Triumph Trident 660 (2021-current) - Review & Buying Guide

Launched in 2021, The Triumph Trident 660 goes head-to-head with the latest breed of budget-conscious parallel-twin middleweights – although it does so with an inline triple motor. Incredible value for money and a delight to ride, the Trident 660 makes for a brilliant A2-legal bike that can have its restriction removed when the time comes to add a whole new dimension to your time together. Well built, effortlessly easy to ride and great handling, the Trident is a brilliant middleweight option that can now be had for very reasonable money. More grown-up feeling than an MT-07 and classier than the Z650, it is probably the class-leader and has been a huge success for Triumph. With three-year PCP deals starting to mature, more and more Trident 660s are entering the used market, making this excellent middleweight well worth considering.

Triumph Trident 660 (2021-current) - Price

When it was launched in 2021, the Trident had an RRP of £7195, which was keen but a touch more than more budget-conscious parallel twin rivals such as the Kawasaki Z650 or Yamaha MT-07 whose prices were around the £6700 mark. Nowadays you can get a used Trident for as little as £3900, however it will probably have seen a bit of action and you are best setting a limit of £5000, for which you will get a low teens-mileage bike from a dealer or under 10,000-mile example in a private sale. As the Trident is so new, there isn’t much to be feared from going private, especially if it has a low mileage (quite a few have covered less than 5000 miles). If you want a ‘new’ bike, despite Triumph’s current RRP of £7895, it is easy to get a pre-registered 2023 bike for £6749, saving over £1000, which is worth considering as you will get a warranty and possibly even a tempting low-rate finance package.

Triumph Trident 660 (2021-current) - Engine and Performance

Powered by a 660cc triple, the Trident’s motor is based around the older Street Triple engine not the newer 765 version but with a stack of new components that include a ride-by-wire throttle, revised internals and different gear ratios.

Producing a claimed 80bhp with 47ft-lb of torque, it falls within the limits to allow it to be restricted down to A2-legal, which is a crucial part of its design and isn’t something that can be done on the Street Triple 765 models as they make over 100bhp.

A really beautiful motor, the Trident’s triple has lots of lovely smooth low-down power and a near-perfect throttle connection, making it feel instantly reassuring and friendly to ride (and making the power modes a bit pointless, just leave it in Road). Great for building up your confidence on, it is very forgiving and yet still has enough zap once you let it rev to allow more experienced riders to thoroughly enjoy its performance. And if you want, you can even arm it with a quickshifter.

Interestingly, Triumph deliberately made an effort to make the Trident cheap to run (they claim it is the cheapest in its segment) and as well as long 10,000-mile service intervals, has quite reasonable service costs. Expect an annual bill of around £150 for an interim service, the 10,000-mile service costs close to £240 and the major 20,000-mile service (which includes valve-clearances) will be about £650. When buying used, you only really need to worry about the 20,000-mile service as the other two are very reasonable.

The triple motor has no major issues and as the Trident is fairly new, there isn’t much to worry about. A few owners have suffered from fuelling glitches and there is the occasional gripe about rusty fasteners but overall the Trident seems solid, aside from the quickshifter. Oddly, this seems quite a weak area on a lot of Triumph models and it can start to fail on the Trident, especially if subjected to a lot of rain. Check all is nice and smooth on a test ride.

Triumph Trident 660 (2021-current) - Handling & Suspension

With a chassis that boasts Showa suspension, Nissin brakes and quality Michelin Road 5 as standard, Triumph haven’t cut corners with the Trident. With a low seat height of just 805mm and a wet weight of 189kg, the Trident is very manageable at low speed and makes for a good urban commuter. But it is on B-roads it really impresses.

Wonderfully assured in bends, the Showa suspension may be left lacking in terms of adjustability (only the shock’s preload can be altered) but it hits a good balance between plush and responsive, and the vast majority of riders won’t feel like they have been short-changed in the Trident’s chassis department. The brakes, which are only two-piston sliding calipers and not four-piston units, perform extremely well (braided lines are standard fitment) and the ABS system is hard to fault (although it isn't angle-responsive).

When buying used, a few owners have had issues with the build quality of the shock, which can look quite tatty fairly quickly, so check it well. Otherwise, there isn’t much to worry about aside from the conditional of any consumable items and ensuring there is no signs of crash damage, history of theft or outstanding finance, which can be done via an HPI check.

Triumph Trident 660 (2021-current) - Comfort & Economy

The Trident is a comfortable bike as long as you keep the speeds down. Its lack of fairing means that anything over 70mph can get quite tiresome fairly quickly, but that’s to be expected. You can up its comfort levels through heated grips, a fly screen etc but if you are that fussed about comfort, try the excellent Tiger Sport 660 or Daytona 660 instead, which both have fairings.

While Triumph claim it is possible to record 60mpg, generally you are looking at closer to 50mpg and a tank range of about 150 miles from the Trident’s 14 litre tank, which is acceptable for a naked bike but not outstanding. The Tiger Sport 660 with it bigger 17.2-litre tank goes further.

Triumph Trident 660 (2021-current) - Equipment

As standard the Trident gets ABS, traction control (which can be disengaged) and two power modes – Road and Rain. While this is a good start, there is lots more to go...

Adding connectivity to the dash (using Triumph’s My Triumph app) requires the £250 connectivity module while tyre pressure monitors are £270 and heated grips £240. You can also fit an underseat USB charger for £26.50. All of these are great additions to see on a used bike. To increase its practicality, pillion grab rails are £154 while a flyscreen is £148 and a tank bag £189 and tail pack £161. All of these items are available directly from Triumph, alongside crash protection and other bolt-on accessories (although not an aftermarket exhaust can). If you want a quickshifter, it is £320 and an A2-restrictor kit is £153.

Aftermarket firms have jumped on the Trident 660 and lots of used bikes have tail tidies, tall screens, bar-end mirrors and even top boxes. Oddly, aftermarket pipes are rare, probably because it is a one-piece exhaust system. If you fancy one, expect to pay about £400 for a full system to replace the OE Triumph unit – few owners bother.

Triumph Trident 660 (2021-current) - Rivals

There are loads of great middleweight bikes to choose from, but here are our pick, all of which can be restricted down to A2-legal if required.

Yamaha MT-07 (2014-current) | Approx Price: £3500-£7500

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Power/Torque

72bhp / 49lb-ft

Weight

184kg

Kawasaki Z650 (2020-current) | Approx Price: £3500-£7000

Read more

Power/Torque

67bhp / 47lb-ft

Weight

188kg

Honda CB650R (2019-current) | Approx Price: £4500-£7000

Read more

Power/Torque

92bhp / 46.5lb-ft

Weight

203kg

Triumph Trident 660 (2021-current) - Verdict

The Trident 660 is one of those bikes that just feels right in every way. The triple engine has enough performance to satisfy without ever feeling like it will over-step the mark, the chassis is sporty but always perfectly poised and compliant and the look is modern and contemporary. With a decent array of electronics, the Trident ticks every box and if you are after an A2-legal bike that once you have gained a full A licence you can derestrict and unlock even more enjoyment from, the Trident is a brilliant option. And one that is now fairly prevalent in the used market, meaning prices are pleasingly low. It’s the complete package and a brilliant bike.

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Triumph Trident 660 (2021-current) - Technical Specification