Easily the most entertaining and informative bike videos on YT. Cheers from Brazil (a country with not totally dissimilar upsides and downsides as SA BTW)
Hello cousin! Fellow sufferers of dodgy, volatile currency, erratic politicians, great weather, vast distances of adventure riding paradise and an understanding that the southern hemisphere is the place to be!
Love the review! This 40-80 hp commuting-tourer is the category to watch. This is where the volume and margin combine to create the best longterm profits. This is also where the Triumphs and Yamahas hold off the Royal Enfields, Indians, and Harleys from capturing the young middle class weekend biker. Now, what’ll be really interesting is if the Himalayan came in a 600 cc, $7,000 version, with (say) 64 hp, and cruising speed of 75 mph. Fully dressed, panniers and all. In Euro V spec. That’s what we’re waiting for. That will rearrange the entire value map for motorcycling. It will ignite motorcycle ownership globally, and get more people riding. Right now, the machines really only cater to the rich countries.
@@IgnitionBikeShow I have been trying to marry Melinda Gates since she divorced Bill, just so I can free lance for free 😆 Kidding aside, I’ll be happy to write for you guys for free if you’re serious.
Harley and Indian are completely out of touch when it comes to younger audience. Harleys entry level bike is an ugly nugget with an identity crisis. Indian wants 15k for a good engine wrapped in rubbish. Whatever. Royal Enfield doesn't partake in the specs war but their bikes looks fantastic, ride well, and are priced accordingly.
One thing I didn't consider as someone who went from a 2019 Tracer 900 to a 2021 MT09 is the value of a wide tank/front fairing. Went riding recently in the mid 30sF (just above 0°C) and my heated jacket and gloves worked great but my legs were frozen lol. These naked bikes turned into tourers make a lot of sense as road bikes.
International viewer here... damn I like the sound of that. Actually, just an old bloke in the UK. I visited Motorcycle Live at the NEC in December specifically to see the Tiger 660 as a possible replacement for my 2015 VStrom 650. I liked it... a lot and when a demo bike was available at my local dealers I took it for a ride into the Mendip Hills. Don has the three categories spot on; Commuter, Sport, Tourer but with a small t. And I would agree with almost everything he said, but not everything. At 1.86m tall and 71.5kg's in weight I found the seat a little too hard, the rear suspension a bit harsh and the foot controls just a bit too small for the kind of 300 to 400 km days I regularly ride. For me, the Tiger is a great little bike, but an all day long tourer it ain't. As for fit and finish, this is mostly excellent, but check the rear brake and gear levers, the side stand (all painted steel) and the switch gear (especially the r/h switch assembly) and the flexible plastic lever on the screen adjustment, all of them had me wondering how long they would last. The Tiger 660 is a really excellent little bike and I really enjoyed my ride, but I'll be staying with my VStrom a while longer.
V-Strom, both 650 and 1000 are two of the most underrated bikes ever. 650's engine still shows its direct competitors how to do it, even after all these years. And the 1000 ignores all the headlines in favour of genuine ability. Love them both.
Great review! I picked mine up about 2 weeks ago, and it joins my Tiger 1200 XRt in the garage. My 50+ yr old knees no longer want to fold onto a CBR600RR/ZX-6R/Street Triple (I've had those) and like in this review, at 5'9", the handlebar/seat/peg triangle seems like it was built just for me. It's amazing that "only" 80hp can feel so fun & lively, but this thing is an absolute hoot on a twisty road. Unlike the Street Triple, you don't have to rev this bike to the moon to enjoy the powerband. You just ride it like all of your other bikes, and the power is where you want it---in that rev range where you normally find yourself riding. After giggling in my helmet quite a few times, I've nicknamed mine, "Cheap Thrills." ;-)
Sounds about right. Nearly 30 years ago now I started racing supersport 600 bikes and on the dyno they were making a couple of horsepower past the 80hp mark. Bugger me they felt fast! And they broke plenty of my bones trying to get the best out of them - a fastest crash of about 200km/h says 80hp is plenty, thank you!
