Triumph pay tribute to 'Slippery Sam' that dominated TT in the early 70s with special Trident 660

Just when you thought Triumph had run out of fresh models for 2024, the Hinckley firm have announced a new Trident Triple Tribute Special Edition version of the popular Trident 660 naked bike, inspired by legendary ‘Slippery Sam’ race bike.

Available in dealers next month, the new Trident 660 joins a long line of new and updated machinery including the Daytona 660, revised Rocket 3 range, new Tiger 900 and 1200 line-up, and more. 

The original Slippery Sam is a three-cylinder race bike that still holds the accolade of being the only bike to win an five production TT races on the Isle of Man in consecutive years – taking top honours from 1971 to 1975.

The current Trident has now been chosen to honour that, with the special available for one year only. 

Although the original racer had a fairing and more hunched over position, the £7895 Trident special is dressed in a tribute paint scheme complete with number 67 race graphic. You get a colour matched flyscreen and belly pan, with the glossy white finish extended to the underside of the pillion perch. 

“Since its launch in 2020, this middleweight roadster has reinvigorated this highly competitive category, selling more than 35,600 units worldwide,” said Triumph’s Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Stroud.

“Its triple engine and premium detailing at a great price have been successful in bringing younger and new riders to Triumph, and just as ‘Slippery Sam’ once inspired a generation, we believe this special edition has the iconic style, extra technology, and dynamic performance to appeal to today’s Triumph fans.”

For a modern touch, the bikes get a quickshifter as standard, plus a Bluetooth module that allows the rider to connect to their mobile phone as well as accessing turn-by- turn nav via the TFT dash. 

The rest of the bike remains the same as before, meaning you get a Euro5 660cc liquid-cooled triple housed within tubular steel perimeter frame. Power sits at 80bhp at 10,250rpm, with an A2 restrictable version available. Seat height remains at a manageable 805mm, with the bike capable of 10,000 miles between service intervals.