2021 Triumph Trident 660 review - middleweight naked breath of fresh air from Hinckley

Sweet at city, powerful from the bottom end for the twisty roads, perfect fueling, good brakes and very well planted at high speed curves. There is one place where it feels completely out of place: highways. It is tiring at more than 110km/h 70miles/h.

Strong and sweet from 3000 rpm. Perfect fueling means no problem at city and shif assist makes things a lot quicker and easier. Really a gem . If only a pretty thirsty engine. More or less the same power, the SV650 engine designed a decade ago consumes 1l less. Thats a lot.

It had to be in the dealershop with 1000km for issues with the detent shaft of the shift pedal, which affected both neutral finding and shift assist behaviour. Very annoying situation being a Triumph. The dealershop technicians did their best to repair under guarantee and now the motorbike upshifts very smooth and neutral position is easy to find. As it shoul be from the begginning.

Normal amount. Fuel consumption adds 100€/year over the competitors. But service is at 16.000km/10000miles so.....

TC, ABS, riding modes, quickshifter, etc. I dont need anything else.

Suspension is way too hard for me given the current state of our British roads, harsh, jarring & very fatiguing after not very long at all. Bumpy B roads where I ride a lot in the Derbyshire Dales would have me struggling to stay in the seat. Handles well on smooth surface if you are lucky enough to find some but good luck with that one. Brakes are just about adequate but if you need to stop in a hurry they need a very firm pull, certainly no two finger braking.

On the plus side it surprised me power wise & well up to the job for general road riding, you don’t really need more for solo road riding. On the negative side gearing is poor with first not really being required at all & 2nd & 3rd not much better. It’s mechanically noisy \ rattly particularly when cold (typical Triumph triple apparently) & it burns oil. I put in 1.5lts over 3k miles. It also took some time to start after just over two months of winter storage.

Generally well finished & built to a point but:- The seat material is just dam awful; you can’t touch it without leaving marks. I personally don’t like the heavy brushed finish on the exhaust pipe headers, road grime & tar sticks like hell & for some reason Triumph exhaust headers all turn black. Electrical gremlins are the worst bit. After removing the battery for winter storage as per the Triumph owner’s manual I couldn’t set the time & date again. Of course, this was blamed on user error at the dealer so the next time it happened I asked to be shown what I was doing wrong & it took the local service manager & a technician over 30 mins to get it set again, so not user error. On top of this Trip meters stopped working intermittently, flasher modes changed themselves & so did power modes. This was dismissed at the dealer of course as it was working OK when I took it there. Minor issues in some ways but the fact that all of this stuff is controlled through the main ECU (£1500 + fitting + vat if it fails) makes it less so to me. The bike was also only 6 months old when it first happened. I appear to have bad luck with Triumph, this is my second Hinckley bike & the first one was loads of trouble so I’ll stick to Japanese from now.

When released it appeared good value but the price soon got hiked up more than once & with the arrival of Honda’s new Hornet (which I’ve now traded the Triumph for) & Suzuki’s 8S it’s really looking lacking.

Adequate but nothing special. Switch gear quality isn’t great but it works, the ability to add Bluetooth connectivity (std on the Hornet), tyre pressure monitoring etc. is all there but they are all expensive add On’s. Not a fan of the instrument panel but again it does the job. For me it would help if money was spent on supplying the basics to a higher level rather than gimmicky electronic aids (power modes, traction control etc.) that simply aren’t needed on an 80bhp bike with such nice power delivery. I have to assume that market forces dictate this to be necessary & people actually think this nonsense to be required though or I’m sure it wouldn’t be there.

The brakes are great (although the brake lever is too far out unless you have the adjustable lever fitted from the STR) and the handling is confidence inspiring. But the ride is extremely harsh on UK roads (a new Street Triple R is vastly more comfy - even the RS soaks up bumps much better).

I do like the engine - it's flexible across the rev range, but really picks up about 6000rpm.

All good, with the exception of a warped rear disc in the first 400 miles - replaced under warranty. No other faults to mention - apart from one or two washers that have gone inexplicably rusty (seems common on many bikes - there's a few other people on the owners club who have the exact same washers corrode).Chain hasn't even needed adjusting over the two years & 10K miles, which is impressive.

The 10K service seems slightly pricey for what it is (£340 - more than my car). Beyond that, doesn't use much oil or other sundries - not had to spend much beyond scheduled services at all really.

It's an entry level bike, so not expecting much - however, some of the accessories (particularly the optional bluetooth module) just aren't fit for purpose.It's not all bad, as the OEM frame sliders work as they should (embarrassingly tested), and the pillion handles are really handy.

The bike feels sturdy and well built, the brakes are very good, the only moan is that you can feel vibration through the handlebars when riding.