A great review. Thank you. The motorbike license system (a bit like USA) is a complete joke. Living in Melbourne, Australia we have what’s called LAMS, which is similar to the A2 in Europe however it’s not hp dependant on power, rather it allows any bike up to 660 cc with a power to weight ratio of 150kw per tonne. Triumph have been building a 660 street triple just for us and NZ for over a decade now, as Yamaha has done with its MT-07, as they’ve sleeved the engine down to only 655 cc just to make it compliant. We still get the full 765 RS version however, as with all new riders (even returning ones) still need to live with the restrictions for just over 3 years.
I've said this on another review - one of the great things about this bike is the target audience - ok, all rounder - but if you want to go for a distance tour, then this bike has a payload (as all Triumphs seem to have) of +220 kg which means fully kitted out pilot and pillion, plus full panniers. Yeah, this is a great little bike right across the board.
@@TheBezaleel True, and it's a fine bike, but I believe the total payload (rider + passenger + pannier + topbox) is less than 200 kg (I believe the total payload is something like 180 kg for the Versys 650).
@@WorldBiker You right, but it is always how the chassis handles it. Most forget that the Versys 650 has fully adjustable quality suspension, excellent seat etc. Unlike so many makes that offer upgrades for standard screen, seat etc. Kawasaki make the best available as standard option. Check out the prices for Triumph's full pannier set etc. Total price is a complete rip off.
Just had the tiger 660 sport for 3 weeks and love it , been riding 51 years and now got problems with at extra weight you get with 1000 cc bikes and above , tiger sport does everything I want , the only thing I’ve changed is the footpegs for Daytona rubber footpegs, the tiger metal ones over long distance hurt your instep as there to short , lovely mid range bike 😊😊👍👍
Thanks a lot for entertaining content. I wonder how do you guys compare tiger sport 660 to the F750GS. Specially for two up with luggage. Somehow, i think they are competitive on this side.
Fabulous review! In depth comparisons are great. I actually love this market of bikes but I think for R125k at moment I would stay with a Yamaha tracer 700 no riding modes and stuff but abs that represents true sport touring🤓
Tracer 700 a little gem of a bike, no doubt. And as you seem to have found out, the secret to biking happiness lies not in wanting the latest, greatest gadgets to hit the market (I suffer from this, badly, when it comes to our camera gear) but loving, understanding and fully exploiting whatever version of 2-wheeled transport you currently possess.
Great review! I’ve been looking at everything in this class for years. We don’t get the T7 in North America, and the new NC750X has been very difficult to obtain in Southern California due to low availability and strangely high demand. It was never popular until the 2021 model arrived. I do like the Versys 650 update and I previously owned a 2014 which was a great bike. I have a soft spot for the Versys and V-Strom. That said, I think the Tiger 660 is going to win for me. It’s the closest to the T7 (unobtainium) and I have previously owned 3 Triumphs including two Tiger 800’s. Going for a demo ride next week because I can. Demos for the Euro bikes are readily available, but ask for a demo of one of the Japanese makes and they will laugh. Cheers!
Aren’t people calling the Tenere 700 the T7? You are correct that the tracer 700 is not sold, at least in Canada. We do have the tracer 900, if you can find it.
Another great review, but what about the Honda CB650R which has upto 94 HP & at £7600 (144,000R) The OEM tyres are rubbish in the wet,but put some Michelin or Metzlers & it is a good commuter sports bike.
Unfortunately, like many of these bikes, we don't get the CBR650 in South Africa. Also the CB650 is more a direct competitor of the Trident 660, with it being a naked bike and all.
I have the sportier sibling (CBR650R) it works wonderfully for both commuting and short double or longer solo tours. You'll expect around 6.3l/100km city only and down to low 5's out-of-city. You can filter well and the bike is loads of fun. However they are lower than the 660, more 'sporty' and less inclined for pillon and luggage options. Say, 660 is more functional more akin to Honda 750 which I'd say is a closer comparison.
It is a Versys, but seems better in every way. Cruise control, would be nice, as an option. But hey, it is still more than adequate, with a reasonable price tag.
