A look at Triumph's current portfolio reveals a rather large void below its successful Street Triple line-up. Creating a step for people to enter Triumph’s naked motorcycle universe at a price point below the Street Triple has been long overdue, which is why the Hinckley based manufacturer is readying a brand-new street naked motorcycle for early 2021.
- New bike to resurrect the Trident name
- Will use a three-cylinder engine
- Gets a brand-new steel frame
Resurrecting an iconic name from the 70s, this new model is called the Triumph Trident. It’s aimed squarely at those looking for a fun and engaging motorcycle that can be used on an everyday basis. This is a highly popular segment and Triumph is designing this bike to take on successful machines that cost well below its current Street Triple range.
So far, Triumph has been pretty tight-lipped about the project and it's only recently that a handful of journalists, including us, were made privy to the motorcycle's design and some other details. The core engine specifications and features will be revealed in the following weeks.
The motorcycle you see here is a near-production version, but we only got to see images of the prototype in white. The 2021 Triumph Trident has been styled by Rodolfo Frascoli (who previously worked with the company on the new Triumph Tiger 900) and its design is an amalgamation of lines from the Street Triple range as well as the company’s classic motorcycles. This is apparent in the round LED headlamp, beefy tank and upswept tail with an integrated LED lamp that reminds you of the Street Triple and Daytona.
Triumph is promising class-leading fit and attention to detail, with the bike also using a swingarm mounted hugger for the number plate. Judging by the quality and finish of the rest of the company’s line-up, the expectations remain high, but we shall reserve comments till we see the bike in the flesh.
Triumph is also keeping mum about the features of the new instrument cluster, but going by the switchgear, which includes navigation buttons, it should have a fully digital screen and multiple menus to access the bike’s various functions. The company claims this model will have class-leading features as well.
The fact that the Triumph Trident is pegged as an everyday machine is also evident in the shape of the seat and position of the pegs. The riding position appears more relaxed and upright than the Street Triple and Triumph has made it clear that the Trident is less track-focused than the other triples in the family.
Underneath the bodywork is a brand-new chassis. Unlike the Street Triple's aluminium unit, the Triumph Trident's frame is made of steel, in the interest of saving costs. While we expect similar measures to be taken in the case of other components, such as suspension, brakes, and tyres, Triumph is promising high-quality, branded parts. For now, we can spot Nissin brake callipers as well as sport-touring Michelin Road 5 tyres on the display motorcycle.
It’s the engine that Triumph believes will truly set the Trident apart from the competition. This will be the first triple-cylinder motorcycle in the segment, the others being the Kawasaki Z650 and Yamaha MT-07, with their parallel-twin engines, and the Honda CB650, with its inline-four motor. Triumph says the Trident's Street Triple-inspired engine has an advantage over its rivals, as it can offer the low-end grunt of a twin as well as the top-end rush of a four-cylinder engine. Although it is too early to say, we expect the engine to also offer good tractability for city commutes while maintaining a strong midrange. It’s possible that this motor will be based on the 660cc engine from the 2020 Street Triple S, but the changes it will come with and whether it keeps the displacement figure is unclear at the moment.
On the whole, the Triumph Trident surely has its work cut out against established competition but initial assessments point towards this being a unique proposition in the segment.
The 2021 Triumph Trident will be made in Thailand and that spells options for the Indian arm. Triumph India could avail the benefits of the Thai Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or assemble the motorcycle in India itself. Whatever route they might choose, a price tag of Rs 6.5-7 lakh (ex-showroom) would help the Triumph Trident to generate interest in India.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
