TRIPLE TREAT
TRIDENT 660 FIRST TEST Bargain Triumph punches well above price tag,
Just when you thought new bikes were getting ever more powerful, complicated and expensive, Triumph have come to the rescue with their new Trident 660. It’s a genuine breath of fresh air.
The new triple makes a modest but very useful and fruity 80bhp and when it hits dealers late January/ early February next year it’ll cost just £7195, or less than a hundred quid per month on PCP with a 25% deposit The new bike even has 10,000-mile service intervals to keep your bank balance happy.
It’s the cheapest bike in Triumph’s 2021 line-up and has middleweight naked rivals such as Honda’s £7199 CB650R, the £6649 Kawasaki Z650 and class-leading £6697 Yamaha MT-07 firmly in its sights. They’re the kind of machines adored by commuters, newer riders and the experienced who want something fun for the weekend without having to pay big bucks for the pleasure. Triumph already make a 660cc triple designed to be A2 licence restricted in the shape of the £8100 Street Triple S, so where does the Trident 660 fit in? Well, its name may evoke memories of the British firm’s old 1970s triples, or even the first 1990s ‘Hinckley’ Triumph Tridents that started their current renaissance, but it’s no retro.
‘Paint finishes are up there with the best with great detailing’
In with the new
The Trident 660 has been conceived to be even friendlier and more roadfocused than the sportier Street Triple S. It’s a completely new model, which is a rare thing nowadays, from its tubular steel chassis to the minimal styling and ride-by-wire electronics. Granted, its engine, which is very different from the Street Triple’s, may have started life in the original Daytona 675 (with a brief appearance in the Aussie-only 2014 Street Triple 660), but it’s crammed with so many upgraded parts that it is barely recognisable, so you’d have to say that’s new too.
With its pared-down bodywork and more than a hint of a streetfighting stunt bike look to it, there’s an overriding feeling of slimness and stripped-back airiness to the Trident 660 when you climb aboard. Cut-outs in the tank bring your knees close together for control and the riding position is more relaxed than that the sportier and slightly bulkier-feeling Street Triple.
There’s lots of legroom for the tall, despite the Triumph’s compactness, but its 805mm dual seat is low and slim enough for shorter riders to get feet flat on the floor, which is always a confidence booster. Tapered aluminium bars are nicely wide and arc back gently towards you, for a reach that’s on the comfortable side of sporty, which is good news for your wrists in traffic and on long trips.
Triple treats
Your view down is textbook, modern-day Triumph and everything you can see is neat, well finished and cleverly thought out: an elegant single round clock with twin displays, uncluttered switchgear and big, useful teardrop-shaped mirrors. Elsewhere the Trident bursts with the kind of detailing that makes its Japanese rivals seem quite ordinary: full LED lighting, self-cancelling indicators, an immobiliser, lightweight five-spoke aluminium wheels, Michelin Road 5 tyres, an adjustable brake lever, Showa suspension, Nissin brakes and a neat underslung exhaust that makes a nice tingly, triply noise for your ears to enjoy. Paint finishes are up there with the best Trumpets and the detailing continues with neat little badges and logos subtly contained within the tank knee pads, fuel cap, headlight, taillight, handlebar clamp and clocks.
Perfectly balanced
On the move the Trident 660 is a bike of two halves. It’s light on its feet, characterful and easy to use as an everyday commuter on the one hand, but on the other it’s a naked sportsbike with a Moto2 soundtrack, fruity low-gear acceleration and incredible poise and accuracy through corners.
It can do both of those things equally well because it weighs just 189kg ready to go and the chassis has the kind of balance its Japanese rivals still struggle to get right (most are too soft at the rear and harsh at the front). That’s squarely down to clever Triumph design, development and a talented team of test riders.
The Trident 660 is of course built down to a price, but there’s been no scrimping when it came to creating it. It’s had the same love, care and went through the same brutal regime as any new Triumph, including their
‘Fruity low-gear acceleration and incredible poise and accuracy’
‘The 660 has incredible thrust for its capacity’
Moto2 project. The Trident 660 has undergone over half a million miles worth of durability testing, 1200 miles of flat-out speed runs, 31 individual rig tests over 3440 hours, over 20,000 miles on track and 3300 hours on the road.
As a result, the suspension is well damped, sprung and never jars or wallows. Steering is light, natural and the brakes are full of power, feel and devoid of unwanted ABS intervention. The Michelin Road 5 rubber grips in the wet, dry and across a huge temperature range so always instils confidence.
The Triumph is accessible, friendly and confidence inspiring, but it’s also so sure-footed you’d need to be going some to get it out of shape on the road.
And then there’s engine. Threecylinder motorcycles are always lauded for their versatility, mixing the grunt of a twin with the longrevving excitement of a four. It’s why Yamaha’s MT-09 has been such a success and why Triumph have produced 600,000 triples since they resumed production in the 1990s… and counting.
Real-world oomph
The Trident 660 has incredible thrust for its capacity. There’s meaty, but friendly power right the way through the rev range, so it’s never fussy about what gear you’re in - it’ll pull cleanly regardless. 80bhp might not sound much in these 200bhp-obsessed days but it’s still a lot, especially with the motor’s shorter first four gear ratios, so when you give the triple a tickle it doesn’t hang around. Tuck down behind the clock for long enough you’d see around 130mph. Throttle, clutch action and gearbox are all as delightful as afternoon tea and while it has traction control and ABS, the Trident 660 felt so sure-footed during our test we never troubled them, even in the wet. Overall performance sits somewhere between Kawasaki’s 67bhp Z650 parallel twin and Honda’s more powerful 94bhp inline four-cylinder CB650R. The Triumph’s engine character ensures that it’s more visceral than both of them, but then there’s the MT-07. Yamaha have a new version for 2021 which we haven’t ridden yet but the outgoing MT-07 was something special, selling by the truckload and winning awards and group tests since it arrived in 2014. In terms of handling and composure the Triumph has the Yamaha beat hands-down, but the MT-07’s 74bhp parallel twin cylinder engine will always take some beating in terms of thrills and playfulness.
Accessories galore
Triumph have created a 47-strong range of accessories for the Trident 660 including a Bluetooth connectivity system, an up/down quickshifter (sadly not fitted to our test bike), an underseat USB charger, scrolling LED indicators, tyre pressure monitor system, fly screen, aluminium bellypan, bar end mirrors, machined ali parts, heated grips and pillion grab handles. There’s also a quickrelease tail pack and tank bag, crash and paint protection, covers, cleaning kits, battery chargers, an alarm, tracker and locks.
Full time scores
After a day spent riding Triumph’s new Trident 660 it’s proved to be comfortable, engaging and so easy to ride you really don’t have to think about it. It’s calm at low speed, cruises on the motorway thanks to its tall fifth and sixth gears and it’s only used half a tank of fuel. It might only have a 14-litre tank but averaging an indicated 60mpg that’s 185 miles between fill-ups. It’s more than just an affordable, entry-level, middleweight naked, you can also feel the same sporty DNA in its chassis and engine that’s made the Street Triple such a hit over the years. So, while the Trident 660 does have a caring, sharing side, it also gets the blood pumping and put a smile on your face.