Hello l do not know if R169 000 is a reasonable sum of money. For that much, you could get a Kawasaki Z900 or for a bit more you could get a Suzuki Katana which is if l am not mistaken a touch shy of 1 000cc at R189 000. This is a much better bike in many respects from the tech, power, and overall package. For a few thousand more you can even get an MT 09 which is probably the most fun of this lot. I do appreciate that these lack a comfortable seat and the windscreen and maybe the seating position is not as comfortable but for that much, you get more power and features. As people often state, you can tour on any bike so for me, the Tiger Triumph is too expensive and offers too little compared to similarly priced bikes. Anyway, l guess it all depends on what the buyer wants and his use case.
Fair points, but to avoid talking about every possible alternative I kept it roughly within a similar all-rounder type of class (higher handlebar, sort-of adventure looks). You're not wrong though, the Katana is a lovely roadster and top value, and the Z900 (not RS) is a 125hp barn-storming package that also offers tremendous value.
Conversely, I have owned and ridden Triumph’s, Suzuki’s, Yamaha & Honda. I have ridden a few BMW’s, KTM’s & kwakkers, I can say I will never own a BMW or KTM for the simple fact they are not that good considering all the hype. If I was to splurge it would be either the Tiger 1200 or more the Africa Twin or Tenere. Better looking IMO and far more reliable.
@@seanfenwick You are probably right, although I did 92,000 miles on an R1100GS. What a great bike that was. What I'd really like is an Urban G/S. The more electronically laden BMWs have become too complex.
@@seanfenwick Ridden them all, love them all as a rule. I've (Mat) got a thing for Triumphs 'cos I've owned and loved two 675 R Street Triples - one of the very finest naked sport bikes ever made. Also a Tiger 1050 (also many moons ago), loved it but ultimately, good as it was, wasn't exciting enough. Last bike I bought was a BMW S 1000 R, and loved that too - a superb mix of Germanic efficiency in an astoundingly capable package that could be serious or mental. Great bike. Both manufacturers make stunning machines. At the moment I'd love Triumph's Speed Triple RS, but am too poor, and I'm going to surprise myself by saying that as well as the obvious S 1000 XR choice I really quite fancy a R 1250 R, but again too poor. Must... work... harder!
Why does everyone that reviews this bike get so transfixed on the frigging clock? I have no consideration of time when I’m riding my bike. It’s literally the last thing I want to think about when I’m enjoying a ride. If you’re so stuck on time, stay home and stare at a clock on the wall and stay off the streets and out of my way. Geez.
Of all the moto journalists, we especially love Don. Maybe it's because he reminds us so much of the drummer for Tribal Tech circa mid 90s. ua-cam.com/video/_4XVsSRxmN4/v-deo.html Love you, Don and another banging review!!! ❤❤
He da man! Don't tell him we said so, but nobody has ever combined cuddliness, speed and scruffiness in such a memorable way. I (Mat) will never tire of seeing him upset the spangly, blinged-up younger generation of motorcycle journalists at a track launch when he waddles into the pits and squeezes himself into his wide, scruffy black leathers and - purposely - lines up at the back of the group for the first track session only to blitz them all before the flag comes out 20 minutes later. He would be the perfect bike journo if he could drink everyone under the table at the end of the day, but he hates alcohol. He could, though, out milkshake and ice cream anyone silly enough to challenge him!
We haar quite often of the small margins there are for dealers selling new bikes. About 6% I heard recently. Why is it then, that there are such variants when it comes to bike models from country to country. Is it the dealership network that determines the cost. Logic would suggest that the prices should be more or less the same in relation to the different manufacturers and their models everywhere. No one has ever explained why this isn't the case. My bike a CB650R is relatively cheap in the UK. But very expensive compared to the competition in the US. This confuses me. Please use your, obvious, journalistic skills to explain.
Our skills obvious, you say! Never a truer word spoken. Differing prices between countries are usually down to different import taxes. When particularly egregious examples of apparent price mismatches happen in places like South Africa ( or we notice in S. America too) it's often due to a currency that fluctuates wildly against the dollar or euro - where most bikes are purchased by the importers. These can often seem out of sync with current fluctuations in exchange rates because the bikes on sale 'now' were ordered 6 months or more ago, and often paid for then as well. But then there are always those importers who will seek to make a fast buck on a new model with inflated prices because they know the hardcore fans will buy that model regardless of price. Or they may know that there's going to be supply problems, and so limited availability can be exploited with higher pricing. No one reason can ever explain the variations we see, which is frustrating, but having spent the past couple of years in the euro-zone the discrepancies are more apparent than ever.
