The Triumph Trident will be here soon

In case you missed it earlier this year—Triumph is building a new, budget-friendly naked bike, called the Trident. Triumph plans to give the bike a proper launch in coming weeks, but now, ahead of that release, we’ve got some photos of the project under development.

These shots were actually released by Triumph, but they show the Trident in full “spy shot” mode, with dazzle camo bodywork hiding the machine’s true lines.

Previously, we’ve seen shots of the prototype machine, but the bike you see here is a fully-developed, street-ready model—note the licence plate, mirrors, even some reflectors on the bike. The finished machine will most likely be almost identical to this, but with more conservative paint.

Why build the Trident? No doubt the brains at Hinkley realize Triumph is getting pushed hard from all sides in the naked bike market; the other Euros are making bikes with more power and more electronics, as are the Japanese. The Big Four also have the budget end of the market wrapped up with machines like the MT-09 and MT-07. So, Triumph’s building a new machine that’s intended to offer European flair, but at a more reasonable price. The Trident name is back, and this time, the bike will have a 675cc triple.

Triumph is keeping the bike’s price low by keeping the design simple. In earlier sneak peeks, it appears the motorcycle’s rear shock uses no linkage system, instead using a direct-connect monoshock similar to KTM’s dirt bike line. The gauges appear to be plain-Jane LCD units, the most affordable option by far. It can’t be too poky, because Triumph did include a dual disc front brake—a single would have been far less money. The Trident should have ABS, but don’t bet on other fancy-pants electronics, unless Triumph figures out how to do it on the cheap. KTM’s 390 Adventure shows that’s possible, but who knows if Triumph can pull off the same?

Expect this machine to be officially unveiled sometime in the next six weeks. With the global supply chain thrown on its ear thanks to COVID-19, it’s anyone’s guess as to actual availability and MSRP, but you can bet Triumph wants this thing on the market ASAP, and like everyone else, it really wants to keep the price low.