BIKE REVIEW- 2021 Triumph Trident 660: The Triple Treat!

So, the checklist was made and here I was hoping to tick all these boxes while on the saddle of Triumph’s smallest street naked offering for the Indian market – the mid-capacity, 660 triple powered Trident! Even at first glance you can tell that the motorcycle is as compact as the 390 Duke or even the Dominar for instance. However, the spec sheet will blow your minds. It’s almost as if Triumph wanted us to prove that the best things come in small packages.

The name ‘Trident’ is not a new one. The name dates back to the beginning of the era of fast bikes, more than a century ago. The Trident gets the 660 triple motor borrowed from Triumph’s Street Triple S which is sold overseas. Obviously, the motor has been tweaked in terms of bore x stroke and compression and makes less power compared to the Triple S. But there is no complaining!

The Design

A huge applaud to the Hinckley team for sculpting the Trident and Frascoli for adding the finishing touches. The overall look of the Trident is compact starting with a rather small LED headlamp with a detailed Triumph logo element inside it. The instrument cluster too is small and simple, made to show you just enough. But that’s not what the eye catches first. The big, rounded fuel tank with accommodating recesses is what steals the show along with a little help from the sweet looking radiator shrouds.

Once you are done staring at the ravishing tank, you head on over to take a look at the sporty rear end. The taillight is integrated while the number plate and turn indicators are fit flush on the tyre hugger. The grab handles make it look even more menacing. Wait. You just noticed something while u glanced the rear. A polished exhaust can peek from under the swingarm. Yes, that along with the downpipes are the first thing that get naughty with the speed breakers when you have a pillion. Talking about sporty, those pegs are quite rear-set for a slightly aggressive riding posture. The 189kg kerb weight, 805mm seat height and the large knee indents can accommodate different types of riders. A point to note will be that the taller riders might not enjoy the ergonomics as their knees would reach the edge of the knee indents. The boots I was wearing were quite slim, whereas, bigger boots would have made contact with the pillion foot pegs.

The Performance

Triumph has done a phenomenal job with the Trident 660. It is a compact, yet powerful masterpiece. The 660cc inline-three makes 80bhp of power at 10,250rpm and 64Nm of torque at 6,250rpm. The power flows through a rather slick 6-speed gearbox with quickshifter. The 660cc motor is the same one from the StreetTripleS but with a different bore and stroke along with a lower compression ratio. The motor is so smooth, with the power delivery being very linear. Now, smooth is one thing. What it did miss is the crazy 12k top end that the motor in the Street Triple boasts. Even though this motor tops out at 10,000rpm, it’s still a gem! Makes enough horsepower for its size and retains the tractability of the triples. The tractable motor along with the short 6-speed helps you cruise at really slow speeds in higher gears without throwing a knock at you.

However, you would need to get used to the weirdly sudden surge of power as it hits around 3,000rpm, which happens every single time and is a bit of a pain in stop and go traffic. But then there’s a plus point – The exhaust note, it’s a symphony that is iconic! The harder you rev, the more your ears crave the sound. Get closer to the top end and the vibes slowly creep into the handlebar and pegs. For experienced riders, the one turn off is that there is no sport mode, just Rain and road. The full bandwidth of power is only available in the Road mode with the traction control being quite intrusive. In rain mode you will have slightly lesser power. Thankfully the traction control can be switched off. Overall, the motor is manic! That slight surge post 3,000 is like an adrenaline shot right up your bottom.

Ride and Handling

Got a chance to ride the Trident over the whole weekend facing peak traffic, heavy rains and slippery roads. It’s safe to say that the motorcycle does carry the pedigree from its older siblings. Yes, it certainly can take on bad, broken roads but not for too long as the suspension is more on the stiffer side. The ground clearance is more than enough for a street naked, but your weight coupled with a pillion, adding big Pune speed breakers to the equation equals to scraping downpipes. Took my wife out for a spin, and managed to bank the pipes at the edge of the entrance and exit ramp.However, she did praise the seat to be comfortable enough for a bike like this.

The Trident features 41mm Showa USD forks and a Showa monoshock unit adjustable for preload. Unlike the Street Triple, the frame is made of steel. Despite this, it manages to take on corners really well, also courtesy of the grippy Michelin Road 5 tyres. The stiff ride and tyres inspire confidence while cornering but is at times too stiff for taking on Pune’s broken roads on a daily basis. Thought the riding position is upright and quite comfortable, you would go in search of pristine roads to put the power down or maybe stand up and blast past the bad patches.

To drop anchor the Trident gets 310mm twin disc with dual pot calipers at the front and a 255mm disc with single piston caliper. The front brakes deliver great initial bite but lack linear progression.

Is it worth buying?

Won’t say no to this. It’s an ideal motorcycle for beginners, especially someone who wants to move up from the 300-400cc capacity motorcycles. The service intervals are every 16,000km, even thought it would cost you somewhere around the 8k mark for a regular service. The Trident will set you back Rs 6.95 lakh ex-showroom and somewhere close to 8.5 lakh on road. For this price you get a potent package that you can live with and also maybe take it to the track once in a while for some proper fun.