The test was filmed in SA, Mat made his comments from France. Doesn't that make us a South African programme with an international flavour? 52 episodes a year is the only way for us to make a living in SA, and so in the interests of finding more content, and bikes (and a midlife crisis that drove them to travel) Mat and his wife moved to France to access the European bike scene and all it has to offer. The extra content keeps us ahead of our competitors in southern Africa. Mat split his time 50/50 between SA and the Euro-zone before Covid, but since then travelling has been difficult. Thankfully having Don in SA and Mat in Europe actually helped us survive the near-fatal stresses on our business that the pandemic threw at us. You wouldn't begrudge us trying to make better content, and utilising our newly-found 'soutpiel' status to such good effect?
People look funny in full leathers on a public road, but they still wear them and look funny when they have stopped because they need to give their balls a break. When the helmets come off they all grey haired (like me) but you know really do they actually take it to the limit in the twisties to warrant full leathers?
We know what you mean, we ride with protective kit that isn't full leathers on the road. Usually. But we have also fallen off on the road and then wished, without fail, that we were wearing the full cow-hide suit.
The bike show doesn't understand that only a very minor part of the world understands what a rand is. Please take your viewers a bit more serious and at least name it in $ or €
Okay, okay, google is obviously not your friend and so from now on we'll do it for you. For this video, about R17 = 1 euro, but being an African currency it's so volatile that will be different tomorrow, and next and week and... Cut us some slack though, we're a South African show with an audience that lives and dies by the rand!
@@Crab102 The channel knows where it’s subscribers are located and where the views come from….only Africa? I doubt it - as the content is English Language and the Bikes Global. The channel can grow - if it’s outlook does - but if it only wishes to serve SA - then they can ignore the suggestions.
I specifically watch the Bike Show to hear a South African perspective. Watching reviews from, say, the UK, I don't expect prices to be expressed in Canadian dollars... It's really pretty easy to find on-line currency conversion.
![Triumph TIGER 660 - Better than my TRIDENT? [QuickTest#18]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r4Bv4RaiWVo/mqdefault.jpg)
![Triumph TIGER 660 - Better than my TRIDENT? [QuickTest#18]](/img/tr.png)
Easily the most entertaining and informative bike videos on YT. Cheers from Brazil (a country with not totally dissimilar upsides and downsides as SA BTW)
Hello cousin! Fellow sufferers of dodgy, volatile currency, erratic politicians, great weather, vast distances of adventure riding paradise and an understanding that the southern hemisphere is the place to be!
@@IgnitionBikeShow wow, that was spot on. Sure there's no Brazilian somewhere in there?
Cheers mate, I loved Brazil when I went there !
Mutual of Omaha.
With old Marlin Perkins behind the desk and Jim out wrestling the alligator.
This show reminded me of that old program..
Now Triumph needs to release a Tiger 660 Rally Pro for us folks who occasionally wonder into the wilderness.
Or a "Factory" version with higher spec suspension, heated grips, cruise control, exhaust...
They are making one for 2025
They did
It's the 850
Great review again! Very informative that includes brief comparo with 4 other bikes. Highly entertaining too.
Much respect to Mat and Donovan...
Thanking you from the odd couple!
Top blokes doing what I like best. 👍🏻
Love the review!
This 40-80 hp commuting-tourer is the category to watch. This is where the volume and margin combine to create the best longterm profits. This is also where the Triumphs and Yamahas hold off the Royal Enfields, Indians, and Harleys from capturing the young middle class weekend biker.
Now, what’ll be really interesting is if the Himalayan came in a 600 cc, $7,000 version, with (say) 64 hp, and cruising speed of 75 mph. Fully dressed, panniers and all. In Euro V spec.
That’s what we’re waiting for.
That will rearrange the entire value map for motorcycling. It will ignite motorcycle ownership globally, and get more people riding. Right now, the machines really only cater to the rich countries.
Speaking truth to the masses, we'd offer you a job if we had the money to even pay ourselves properly!
