 as a future development, though. Let's get into them.
Making Both A Road-Biased And An Off-Road Biased Version Of Its ADV Bikes Has Been A Bit Of A Triumph Trend Lately
Offering pairs of Tigers in the same displacement, but with slightly different terrain biases has been a big part of Triumph's playbook in the past few years. Look at the Triumph Tiger 1200 GT and Rally, or the Triumph Tiger 900 GT and Rally.
You'll also notice a naming theme here, as well. The GT variant is always roadgoing, while the Rally variant is always more adventure-focused.
However, that could also be seen as an argument that puts the Tiger 660 range on slightly shakier ground, because the naming convention is slightly different. We've seen other Triumph bikes with a Sport designation in the past, but can you have a Rally without a GT? Obviously, that's up to Triumph.
Triumph Is Hardly Alone In This Trend
Take the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE, for example. After how well that bike was received following its introduction at EICMA 2022, Suzuki came back for the next year with additional variants to more precisely dial in what riders want from their V-Strom 800. Now there's a more street-oriented V-Strom 800, in addition to a V-Strom 800 Touring.
The Middleweight Adventure Bike Niche Is Exploding Right Now
It's likely never been a better time to be interested in sub-1000cc adventure bikes. Here in 2024, riders are absolutely spoiled for choice. Whether you want a machine with serious off-road capabilities, or you fancy a bit of adventure styling for your daily commute, there's probably a bike for you.
All that said, while Triumph currently has the Tiger Sport 660, that bike does have a distinct road-going bias. That's not a bad thing for any riders who want it, but those who want something better suited to pursuing off-road pursuits are currently left out in the cold if it's a Triumph they want.
Besides, why wouldn't Triumph want a Tiger Rally 660 to go out and play with the Aprilia Tuareg 660? Or maybe even the Yamaha Ténéré 700?
Unfortunately, Wishing Alone Doesn't Make It So
As we said at the beginning, there hasn't been any official word from Triumph about a Tiger Rally 660 yet. If and when that changes, we'll of course be sure to keep you updated. Although the supporting evidence here makes a reasonable case for this bike to exist, at the time of writing, it's still only a deep-seated desire held in the hearts of multiple middleweight ADV fans.
Do you want to see a Triumph Tiger Rally 660? Or do you think that Triumph's valuable research and development time is better spent on another bike you'd rather see instead? Let us know in the comments!
