2026 Triumph Trident 660 Review 5 Reasons To Buy 1 Not To

This, my friends, is the Triumph Trident 660, a brilliant middleweight naked motorcycle that I thoroughly recommend buying. In fact, I actually did buy one myself a few years back, but I will say this new 2026 version, I think, is better than ever. In this video, I'm going to give you five reasons why you might want to buy one, but also at the end, one big reason why you might not. But first up, a massive thanks to Light Lock for supporting the channel and sponsoring this video, but more on their brilliant products later. Now look, first up, I think it's fair to say that Triumph have pretty much always made a very good triple, and this 660 inline triple is up there with the best of them. The key, I think, is that versatility. It will be smooth and mid-rangey and torquey and friendly enough for newer riders. It's really smooth on the throttle as well, but then also there's plenty of pep at the top end. It's got a really nice quick shifter as well, and so even if you are a little more experienced, let's say, then there's still enough there to keep you interested. In fact, that's one of the big reasons I'd recommend buying one with a bit of a hike for peak power for this latest 2026 model. You see, when it was introduced back in 2021, well it still made a respectable 80 horsepower peak, but then things have moved on a bit in five years and some of the competition have upped their game. Fortunately though, well Triumph already had a hotter version of this engine in their sports bike equivalent, the Daytona 660, so it's a relatively simple and smart move to introduce the same tune here with the new peak power figure of 94 horsepower, making it one of the best in the market in that regard. The thing is as well with that 94 horsepower peak, well basically that is the maximum permitted in order for a bike to be eligible to be restricted down to A2 compliance, so 47 horsepower peak for those particular license holders. So yeah, the bike that you start with can't be any more than double that or 94 horsepower peak. So look, actually this bike is pretty much as powerful as you're going to find in this particular part of the affordable middleweight naked market, at least in the UK and Europe where those particular license laws apply. And so yeah, even if you shop around you're not going to find anything more powerful. There's the 790 Duke from KTM, that one makes 94 horsepower as well, but the rest of them, the Honda CB750 Hornet, the MT07, the Suzuki GSX-8S, well they're all, I don't know, 5, 10, 15, with the MT07 over 20 horsepower down on this particular bike. Now I think it's fair to say that this bike has gotten a little more handsome for this year as well. It was always a good looking bike in my opinion, it stood out from the crowd as well, with a lot of the competition being very modern and angular. This one though, takes a little bit of retro inspiration. I wouldn't say it's a thoroughbred retro, but it just has some more classic shapes, some references to previous tridents in the tank, and also that round headlight which very much dictates the front end. So yeah, I think I've always found it a little more tasteful and refined than some of the Japanese bikes for example, but also they have sharpened it up a little bit for this year, owing to the fact that they've introduced another bike into the lineup. You see for 2026 there's also a Trident 800 available, and I guess with them being such similar bikes, well it didn't really make sense to make two lots of headlights and tank plastics and mudguards and stuff like that. I think that's something that the Triumph accountants would have identified quite quickly as a bit of an inefficiency. And so yeah, you'll see some common parts between the two, which I think has really enhanced this more affordable, lower capacity bike. So yeah, it's looking a little more chiseled, a little more sporty, a little more aggressive as well. I will say I really do like the new paint jobs for 2026 too, so it just feels like it's leveled up a bit. You're getting 800 styling for 660 money. Now look, when we're stopped up like this, well we don't leave our bikes for a second without a decent lock on them. In fact, we always carry a bunch of light locks in the Tiger 900, just to make sure that we're always safe. But if you're using a regular unarmored lock, well then you might as well leave your bike unlocked, because the typical motorcycle lock is ridiculously easy to cut, with many thieves now using a cordless angle grinder, which unfortunately are very widely available and very widely cheap. You see, something angle grinder resistant like this X3 or the X1 lineup as well, is essential really for stopping your bike from being stolen and pushed away. In fact, we actually tried cutting one fairly recently at Light Lock's UK factory, and we went through two discs, pretty much a full battery, without even getting halfway through one side of the lock, and it doesn't rotate, so effectively you'd have to cut both to get it off. How they've done it though, is with their own special coating called baronium, that they put around the lock under this rubber coating, and the idea of it is to turn the power of the angle grinder back on itself, so it basically just shreds