The engine has power, but it doesn't feel very refined, you can feel the vibrations through the handlebars.

Well built, well engineered, very reliable.

Does between 45 - 65mpg, depending on how you ride it and whether it is town, city or motorway. For a 660cc 3 cylinder motorbike, the MPG is very good.

The amount of equipment on the bike is good for the price that you are paying.

Will be 5 if not issues on lower gears at low speed

Great engine - crap electronics

Is always starting and riding - as mentioned above - riding in city traffic or filtering at low speed is bad.

Heating grip - if works - when they update the software to fix other issue - I lost them for few months and had to wait for good few months for another update - contacted Triumph directly but their answer was kind of “sorry but so what - just wait and freeze for update”

Amazing back brake . Never had a bike where the rear brake is really useful and you can feel it. Makes winter commute bearable. Front is very good and suspension helps it dig in. I love the ride , great ride position. Seat is comfy for me and stretch to bars perfect , I’m 6’ 32” leg.

Revs out in every gear. Turn of TC and it lifts easily, controlled, not like the MT 07. The QS upshifts perfectly , 2 to. 6. downshifts and slipper clutch sublime . Make sure you keep your boot off the gear lever on upshifts, sprung loaded QS needs pressure release.

Rear shock hates weather . Showa metal is poor , compared to all other fixings. Quite a stiff shock with poor damping , need’s to be upgraded . Front is acceptable. MAP sensor failed - engine cut out on idle. Fixed OE chain - cracked link , changed to DiD. My expense. 99% of its life , absolutely fine.

This was the annual service . 600 mile was £48. Not a problem on cost. Keeps the warranty , so I can ride it like I stole it and hand it back in 3 years.

QS - Fun Bar ends - Great vision Sat nav. - works well Blue tooth- let’s me know who phones , who cares Belly pan , protection kit , etc . Looks good

a decent all round bike let down by rear vulnerability to wet weather can manage a couple hundred miles without discomfort

eager

Would like to hear evidence of dealers adjusting annual service charge to match the mileage covered.

an accessory to deal with inclement weather

Seat isn't the best and aftermarket comfort options seem non-existent. Suspension is a little harsh at slow speeds and over rough surfaces, very composed and best on fast A and B roads

Throttle lag - so annoying! Minimal vibes, good sound considering euro 5 strangulation (will sort that with an SC Project system skin), mild mannered at low revs with good grunt midrange and decent pull up top

Only had it for 3 days but it does have 3500 miles on it and still looks and feels like the demo I test rode

Cracking on fuel, long service intervals, low stressed engine

For the price this bike leads the way. Dash is a work of art, TC, ABS, LED everything. OE heated grips are good.I want that quickshifter!

Would never take a pillion on its tiny perch brakes are good

Engine is very good would be 5 if fuel consumption better I don’t know how anyone say they get 60-70 at mpg?? I got 40mpg and riding hard but not flat out down to 22 mpg

Cheap parts in places but only had 5 months connectivity by your phone to Triumph app , rubbish

Thirst when riding harder 22mpg

Tyres excellent in cold wet and dry weather avoid all the optional extras by triumph! They are expensive and not worth the money

Rear suspensions hard and on prolonged bumper roads can make the bike feel a little unstable. Brakes aren’t as sharp as some rivals and can feel a little week when used hard. Rear brake lever is bad in wet and some cases foot has slipped off when braking,

Punchy loads of grunt and loads of usable fun for experienced riders and novices alike never gets boring. Took the bike on the nc500 route brilliant fun sweet handling and very comfortable which was surprising. Covered about 1800 miles on the trip average fuel rose to 63mpg. The bike did become a littler thirsty on motorways averaged about 130 miles to a tank before fuel light came on with 30 miles left in tank. Other than that was really impressed with the bike

Well spec

Now that I’ve a custom hell seat I can travel for hours. I’ve completed the North coast 500 with no problems at all. Aftermarket panniers and top box available

Never fails to satisfy

Excellent build quality

That’s a guesstimate as no service to date

Heated grips a must. The factory fit tyres are a dream

Hard suspension Brakes only adequate

Noisey

Expensive

Seat is a bit hard On some of the Norfolk roads which are often like riding across a ploughed field but I can get an hour on the bike before I need to take a break. It’s not a tourer though so that’s not bad!I think the number plate mount/mini-hugger is a bit plastic and cheap and could have been a lot better quality but I dare say the aftermarket will take care of alternative options!

It’s much smother than my older triples so vibration is less of an issue. It’s still got plenty of pull at lower speeds with the higher gears so if you’re feeling lazy going through villages there’s not much reason to go up and down through the gears! Running in was boring so I didn’t tend to bother so much!

