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  • 2 days ago
The 2026 Triumph Trident 660 gets its biggest update yet, and it starts with a major boost in performance. Triumph’s 660cc triple now makes 94 horsepower, up nearly 14 hp from before, thanks to a new three-throttle intake system, higher compression, revised internals, and a higher redline. On the road, that translates to stronger midrange, a more exciting top end, and a completely different character compared to the previous model. The Trident still delivers approachable ergonomics and easy handling, but the suspension remains tuned for comfort and the braking system leaves some room for improvement. With updated tech including a quickshifter, riding modes, and IMU-based traction control and ABS, the Trident 660 now competes more seriously against bikes like the Yamaha MT-07, Aprilia Tuono 660, and Suzuki GSX-8S. The question is whether these upgrades make it the sweet spot in the middleweight naked class or if it sits too close to Triumph’s own Trident 800.

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Transcript
00:00Welcome to Southern Spain. The guys at Cycleworld in the US were like, Chad,
00:04you're already in Europe, get your cross to Spain, ride the new Trident 60 and
00:09tell us what you think. So here we are in Spain to ride the fastly updated Trident
00:14660. The big talking point is the increase in power and the increase in
00:25torque. The way they've done that is to essentially change the cylinder head,
00:29change the intake, change the airbox, give it more fuel with three throttle
00:33bodies rather than the single one, revise the exhaust which gives it a big boost in
00:38power. So it's 17% more power than it was previously which is a massive jump. If you
00:44went to your engine tuner and said give me 17% more power it'll laugh you out the
00:48building. So what that actually means in terms of performance is we've gone from
00:5280 to 94, 95 horsepower or 81 PS to 95 PS. The red line's gone from 10,250 to 12
01:01,650.
01:02That's a big step in actual extra over rev. In terms of torque 64 Nm to 68 or
01:0947 foot pounds to 50 pounds and again that extra increase in torque is higher up in
01:15the RPM from 62 to 82. So that's 2000 higher up in the RPM. So all the power and
01:21all the torque is higher up in the RPM and we've got more over rev. But try and claim
01:26that 80% of that peak torque is still from 3000 RPM. It's still a really torquey
01:32engine. It's not a race engine that they've just tuned at the top end. It's got that
01:36power and delivery all the way through. But we've got a lot more power than we've
01:41ever had before. The slight changes to the chassis, slight changes cosmetically.
01:46We've got the Bluetooth TFT clocks. We've got the DLR running lights. There are a
01:50lot of changes to the bike chassis wise. Show suspension on the front, Nissan brakes
01:55at the back. Show suspension on the rear with preload adjustment. But for me it's
02:00all about having way more power than we had before, way more fun and way more
02:05enjoyment. Southern Spain, perfect playground to ride the Trident 660. Very little
02:10police. Don't think there's any speed cameras and I don't think there's any
02:13speed limits. Well I'm pretty sure there isn't. Really awesome fun to ride the
02:16entry-level bike. It's almost weird to say entry-level because it's 95 horsepower.
02:21It's been really good fun and really enjoyable and really rewarding to ride.
02:25Even though I've been riding bikes for 30 years and did a little bit of racing, I
02:28found this hysterical. I really enjoyed it. I really thought it was so much fun.
02:32Before you'd kind of get to nine and a half, 10,000 RPM and the party was over. But now
02:37we're going to 12.3, 12.5 and just keep going. It's got this extra bit at the top
02:42that the old bike never have. It's got so much more raw grunt, especially higher
02:48up in the RPM. Don't get me wrong, the seat height is a little bit lower. It's
02:52got up a couple of kilograms but that's mainly insignificant. We've got excellent
02:56rider aids like cornering ABS, cornering traction control. It's great for new
03:00entry-level riders. It's very simple and easy to ride around town. The creek shifter is
03:04really smooth. It's very forgiving, but it's got an extra card. It's got an extra
03:10gear. It's got extra that the old bike didn't have. The old bike was great fun.
03:14I remember riding that in Tenerife. We had 80 horsepower and I said it was good, but
03:18now we've got even more enjoyment and even more fun than we ever had before.
03:23The only slight downside to that is that because we're kind of riding it possibly
03:29outside its design parameter, possibly riding it a little bit too much, then that's when you
03:34start to find limitations on the brakes need a little bit more bite. I need a
03:37little bit more support from the suspension. However, I'm kind of riding it
03:42like a naked sports bike rather than an entry-level Roadster, which it is. And if
03:47you ride it like it was designed, then it is an absolute complete perfect package.
03:52In the US, it's going to come in at $8995, so just under $9,000 US dollars. And the
03:58reason it's at that 95 horsepower is because it's A2 compliant in Europe. In
04:03Spain, in Italy, most of the bikes, 50-60% of the bikes are coming out at A2 level. So
04:10essentially, a new rider can have a bike limited, pass their big test, take the
04:14limiter off and have the full 95 horsepower. The big test, I guess, at Cycle World will
04:18be when we put it against the competition, which hopefully the guys will invite me to
04:21California to do, because I can't wait to ride it against the competition. In this
04:25category, it's kind of difficult because you've got MT-07, which is a great bike,
04:30but I don't think it's got the overrev and the fun of this. You've got the GSX-8S,
04:34you've got the Honda Hornet, both really plucky, torquey, really usable bikes, really
04:39good. But again, I don't think they're as fun as this. They've probably got more
04:42torque and more drive and they feel a bit more mechanical, but this feels like the
04:46most playful, the most enjoyable bike in this class. And then obviously you've got
04:50the KTM, 790, 890 Duke, CF Moto. There's a lot of bikes in this class. But for me, what
04:57Triumph have done, essentially, is taken the old Trident, taken all the excellent qualities
05:02and usability of that bike, and just give it a big kick in the ass of fun and enjoyment.
05:07And that's what I really like about the bike. If you want to know any more technical questions
05:11like the seat height is 5mm less than it used to be, and there is a reduced seat height that
05:16will drop it below, 800mm, or you want to know rate trail and all those details, then
05:20somebody at Cycleworld will answer your questions below. I'm out here just to have fun and enjoy
05:25it, and that's precisely what I've done.
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