TRIUMPH TRIDENT 660
It’s easy to understand why Triumph’s elected to produce a competitively priced, entry-level street naked, but why it had to go down the route of appeasing the Shoreditch scene when it could have credibly dipped into its vast array of R&D design and prowess to create a more Street Tripleinclined, sportier proposition is a little beyond me. Maybe, just maybe, that would have been to the Trident’s detriment; seen as the poor man’s Street, with less power, less tech and less brilliance. The last thing any manufacturer wants to do is dilute a successful lineage that’s evolved over decades and has global adoration.
Nope, the Trident had to be different, because it was always intended to be different. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the Trident is Triumph’s attempt at luring the high-volume sales that Kawasaki’s Z650 and Yamaha’s MT-07 have enjoyed largely unchallenged for quite a while. Who can blame them? Once I’d had my fill of the styling’s plentiful hints of hipster, there was just one question on my mind… could the riding experience win me over?
From a spec point of view, armed with a wholly new 660cc triple motor, a box-fresh frame and a wet weight of just 189kg, the Trident’s credentials got my attention for all
the right reasons, and I’ll admit that once I was sitting on the bike, the relationship between the large seat, relaxed pegs and wide bars also scored it a few more brownie points. The bike looks stunted, in my opinion, but when you’re on it feels perfectly formed, and the view of the quirky yet simple dash just seems to make sense. This bike is minimalist in so many ways, which I’m sure is by design rather than a sneaky way of saving a few pennies on materials, but the detail and finish is impressively good.
The switchgears are great and the tech on tap, which includes rider modes and traction levels, is just enough to leave you satisfied. As random as it might sound, the substantial single headlight with its integral Triumph logo is actually my favourite part of the bike, and I like how the exposed triple headers leave you in no doubt that you’re on a triple. Of course, the noise the motor makes is another giveaway of this fact, featuring that stereotypical Triumph amalgamation of a whirring induction noise and a throaty exhaust note that would give Dot Cotton a run for her money.
Triumph claims the triple makes 80bhp, which isn’t too shabby, but it was the 64Nm of torque that really caught my attention when I slipped the Trumpet into gear and got my joyride underway. I was impressed by how strongly and smoothly the engine came to life at pretty low revs, reminding me much more of an MT-07 than a Z650. For a smaller bike, it had some go about it, and the linear nature of its delivery made accessing its limiter both fast and fun. Whether that’s solely down to the motor’s characteristics or the dinner-plate sized rear sprocket, I really cannot tell you, but as first impressions go the bike’s acceleration made a pretty solid one.
FOR A SMALLER BIKE, IT HAD SOME GO ABOUT IT.
Keeping up with the others was a doddle, and my only real grievance with the Triumph’s performance was its lack of a shifter, or blipper, for that matter. Of course, I was asking for the world on a silver platter, but in reality, costing under £7.5k, the Trident had little to apologise for.
On the open road, riding enthusiastically, it impressed me with its stability, agility and general table manners. It was easy to place exactly where I wanted it to be, and aside from the odd wobble from the slightly soft suspension, the bike’s road holding did too. It really didn’t take long to have absolute confidence in the package, which carried that typical plush Triumph feel from its non-adjustable Showa suspension. Well, actually the rear shock’s preload could be fettled with, but I genuinely didn’t feel the need as I carved my way along a succession of B roads, depositing micro-plastics at will as my sliders were forced again and again into the cold Tarmac. I was having a right laugh and felt pretty convinced that I’d not only picked the most comfortable bike of the test, but arguably one of the most fun too. A solid road ride later and even the looks were proving less offensive, but it certainly looked the odd one out whenever we pulled up for burgers, chips or whatever else Johnny demanded we ate.
The real test came when we got to the kart track and I had the chance to thrash it for all it was worth. You learn a lot on the roads, but it was only at this point in time that I fully got a grasp of the dual Nissin calipers’ braking performance, which did a respectable job of hauling the bike up and without too much ABS intervention.
Despite the lack of a shifter or blipper, the gearbox was hard to fault. Going into the hairpin, dropping down a few gears in quick succession, I was impressed by the punishment the slip and assist clutch seemed to take, with the rear wheel only mildly chattering until the excess revs were brought under control. My thoughts on the handling of the bike were only reaffirmed on track, with the nimble nature of the package proving an absolute god-send on the nadgery circuit.
Don’t get me wrong, there were a few occasions when I felt like I wouldn’t want to push the bike harder or deeper into bends, but everything has its limits. The suspension
was really quite talkative and, with the traction turned off, there was plenty of info coming my way as I began to find the limits of the OE Michelin Road 5 rubber.
The TC itself wasn’t too bad when the bike was set in the sportier of its two riding modes, but the Trident was so much more fun and responsive on the track when the system was turned off. It also meant wheelies and burnouts were on the cards, so I needed no other encouragement.
The triple motor was easy to mess around with and it felt rewarding on track, being able to ride it hard in a way you just can’t on big bikes. On the roads the versatility of engine had impressed me, especially at low speeds in town, but now on track its energy got my vote at the opposite end of the speed spectrum too, made all the sweeter by its solid delivery of torque from low down.
There was nothing unnerving about the triple engine, or the rest of the bike for that matter. It had proven to be an easy-to-ride bike, but with enough zest and character to keep me and my childish mannerisms entertained. Did I like it? Most certainly. So much so, in fact, I can almost forgive its looks.
THE SUSPENSION WAS REALLY QUITE TALKATIVE, WITH PLENTY OF INFO COMING MY WAY.