@@IgnitionBikeShow I have been trying to marry Melinda Gates since she divorced Bill, just so I can free lance for free 😆
Kidding aside, I’ll be happy to write for you guys for free if you’re serious.
Harley and Indian are completely out of touch when it comes to younger audience.
Harleys entry level bike is an ugly nugget with an identity crisis.
Indian wants 15k for a good engine wrapped in rubbish. Whatever.
Royal Enfield doesn't partake in the specs war but their bikes looks fantastic, ride well, and are priced accordingly.
One thing I didn't consider as someone who went from a 2019 Tracer 900 to a 2021 MT09 is the value of a wide tank/front fairing. Went riding recently in the mid 30sF (just above 0°C) and my heated jacket and gloves worked great but my legs were frozen lol. These naked bikes turned into tourers make a lot of sense as road bikes.
International viewer here... damn I like the sound of that. Actually, just an old bloke in the UK. I visited Motorcycle Live at the NEC in December specifically to see the Tiger 660 as a possible replacement for my 2015 VStrom 650. I liked it... a lot and when a demo bike was available at my local dealers I took it for a ride into the Mendip Hills. Don has the three categories spot on; Commuter, Sport, Tourer but with a small t. And I would agree with almost everything he said, but not everything. At 1.86m tall and 71.5kg's in weight I found the seat a little too hard, the rear suspension a bit harsh and the foot controls just a bit too small for the kind of 300 to 400 km days I regularly ride. For me, the Tiger is a great little bike, but an all day long tourer it ain't. As for fit and finish, this is mostly excellent, but check the rear brake and gear levers, the side stand (all painted steel) and the switch gear (especially the r/h switch assembly) and the flexible plastic lever on the screen adjustment, all of them had me wondering how long they would last. The Tiger 660 is a really excellent little bike and I really enjoyed my ride, but I'll be staying with my VStrom a while longer.
V Strom is a far better bike, no doubt.
V-Strom, both 650 and 1000 are two of the most underrated bikes ever. 650's engine still shows its direct competitors how to do it, even after all these years. And the 1000 ignores all the headlines in favour of genuine ability. Love them both.
As usual, most stunning productions and presenters, 5 STARS!
Great review! I picked mine up about 2 weeks ago, and it joins my Tiger 1200 XRt in the garage. My 50+ yr old knees no longer want to fold onto a CBR600RR/ZX-6R/Street Triple (I've had those) and like in this review, at 5'9", the handlebar/seat/peg triangle seems like it was built just for me. It's amazing that "only" 80hp can feel so fun & lively, but this thing is an absolute hoot on a twisty road. Unlike the Street Triple, you don't have to rev this bike to the moon to enjoy the powerband. You just ride it like all of your other bikes, and the power is where you want it---in that rev range where you normally find yourself riding. After giggling in my helmet quite a few times, I've nicknamed mine, "Cheap Thrills." ;-)
Sounds about right. Nearly 30 years ago now I started racing supersport 600 bikes and on the dyno they were making a couple of horsepower past the 80hp mark. Bugger me they felt fast! And they broke plenty of my bones trying to get the best out of them - a fastest crash of about 200km/h says 80hp is plenty, thank you!
Thanks for doing the comparison and second perspective on this. I appreciate the background info as an international (Canada) viewer. Good job, guys!
Cheers from the other side of the planet - gotta love You Tube's reach!
A great review. Thank you. The motorbike license system (a bit like USA) is a complete joke. Living in Melbourne, Australia we have what’s called LAMS, which is similar to the A2 in Europe however it’s not hp dependant on power, rather it allows any bike up to 660 cc with a power to weight ratio of 150kw per tonne. Triumph have been building a 660 street triple just for us and NZ for over a decade now, as Yamaha has done with its MT-07, as they’ve sleeved the engine down to only 655 cc just to make it compliant. We still get the full 765 RS version however, as with all new riders (even returning ones) still need to live with the restrictions for just over 3 years.
nice but when will they update the TigerSPORT1050 with the new 1200 motor and modern electronics? #StillWaiting
Yeah, we hope they do too - a bit like Ducati's done with its Pikes Peak version of the Multistrada.