up the disc. And so that's why I think an angle grinder resistant light lock is pretty much your best bet when it comes to motorcycle security. So look, there's a link down in the description below to find out more, but also a generous discount code for our viewers, which you won't find anywhere else. Now before we set off again, just a couple of minor gripes for balance, but we mentioned this one on the Trident 800 review, didn't we Tim? That the seat tank interface is a bit squeaky. It's not a huge problem, it doesn't really affect the ride of course, but when you sit on it before you start the engine, it just sounds a bit flatulent. And then also, I would like an adjustable clutch lever to match the brake lever, but I suppose at this sort of price, maybe you can't grumble. You could always fit your own aftermarket levers if you've got weird sized hands, like the ones from our partners at ASV. Now I think it's fair to say that another of Triumph's general strengths is handling, and I really do feel like they've hit the sweet spot with this particular bike as well. And I will say, that's despite on paper not looking all that snazzy in terms of the specs, with a tubular steel frame and a steel swingarm as well, a non-adjustable fork, and two part Nissin brake calipers, which are hardly the latest Brembo bling. But I think it's all in the setup with this one, it's just sweetly poised right in the middle of, you know, that perfect balance of comfort and stability and usability, but also with that slightly sporty edge that does mean it's happy, you know, getting a bit of a move on. In fact, I can't think of many other bikes that I'd have quite such a good time on, on these really tight, you know, less than perfect British back roads. It's a bike I could commute on, it's a bike that I'd be happy picking through town on, it's a bike that is, you know, stable enough to do a bit of the boring stuff on the motorway at 70, and then it is a bike that you can just come out and have a joyous, carefree time on. It's not too serious, it's not too, you know, aggressive and on its nose, but also it is quick turning enough and, you know, good enough on the brakes to have a really good time on. Now, another bigger pillar of this bike, especially when it comes to newer riders, would have to be the ergonomics, which are very accessible and easy going. You see, it's light at 195 kilograms with the 14 litre tank fully fuelled up, and like the handling, it's very much happy to do a bit of everything with a very versatile and upright position. There is, however, one slight drawback for 2026, and that's that the new bike isn't quite so slim as the previous gen, and also the seat height has gone up a bit from 805mm to 810mm. You see, remember that extra power that I mentioned? Well, it's partly down to the fact that it now uses triple throttle bodies as opposed to the one, and in order to accommodate three times as many, I believe the frame between the rider's legs, well, it has to sit a little bit wider. And look, you can see it here in the top down shots, and I could feel that slight change out on the bike with the old one, if I remember correctly, just being that little bit easier on the standover. Still though, I would say it's a relatively smaller manageable machine on the whole, and there is now a scooped out low seat accessory, which does take a substantial 25mm off for a total seat height of 785mm. So, shorter riders, fear not. Number five though, this is a real strength now, I think, of this Trident 660, and it's the fact a year or so back that they've added all sorts of tech and features all bundled in to the standard starting price. So, a six-axis inertial measurement unit for lean sensitive ABS and TC, cruise control, quick shifter connectivity as well, so you've got Bluetooth features through the switchgear and dash, three riding modes, it used to just have rain and road, now it's got a sport mode which really does liven things up, and there's no hidden costs associated with any of this stuff. A lot of it used to be paid on the first generation that I bought, but nowadays you get all that stuff thrown in for what I think is a pretty reasonable price. I mean, granted, it isn't the cheapest, so if you're looking for the lowest price possible for two wheels and an engine, then this isn't going to be it amongst the middleweights, but when you consider what you're getting for your money, all those features, a brilliant engine that's got its own character, great handling, original looks, then really I think it is difficult to grumble at that eight-ish thousand pound price. So look, lots and lots to like here, but I did say at the start of the video, well there might be one slight problem, and well, I think it might be this, the Trident 800 that I mentioned earlier, which only costs about a grand more than the 660, but I think for a lot of riders, might actually make for the better buy. So which one should you actually go for? Well, that's the video that we've come here to Fowler's to shoot now, and so if you want to see it when it goes live, hit subscribe if you've not already. In the meantime, I'll put our full review of the 800 on the screen now so you can give it a watch. A massive thanks for watching this one though, and hopefully see you next time.