Triumph Trident Set To Challenge Honda CB650R, Yamaha MT-07 And Kawasaki Z650

Triumph is trying to pull off a big masterstroke. It is trying to enter the world of mid-displacement motorcycles, currently dominated by Japanese bikes, by offering a triple-cylinder experience that has great performance, easy yet capable handling, and a bucket load of tech and features. All of this at just a small premium over some of the competition. Should you then be excited about the new Triumph Trident? Heck yeah, as this is set to be the most affordable Triumph on sale and it will be coming to our shores early next year.

Thruxton Marries Street Triple
That is one way to surmise the styling of the new Trident. The curves on the tank with the signature recesses can be traced back to the sportiest member of the Bonneville family. The circular headlamp has a nice split layout with the Triumph badge stamped in the centre. Even the dash is circular with an old school vibe.

All of this hip clothing isn’t enough to call it a classic, in fact, it is far from being one. The overall silhouette is very reminiscent of ’90s European naked motorcycles. The tail, while wide and certainly looks very accommodating, has quite an abrupt end. The rear overhang’s de-cluttered feel is quite easy on the eyes with the LED taillights neatly integrated below the seat. The tyre hugger-mounted rear turn indicators might not be the most ideal fit for our bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions, which could result in them snapping off. But hopefully, Triumph has a tail tidy as an accessory ready for those who want to make the switch.

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More Feature Loaded Than The Street Triple R
Triumph hasn’t skimped out on offering a full-digital dash on the Trident, like it did on the Street Triple R. The console itself is split into two halves, like the headlight, with the top LCD panel reserved for the tacho, speedo, gear position indicator and a fuel gauge. The lower half is a colour TFT dash that allows you to control the various rider electronic aids and gives you other motorcycle alerts. Triumph has also built in the functionality to fit the MyTriumph connectivity module to the Trident allowing one to access turn by turn navigation, GoPro control, call receiving and music control on the fly via the left-hand switchgear.

A Triple To Take On Twins And Inline Fours
Triumph intends to take the fight to the parallel-twin Kawasaki Z650 and Yamaha MT-07 and the inline four Honda CB650R with the Trident. And sticking to its triple-cylinder roots was the best way to offer something unique in this segment. Triumph claims this 660cc inline three-cylinder engine isn’t the same one that you find on the Euro-spec Street Triple S (the one that is primarily there to be an A2-compliant Street Triple). This engine has 67 dedicated new engine parts including new pistons, crankshaft, clutch, cam profiles, and intake and exhaust systems. As a result, this new engine puts out 81PS at 10,250rpm and 64Nm at 5,000rpm.

These figures are quite low in comparison to the Street Triple S’ motor that in its unrestricted tune makes 95.2PS and 66Nm. The key for Triumph though is accessible power for a lot of new riders. 81PS and 64Nm are quite decent numbers for the segment, certainly more powerful than the parallel twin Kwacker and Yammie. Nearly 90 percent of the torque is available from as low as 3,600rpm and exists till 9,750rpm, which is incredible!

Where this motor truly shines is in the rider aids department. Triumph is offering ride by wire technology that unlocks two rider modes, each with dedicated engine maps, traction control and ABS intervention levels. These aren’t IMU-aided but for the segment, the Trident will now be setting the benchmark. Plus, Triumph will also be offering a bi-directional quickshifter as an accessory fitment.

Simple Foundations
Now we all know how potent the Street Triple’s perimeter frame is. It is one of the main reasons why the naked is lauded as one of the best handling motorcycles ever. Triumph wanted to retain that handling prowess but didn’t want it to be as focused and more cost-effective than the Triple’s. Hence, the Trident’s chassis has a slightly relaxed steering geometry made from tubular steel, not aluminium. Even the swingarm is fabricated from steel. Still, it is remarkable that Triumph has managed to keep the weight of the bike down to just 189kg with fluids on board.

No fully adjustable suspension on the Trident. Both the separate function 41mm USD fork and preload-adjustable monoshock are sourced from Showa. Expect these units to have a slightly softer tune for better ride quality without compromising too much on the handling. No fancy radial monobloc brakes from Italy. Nissin twin-piston floating calipers act on twin 310mm rotors on the front wheel, just like the Street Triple S. Unlike the S though, the rear braking system is a Nissin-sourced single-piston caliper with a 255mm disc. Specially designed 17-inch alloys come shod with grippy Michelin Road 5 tyres, which in our experience are known to offer great traction and feedback, even in slippery road conditions.

Most Affordable Triumph
Yes, you read that right, the Triumph Trident is all set to be the most affordable Triumph motorcycle, even undercutting the Street Twin. In the UK, it is priced at GBP 7,200 (roughly Rs 6.93 lakh). Applying the same price buffer between the UK and Indian prices of the Street Triple R, the Trident could come in at an introductory Rs 6.99 lakh (ex-showroom). This is extremely enticing as it gives a lot of Indians a more affordable choice to own a triple-cylinder motorcycle. It would still be about a lakh dearer than the Kawasaki Z650, but the Trident turns out to be the more value-for-money option than the Kwacker. And even when the Honda CB650R comes, the Trident is going to be significantly lower priced.

Triumph has got a winner on its hands, and if priced well, it could very well sell like hot cakes. Bring on 2021.