2021–2024 · Naked Bike · Buyer's Guide
Triple Soul, Featherweight Manners
The Trident 660 is Triumph's argument that a middleweight naked bike does not have to choose between easy and interesting. The 660 cc inline triple makes 80 hp and 47 lb-ft, and it lays that torque down in a long flat plateau rather than one narrow window, so the bike never feels like it is waiting on revs. A steel trellis frame, upside-down fork and 417 lb (189 kg) wet make it change direction with almost no input. ABS, traction control and ride modes are standard, along with a TFT dash and LED lighting, and the finish level is better than this class usually bothers with.
On the road it feels lighter than the numbers say, and that is most of the appeal. The seat sits at 31.7 in (805 mm), nothing about it asks anything difficult of you, and around 50 mpg from the 3.7 gal (14 L) tank keeps it cheap to live with. It fits the rider who wants character without a bike that makes demands, weekday miles in traffic and good roads on Sunday. The honest caveat is suspension: the fork has no adjustment and the shock offers preload only, enough for an average solo rider on decent pavement and no more.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 80 hp (60 kW) @ 10,250 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 47 lb-ft (64 Nm) @ 6,250 rpm |
| Displacement | 660 cc |
| Engine | Inline-three |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 310 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 55.1 in (1400 mm) |
| Seat height | 31.7 in (805 mm) |
| Wet weight | 417 lb (189 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.7 gal (14 L) |
| Fuel economy | 50 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
The first thing that registers is the noise. The triple has a hard, slightly ragged note that builds as the revs climb, and it reaches you through the helmet without ever wearing out its welcome on a long day. Underneath it the engine feels smooth through the pegs and the bars, present enough that you always know what it is doing, never numbing. The bars come back wide and close, the knee angle is open, and taller riders stop bracing for discomfort inside the first mile. At road pace it feels small underneath you in the best way, narrow between the knees, both feet down easily at a stoplight. It shrinks around you within a few miles, and that is the part that sells it.
My own 0–100 score for this bike against the class, area by area — the marker on each bar is the class average.
On smooth pavement the chassis is the part I enjoy most. It turns in willingly, holds a line without me having to hold it there, and stays light at the bars without getting nervous about it. The picture changes when the surface does. Carry highway speed over broken tarmac and the bike starts working underneath you enough that you back off without consciously deciding to. There is no damping adjustment in the package, only a preload collar at the back, so when that happens I have nothing to tune. An average solo rider on decent roads will never find the ceiling. Add a passenger or a heavier rider and you are past it already. My other complaint is the traction control, which shows up early in clean, fast corners and leaves me too little range in the settings to talk it out of that.
What this bike can do, it does without making a project out of it. The effort involved is low enough that I stop noticing it, and the interesting part of the motorcycle survives that. Most bikes this approachable go quiet on you once the novelty wears off. This one still had a personality worth knowing long after I had stopped being impressed by how easy it was.
The front brake itself is good. Pressure builds in a straight line from the first touch to the limit, and I always knew what was coming next from it. What gets in the way is the ABS. It has been calibrated for a rider who brakes early and gently, and it steps in well before the tire has run out, so braking hard and late is not really on the menu. At road pace it rarely matters. Push, and you will find it.
What I keep coming back to on this motor is how clean it is off a closed throttle. There is no slack, no stumble, no handover moment between coasting and driving. I can roll out mid-corner, wait, then crack it back open with the bike still leaned over, and the drive shows up exactly when my wrist asks for it rather than half a beat later. That is harder to get right than it sounds, and plenty of bikes at this level still don't. The slipper clutch is the other piece I rate. Snapping down three gears into a hard braking point is a normal thing to do on this bike, and the rear stays where I put it instead of hopping and squirming around under me. Neither of those is a headline feature. Both are why this engine feels properly sorted rather than just willing.
The seat is the weak link. It feels welcoming for the first half hour and then keeps giving way, and by hour two I was rearranging myself every few miles instead of riding. The contact points are the opposite story. Clutch effort is close to nothing, lever feel stays honest all the way out, and every control sits where my hand goes for it without looking.
Nothing here is mine. It comes from years of listening: paddock talk, owner conversations at club nights, and the messages riders send me after a season on the bike. On the Trident 660 that chatter is consistent: broad praise, and complaints that stay narrow.
The triple is what riders bring up first and most often. They call it characterful and flexible, smooth and linear in delivery, with mid-range pull underneath and a rush at the top, and they rate it for commuting and hard riding alike. Close behind is how wide its welcome runs: newcomers point to friendly power and a seat they can live with, experienced riders say the chassis keeps them interested. Light and neutral is the usual read on handling. Paint and finish come up too, a level above cheaper rivals.
The gripes repeat as reliably as the praise. Owners find surface rust on external fasteners and bolts earlier than they expected, most often on bikes ridden in damp weather. The fork draws the same note repeatedly: no adjustment, and it feels underdamped on bumpy roads at pace. Riders who added the optional quickshifter report faults after wet weather, needing a clean or a replacement.
MAP hose obstruction causing unstable idle/stalling (Recall SRAN 609)
Affected 2022-2024 models: the MAP sensor hose can become kinked, causing incorrect air/fuel mixture and potential engine stalling. Triumph issued a recall to replace the hose with a three-branch design. Symptoms include rough idle and occasional stalling.
Front fork cap thread stripping (Recall SRAN 617, limited VINs)
A small number of 2023 models (produced Apr-May 2022) may have fork caps with undersized threads, potentially leading to detachment and compromised front suspension. Recall involves replacing fork caps.
Quickshifter degradation in wet conditions
The accessory plug-and-play quickshifter can become intermittent or stop working after riding in rain or after washing. Often requires cleaning of contacts or replacement.
Occasional fuelling glitches
Some owners experience occasional hesitation or surging under light throttle, possibly related to the ride-by-wire mapping. Not widespread and often resolved with ECU updates.
Warped rear brake disc
A few owners report the rear brake disc warping at low mileage (around 400 miles), often replaced under warranty. Likely a batch quality issue.
Where this Triumph Trident 660 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Trident 660 is actually built for.
Commute all week, Skyline on Saturday: this is exactly that bike. Light enough for city traffic, characterful enough that the ridge roads stay interesting, and it looks right parked outside the cafe.
Made for Bay Area Ridge Roads · San Francisco / Bay Area · Skyline Boulevard / Alice's Restaurant
For tight linked corners where technique beats horsepower, the light steering and easy manners let you work on your lines all day. Just do not expect it to stay calm on the rougher sections.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
It will keep you grinning on a canyon run, but the defensive traction control and ABS get in your way before you reach your limit, and preload-only suspension gives you little to tune.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Triumph Trident 660. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
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