I like it, nice to just get around on, sounds like anyway, wonder if there was any front end wobbly at speed
I've said this on another review - one of the great things about this bike is the target audience - ok, all rounder - but if you want to go for a distance tour, then this bike has a payload (as all Triumphs seem to have) of +220 kg which means fully kitted out pilot and pillion, plus full panniers. Yeah, this is a great little bike right across the board.
You have our total agreement.
Kawasaki have been filling this gap very well with the fully laden (for Europe) Versys 650 GT.
@@TheBezaleel True, and it's a fine bike, but I believe the total payload (rider + passenger + pannier + topbox) is less than 200 kg (I believe the total payload is something like 180 kg for the Versys 650).
@@WorldBiker You right, but it is always how the chassis handles it. Most forget that the Versys 650 has fully adjustable quality suspension, excellent seat etc. Unlike so many makes that offer upgrades for standard screen, seat etc. Kawasaki make the best available as standard option. Check out the prices for Triumph's full pannier set etc. Total price is a complete rip off.
@@TheBezaleel That's nice and all but the Triumph looks hot. Versys ehhhh....
great bike, have it. The only thing i don't like it's only one headlight on the right , why many manufacturers do it?
I loved the Sprint RS when I was younger (and in better shape)...👋👁👁👍
Just had the tiger 660 sport for 3 weeks and love it , been riding 51 years and now got problems with at extra weight you get with 1000 cc bikes and above , tiger sport does everything I want , the only thing I’ve changed is the footpegs for Daytona rubber footpegs, the tiger metal ones over long distance hurt your instep as there to short , lovely mid range bike 😊😊👍👍
We agree, and weight is something a lot of people (including us) forget about. Ease of use is so important, and adding weight makes use less easy...
That’s a great idea! Where do you recommend finding the Daytona foot pegs?
@@ShrewdFanfare there’s a link on the site 😊😊
Thanks a lot for entertaining content. I wonder how do you guys compare tiger sport 660 to the F750GS. Specially for two up with luggage. Somehow, i think they are competitive on this side.
The bigger the load, we think the 750's true '850' bottom-end grunt wins out.
The "pushing buttons" thingie is the same on my beloved Street Twin ! Maybe it's a Triumph thing ?
Nice review!
Let's hope Triumph produce a Tiger Sport 1200! 😁
Fabulous review! In depth comparisons are great. I actually love this market of bikes but I think for R125k at moment I would stay with a Yamaha tracer 700 no riding modes and stuff but abs that represents true sport touring🤓
Tracer 700 a little gem of a bike, no doubt. And as you seem to have found out, the secret to biking happiness lies not in wanting the latest, greatest gadgets to hit the market (I suffer from this, badly, when it comes to our camera gear) but loving, understanding and fully exploiting whatever version of 2-wheeled transport you currently possess.
Great review! I’ve been looking at everything in this class for years. We don’t get the T7 in North America, and the new NC750X has been very difficult to obtain in Southern California due to low availability and strangely high demand. It was never popular until the 2021 model arrived. I do like the Versys 650 update and I previously owned a 2014 which was a great bike. I have a soft spot for the Versys and V-Strom. That said, I think the Tiger 660 is going to win for me. It’s the closest to the T7 (unobtainium) and I have previously owned 3 Triumphs including two Tiger 800’s. Going for a demo ride next week because I can. Demos for the Euro bikes are readily available, but ask for a demo of one of the Japanese makes and they will laugh. Cheers!
Aren’t people calling the Tenere 700 the T7? You are correct that the tracer 700 is not sold, at least in Canada. We do have the tracer 900, if you can find it.
@@nickdeagle3271 Tracer 7 is now T7.
So it's a new Yamaha Fazer 600...
Erm, yeah, I suppose so. That was pretty good as I remember, a R6 for people (like me) with a dodgy back and knees.
+1. The shape of the fairing immediately reminded me of the same.
Can you use this for touring?
For sure, great touring bike. Touring with a passenger though - yes you can, but performance will be quite noticeably blunted.
Another great review, but what about the Honda CB650R which has upto 94 HP & at £7600 (144,000R)
The OEM tyres are rubbish in the wet,but put some Michelin or Metzlers & it is a good commuter sports bike.
