Triumph Revives An Iconic Name On A New Motorcycle
In a worldwide web premier, Triumph Motorcycles unveiled the all-new Trident 660 Triple, the roadster they’ve been hinting at since August. With a spectacular online introduction, Triumph rolled out the 2021 model, the newest entry into the brand’s lineup, and their smallest in the fleet. Targeted squarely at the middleweight “street fighter,” naked sport bike category currently populated with the likes of the Honda CB650R, Kawasaki Z650, and the Yamaha MT-07, Triumph just lit a stick of Trident dynamite and tossed it middle of the fray. Price-wise, the Trident should fall right in the middle of these, with MSRP looking to be around $7995-8120, depending on configuration, of which there are four at the moment on their website.
The Trident is outfitted with a new 660cc in-line triple power plant, derived from the powerful 675 mill of the Daytona, setting it among their popular Speed and Street Triple “roadster” models. Triumph has a long history if success with triples, and this no doubt will only add to the legacy. Bore and stroke come in at 74.0mm x 51.1mm, giving the Trident more low to midrange power. The specs we found show a peak power output of 80 hp at 10,250 rpm with 49 ft lbs of torque at 8000 rpm, and the video revealed that 90 percent of that is available across the broad spectrum of 3600-9750 rpm. The Trident sports a 6-speed gear box with wet slip-assist, multi-plate clutch. It promises to be a sweet, fun ride, not too grabby at the throttle, but plenty of beef in each gear when rolling up through the powerband. Can’t wait to ride one!
Based on the website dimensions and other notable specs we dug up, the Trident will weigh in at around 417 wet, with a seat height of 31.7 in., a wheelbase of 55.2 in., and carry 3.7 US gallons of petrol. This bike appears perfectly targeted to riders in the 5’10” range and smaller, which we think is a huge plus for younger, newer, shorter, and women riders. I’m all of 5’8”, 155 lbs., and can tell this bike will fit me like a glove. I’ve heard women complain that often, the manufacturers don’t build bikes with them in mind that’s not some anemic, single-thumper 250 beginner ride (nothing against those, BTW). Well ladies, Triumph just might have the bike for you.
Triumph has outfitted the Trident with an impressive array of rider aids not often found on bikes of this size. The digital TFT display will show two ride modes, Road and Rain, switchable Traction Control, non-switchable ABS, smartphone integration, a navigation feature, controls for music, calls, and a GoPro connection, like we shared in our piece on the Tiger 900 Rally. In watching the online reveal, Triumph asserts the service interval for the Trident will be 10,000 miles, requiring only 8.3 service hours across the life of the bike. This means first-time and regular service intervals, of course. Still, that’s fantastic- a low maintenance, turn-key, go ride machine.
The name is derived from the lineage of bikes Triumph built first in the 1970s, the T150 and T160, then when the company was reborn in the John Bloor years, they manufactured the Triumph 900 through the 1990s at the new plant in Hinckley. We’re thinking this new Trident will not only fit and fill a definite niche in their lineup, it will cement the legacy of a great model and name. As we stated, we can’t wait to get our hands on one in the coming year for a review spin.
Check out all the specs here- Triumph Trident 660
In the meantime, check out the release video, if you haven’t had the chance to view it. Triumph hit a home run with the reveal-
*photos and video by Triumph Motorcycles
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