THE RETURN OF THE TRIDENT

TRIUMPH HAVE UNVEILED the first prototype of their new low-priced Trident naked which harks back to the unfaired performance bikes of the 1990s. The new Trident has a monoshock rear end and a liquid-cooled three-cylinder engine. The Trident design prototype has been created during a four-year development programme in the UK.

It is the second time Triumph have resurrected the Trident name, originally used on the pushrod triple of 1969-1977 and later used on the 750 and 900cc un-faired Hinckley triples of the 1990s.

Styling is a mixture of modern sportsbike at the rear with a tank that owes much to the Speed Triple, and to Triumph’s range of twins.

The Trident design prototype was revealed at the London Design Museum. Few technical details have been revealed, which was a surprise given the machine is due to arrive in showrooms in early 2021. The exact price, engine capacity and power have not been revealed. It seems likely that the engine will be a de-tuned version of Triumph’s 675cc triple engine. Triumph says the triple is ‘the perfect balance of lowdown torque and top end power’. It will be joining a crowded marketplace and will need to be priced very competitively among the rival middleweight Japanese twins that fit into a £6,000-7000 price slot.

Steve Sargent, Triumph Chief Product Officer, said: “The Trident design prototype marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Triumph, where the brief was all about fun, from the look to the ride. With its pure minimalist form, clean lines, Triumph design DNA and more than a hint of our Speed Triple’s muscular poise, this gives the first exciting glimpse at the full Trident story to come. Ultimately our aim was to bring a new take on character and style, alongside the accessible easy handling and quality Triumph is known for – at a price that’s really competitive.”