Unfortunately, like many of these bikes, we don't get the CBR650 in South Africa. Also the CB650 is more a direct competitor of the Trident 660, with it being a naked bike and all.
Crab (below) puts it perfectly.
Ew a Honda
I have the sportier sibling (CBR650R) it works wonderfully for both commuting and short double or longer solo tours. You'll expect around 6.3l/100km city only and down to low 5's out-of-city. You can filter well and the bike is loads of fun. However they are lower than the 660, more 'sporty' and less inclined for pillon and luggage options. Say, 660 is more functional more akin to Honda 750 which I'd say is a closer comparison.
Excuse me, what happened to the other co-host? Harry?
Tea Leaf. Gone, couple of years ago now.
Need 765rs or 1200rs version, please please
It is a Versys, but seems better in every way. Cruise control, would be nice, as an option. But hey, it is still more than adequate, with a reasonable price tag.
Yeah, cruise would be good, but would seem to be a price-point issue. Gotta keep the thing close to the supposed opposition.
In pot holed speed camera riddled uk 80bhp can be enough
Hello
l do not know if R169 000 is a reasonable sum of money. For that much, you could get a Kawasaki Z900 or for a bit more you could get a Suzuki Katana which is if l am not mistaken a touch shy of 1 000cc at R189 000. This is a much better bike in many respects from the tech, power, and overall package. For a few thousand more you can even get an MT 09 which is probably the most fun of this lot.
I do appreciate that these lack a comfortable seat and the windscreen and maybe the seating position is not as comfortable but for that much, you get more power and features.
As people often state, you can tour on any bike so for me, the Tiger Triumph is too expensive and offers too little compared to similarly priced bikes.
Anyway, l guess it all depends on what the buyer wants and his use case.
Fair points, but to avoid talking about every possible alternative I kept it roughly within a similar all-rounder type of class (higher handlebar, sort-of adventure looks). You're not wrong though, the Katana is a lovely roadster and top value, and the Z900 (not RS) is a 125hp barn-storming package that also offers tremendous value.
Nice bike but the seat is too high for me.
Please work on the video quality. Otherwise this is a unique review. Gratz.
I'd much rather have the BMW at the end of the video. I have never owner a Triumph and I doubt I ever will.
Conversely, I have owned and ridden Triumph’s, Suzuki’s, Yamaha & Honda. I have ridden a few BMW’s, KTM’s & kwakkers, I can say I will never own a BMW or KTM for the simple fact they are not that good considering all the hype. If I was to splurge it would be either the Tiger 1200 or more the Africa Twin or Tenere. Better looking IMO and far more reliable.
@@seanfenwick You are probably right, although I did 92,000 miles on an R1100GS. What a great bike that was. What I'd really like is an Urban G/S. The more electronically laden BMWs have become too complex.
@@seanfenwick Ridden them all, love them all as a rule. I've (Mat) got a thing for Triumphs 'cos I've owned and loved two 675 R Street Triples - one of the very finest naked sport bikes ever made. Also a Tiger 1050 (also many moons ago), loved it but ultimately, good as it was, wasn't exciting enough.
Last bike I bought was a BMW S 1000 R, and loved that too - a superb mix of Germanic efficiency in an astoundingly capable package that could be serious or mental. Great bike.
Both manufacturers make stunning machines. At the moment I'd love Triumph's Speed Triple RS, but am too poor, and I'm going to surprise myself by saying that as well as the obvious S 1000 XR choice I really quite fancy a R 1250 R, but again too poor. Must... work... harder!
Why does everyone that reviews this bike get so transfixed on the frigging clock? I have no consideration of time when I’m riding my bike. It’s literally the last thing I want to think about when I’m enjoying a ride. If you’re so stuck on time, stay home and stare at a clock on the wall and stay off the streets and out of my way. Geez.
Of all the moto journalists, we especially love Don. Maybe it's because he reminds us so much of the drummer for Tribal Tech circa mid 90s. ua-cam.com/video/_4XVsSRxmN4/v-deo.html
Love you, Don and another banging review!!! ❤❤
He da man! Don't tell him we said so, but nobody has ever combined cuddliness, speed and scruffiness in such a memorable way.