Nothing negative to report so far! I think the levers could be a bit better, one is adjustable the other isn’t! They are gone

The first Service is a bit pricey and done at 600 miles but the service intervals make up for it!

Not overly busy and pretty easy to use toggle switches which don’t distract you while riding. The add on Track+ Is very reasonable at £210 given the increasing trend of motorbike thefts. Having a satellite tracked bike and 24/7 notifications of tampering is genius. The sat nav is just a bonus.

Brakes very good. Ride quality a little hard but this helps the handling.

Great engine with good power delivery. Gears a little close together.

No problems so far

Only had first service so far. Fuel consumption is great.

TFT screen is fab. Good standard kit but no usb as standard

Plenty of low down grunt

Covered over 4000 miles in 4 months and she has never even flickered. Great quality and highly reliable

Service every 10,000 miles

Heated grips a must if you intend to use the bike extensively. An aftermarket gel seat for long distance journeys

Brakes are just ok Gets tiring after a couple of hours due to hard rear suspension

1st gear waste of time have to change straight into 2nd

Oil pump had to be replaced

£70 for first service not sure what further services will cost.

Screen is good Accessories far to expensive

Remember it's a 600, still pretty nippy though matches handling perfectly.

Great all-rounder. Its nice and calm in stop and go traffic. Its really peppy and eager when you get some room and open the throttle. Its light and a joy to take it through the curves. It can do some light touring, although, I am looking at buying an aftermarket windscreen to help mitigate some of the wind at interstate speeds. The seat doesn't seem to be a premium ultrasoft butt saver but, I can go about an hour and a half on it without stopping.

Nothing bad to say about the engine. The triple really puts you in a sweet spot, you have the torque down low and you have some more high end then a twin. I think 20HP would really be icing on the cake but, the 80bhp is enough.

Quality is great. The bike is spotless. Everything is tight and well built. Nothing loose or questionable on the quality side. No issues on reliability, everything works as it should.

10,000 mile intervals sound great to me.

There are some small things that you can tell were intended to be a little less than premium to keep the price down. The components themselves are robust and stand up to the wear and tear, they just look a little cheap. Brake and clutch levers come to mind. The chrome or brushed foot pegs really clash with the rest of the style. Small plastic covers on the frame look kind of cheap if you look close.

Brakes are good ride is a little firm

Excellent pulling power

No problems at all so far after 3700 miles

First service is 10,000 miles

Quick shifter is great

The ride is firm but that's how I like it and the handling is brilliant! Someone else said it in another review but late brake into a corner and power it out - really good fun. Oh, and the seat is very comfortable and a good height (5'9" and 31 inside leg). My 1050 Sprint was not comfy after 30 minutes but I could ride the Trident all day.

I haven't given it 5 stars just because I've had much more powerful bikes but it's the strongest 600+ I've ever ridden. The power is there from almost any speed in almost any gear so it's as good commuting as it is blasting down the lanes.

Obviously it's early days so reliability isn't tested. However, the quality is as good as any bike I've had in the past. The only niggle is I cannot get the bloody bluetooth to connect to my phone so I wish I hadn't bothered to get it.

Again, early days but providing the reliability is good, the running costs should be minimal.

Again 4 stars due to the extras, some of which could have been standard but they are trying to compete with the MT.

OMG. The bike rides on rails , with a ‘ budget’ suspension. Late braking and turning in, no drama. I’m 105 kg kitted up and suspension has no problems. Brakes are brilliant , ABS hasn’t cut in , so it’s not intrusive. ( unlike my old MT07) Seat is fine , no numb bum after 60 mins.

Engine is a peach. It has a lovely exhaust sound, must be engineered in for Euro 5. Beautiful Induction noise starts up around 4,500 revs. Power is effortless, it just pulls and pulls. Engine spins up so quick, I’m seem to watching the revs all the time.

Only had it a few days , but the quality of build is very good . It look solid, all the plastics , metals, fasteners are well made . Loads of lovely Triumph logos on the various parts. Factory accessories are top quality , worth adding them to the Finance.

This will be the cost for the 600 mile service, not sure what it will be next year. Not a deal breaker for me, warranty needs a dealer service and I took out extended warranty. Service costs are all relative to what you purchase and why.

The digital screen has so many functions, easy to use , easy to see on the move. 20 pages in the manual to operate it, and its worth reading. Self cancelling indicators are great. LED lights are brilliant and bright. Add as much kit as you need.

Ideal commuter or fun bike. I’ll try mini tours with it

Nice long stroke

New to the market this month so not applicable to date

Unknown at this time but every 10,000 miles

Tyres excellent rain or road mode standard fit heated grips optional but should be standard fit in the uk