Tech Haven’t we met before?

Triumph’s Trident 660 motor isn’t the same as the triple powering the current, shorter-stoke 660cc Street Triple S. It’s actually a heavily reworked Daytona 675 lump with its stroke reduced from 52.3mm to 51.1mm, trimming capacity to 660cc. Power and revs are also dialled down from a track-tastic 123bhp @ 13,500rpm to a more road-friendly 80bhp @ 10,250rpm.

The engine has 67 new components, including crank, pistons, gudgeon pins, cylinder liners, cylinder head, cams, crankcase castings, sump, cooling system, radiator, alternator rotor and stator, air intakes, exhaust and slip and assist clutch for a light lever action.

Most usefully for a bike designed for everyday riding it has more grunt at lower revs than the Street Triple S with over 90% of its torque delivered from 3600rpm to 9750rpm. Its new gearbox has shorter first to fourth gears for more low-down thrust and a slightly higher fifth and sixth for more comfortable cruising. Unlike the old Daytona 675 the Trident 660 has a modern ride-bywire system to control everything from fuelling to rider aids and modes (Road and Rain).

More bang for your buck

The motor is now in such a safe state of tune Triumph have extended service intervals to 10,000 miles. So, if you stick to the Trident 660’s service schedule over three years it’ll only spend 8.3 hours in the workshop having its first (600 mile) service and three annual services, including new brake pads, chain and sprocket and a brake fluid change. Triumph say its main rivals will spend 2.7 to 7.5 hours to longer up on a ramp and cost you more.

New rider-friendly

An A2 licence restrictor kit is also available to reduce power to 46bhp @ 8750rpm and torque to 44lb.ft @ 5250rpm, which can be fitted by a dealer… and undone again when the time comes.