I (Mat) will never tire of seeing him upset the spangly, blinged-up younger generation of motorcycle journalists at a track launch when he waddles into the pits and squeezes himself into his wide, scruffy black leathers and - purposely - lines up at the back of the group for the first track session only to blitz them all before the flag comes out 20 minutes later.
He would be the perfect bike journo if he could drink everyone under the table at the end of the day, but he hates alcohol. He could, though, out milkshake and ice cream anyone silly enough to challenge him!
@@IgnitionBikeShow 🤣👍 👌😅
❤❤
We haar quite often of the small margins there are for dealers selling new bikes. About 6% I heard recently. Why is it then, that there are such variants when it comes to bike models from country to country. Is it the dealership network that determines the cost. Logic would suggest that the prices should be more or less the same in relation to the different manufacturers and their models everywhere. No one has ever explained why this isn't the case. My bike a CB650R is relatively cheap in the UK. But very expensive compared to the competition in the US. This confuses me. Please use your, obvious, journalistic skills to explain.
Our skills obvious, you say! Never a truer word spoken. Differing prices between countries are usually down to different import taxes. When particularly egregious examples of apparent price mismatches happen in places like South Africa ( or we notice in S. America too) it's often due to a currency that fluctuates wildly against the dollar or euro - where most bikes are purchased by the importers.
These can often seem out of sync with current fluctuations in exchange rates because the bikes on sale 'now' were ordered 6 months or more ago, and often paid for then as well.
But then there are always those importers who will seek to make a fast buck on a new model with inflated prices because they know the hardcore fans will buy that model regardless of price. Or they may know that there's going to be supply problems, and so limited availability can be exploited with higher pricing.
No one reason can ever explain the variations we see, which is frustrating, but having spent the past couple of years in the euro-zone the discrepancies are more apparent than ever.
......a South African motorcycle channel from La France lol!
The test was filmed in SA, Mat made his comments from France. Doesn't that make us a South African programme with an international flavour?
52 episodes a year is the only way for us to make a living in SA, and so in the interests of finding more content, and bikes (and a midlife crisis that drove them to travel) Mat and his wife moved to France to access the European bike scene and all it has to offer. The extra content keeps us ahead of our competitors in southern Africa.
Mat split his time 50/50 between SA and the Euro-zone before Covid, but since then travelling has been difficult. Thankfully having Don in SA and Mat in Europe actually helped us survive the near-fatal stresses on our business that the pandemic threw at us.
You wouldn't begrudge us trying to make better content, and utilising our newly-found 'soutpiel' status to such good effect?
The Yamaha T7 is more fun and more practical then the Triumph
People look funny in full leathers on a public road, but they still wear them and look funny when they have stopped because they need to give their balls a break. When the helmets come off they all grey haired (like me) but you know really do they actually take it to the limit in the twisties to warrant full leathers?
We know what you mean, we ride with protective kit that isn't full leathers on the road. Usually. But we have also fallen off on the road and then wished, without fail, that we were wearing the full cow-hide suit.
Well then ...so the 660 has no balls...on to the next
Whatever.. MANX BUGGY!!!
The bike show doesn't understand that only a very minor part of the world understands what a rand is. Please take your viewers a bit more serious and at least name it in $ or €
Okay, okay, google is obviously not your friend and so from now on we'll do it for you. For this video, about R17 = 1 euro, but being an African currency it's so volatile that will be different tomorrow, and next and week and...
Cut us some slack though, we're a South African show with an audience that lives and dies by the rand!
@@IgnitionBikeShow Would be great and a lot more entertaining comparing different bike prices. Nice channel though even in rand ;)
I deleted my long winded reply because as the bike show has replied, we only know the Rand
@@Crab102 The channel knows where it’s subscribers are located and where the views come from….only Africa? I doubt it - as the content is English Language and the Bikes Global. The channel can grow - if it’s outlook does - but if it only wishes to serve SA - then they can ignore the suggestions.
I specifically watch the Bike Show to hear a South African perspective.
Watching reviews from, say, the UK, I don't expect prices to be expressed in Canadian dollars... It's really pretty easy to find on-line currency conversion.