Oct 31, 20205 min read

Triumph Motorcycles Unveils Production Trident 660 And Expected NZ Price

Updated: Oct 31, 2020

Triumph Motorcycles has been teasing us for months with pre-production photos of the upcoming 2021 Trident, and now we finally have our first look at what makes this new Triumph middleweight tick.

Expected to arrive in New Zealand dealers in January as a LAMS only model, the new Trident firmly puts Triumph ownership in the realm of affordability to more riders, with an indicated price of just $12,990. That's $2000 cheaper than Triumph's current entry-level offering, the Street Triple 660 with a lot more modern tech baked in for good measure.

“What we wanted with the new Trident 660 was to give the riders in this really exciting middleweight roadster world all of the things they want from their bike, with a genuine set of real advantages that set a new benchmark for choice, says Triumph Motorcycles chief product officer Steve Sargent.

"From the competitive price to the triple power and performance, plus the benefits of class-leading handling and technology, we believe the Trident 660 is a real milestone in the category and introduces the Triumph brand and the advantages of a triple engine to a whole new generation of riders across the world.”

The new Trident 660 is based around an all-new (according to Triumph) 660cc triple-cylinder engine which in full power trim makes 81hp of peak power at 10,250rpm and is backed by 64Nm of torque which peaks at just 6250rpm. Up to 90% of that torque is available throughout most of the rev-range which should make the new Trident quite a punchy and fun machine to ride.

As expected a low-power version for British A2 licence holders - the UK equivalent of our LAMS restrictions – is also available which sees power drop to 47.8hp at 8750rpm and 51Nm at 5250rpm. Importantly for UK riders, once a rider is fully licenced Triumph has built in the ability to de-restrict the Trident to its full potential at a dealership, though sadly this won’t be an option in New Zealand as LAMS bikes are not legally allowed to be derestricted under current legislation.

Triumph New Zealand says the power for the NZ LAMS spec Trident will be 53hp at 8750rpm and 59Nm at 5000rpm, which is only a smidge under the horsepower figure of the more expensive and less flashy Street Triple 660 but a better torque number at a lower engine rpm. The Street Triple 660 itself will remain in the range so long as there is demand according to Triumph NZ.

Mated to the new engine is a 6-speed gearbox with slip assist clutch as standard fare, with an up/down quickshifter available as an optional extra – just one of the over 45 official Triumph accessories on offer at launch.

Chassis wise Triumph has designed the Trident with the goal of delivering a confidence-inspiring, agile and fun ride, with a light steering weight, a low seat height of just 805mm and slim width for easy access for a wide range of riders.

Combining a wet weight of just 189kg, all-new tubular steel chassis, an ergonomic set-up designed to suit both experienced and new riders, lightweight 17-inch aluminium spoke wheels and tapered aluminium bars, the Trident is as great to ride as it is to look at.

In the handling department, the Trident is bestowed with a premium Showa suspension set-up. Up the front, the bike is equipped with Showa upside-down separate function forks giving 120mm front wheel travel, while on the rear the Trident features Showa preload-adjustable monoshock suspension unit with linkage. With preload adjustability of the rear suspension and 133.5mm rear wheel travel, the Trident has been set-up to carry a pillion rider whilst maintaining its outstanding handling and exciting riding experience, although pillion grab handles are an optional extra from the base bike.

Michelin Road 5 tyres are fitted as standard rubber, with Triumph opting for them due to their reputation to deliver outstanding grip and provide confidence in both wet and dry conditions. A tyre pressure monitoring system is also available as yet another accessory which links in with the Triumph's new TFT display (more on that later).

Completing the stop-go makeup of the Trident is a Nissin braking system which provides outstanding stopping power from 2-piston Nissin sliding front calipers with twin lightweight 310mm discs on the front, and a single-piston Nissin rear caliper on the rear disc.

As we've come to expect, Triumph doesn't drop the ball when it comes to electronics on their machines and the new Trident is no exception.

The dash is another gorgeous TFT display in line with the aesthetic of the second-generation screen found on the Scrambler 1200 line. The new TFT screen is integrated with a crystal clear ‘white-on-black’ LCD display and offers functionality beyond the standard on board metrics. When combined with the dedicated My Triumph Connectivity System accessory module, the TFT can also provide turn-by-turn navigation, GoPro control and phone and music control, all via Bluetooth, using the handlebar-mounted switch cubes.

Standard riding modes include the basic Road and Rain options, with riders also able to adjust the traction control settings to their linking. 2 riding modes, adjustable traction control and ride-by-wire.

While in some respects the new Trident doesn't come across as radically ground-breaking, it is just what the doctor ordered for a premium brand like Triumph – Accessible motoring with smart features.

Included in the design brief for Triumph's engineers was the need to make the Trident more affordable to own than its competitors. As such, the Trident 660 features long service intervals (16,000km to be exact) as well as less time in the workshop to achieve its servicing needs. Triumph claims that over a three year service time frame the Trident requires the lowest level of workshop time in the category, with 8.3 total hours compared to a range of 11 hrs to 15.8 hrs total required by its closest competitors. That makes servicing the Trident 25% more cost-effective in labour alone.

The Trident is also backed by Triumph's two-year unlimited mileage warranty for added peace of mind.