Highs and Sighs: 2026 Triumph Trident 800
Triumph’s expansion of its middleweight roadster lineup brings a significant boost in performance with the Trident 800. Positioning itself as a more potent sibling to the 660, the new 800 combines a lively inline-Triple powerplant with accessible, rider-friendly street manners.
Given the machine was introduced in the wake of announcing the Street Triple R’s demise, it's still a bit of an oranges to apples comparison in assuming the Trident 800 is taking its place. When we first sampled the big Trident in a wet Cyprus, we came away impressed with a few niggling sighs, but more important highs. Read on to learn more.
High: Quite a bit of motorcycle for under $10,000
Offering a strong electronics package, standard bi-directional quickshifter, and a stout Triple-cylinder engine under $10,000, it delivers a massive amount of motorcycle for the price tag when compared to other machines in the segment.
High: Smooth, Torquey Engine
The 798cc Triple delivers broad, linear power across the rev range. Power comes on smoothly right off the bottom, building into a punchy midrange that is ready to lift the front wheel anytime past 5,000 rpm. Triumph claims the Triple is putting out 113.4 horsepower at 10,750 rpm with torque peaking at 61.9 lb-ft at 8,500 rpm.
High: Agreeable rider triangle
Featuring an upright riding position, wide handlebars, and a comfortable knee bend, the rider triangle feels natural and relaxed for everyday street riding and longer trips alike. With the neutral riding position it’s also easy to keep your head on a swivel around town. But it’s not all cherries when the riding gets aggressive. More on that in a sec.
Sigh: A long “tank” and short seat don’t lend to much movement while in the saddle
Here’s that ergonomic niggle: The combination of a lengthy fuel tank cover, forward-sloping rider seat, and a raised passenger seat leaves very little room to slide backward, limiting body movement during aggressive riding.
Sigh: Initial bite at the front brake lever doesn’t offer much feel
While ultimate stopping power from the front brakes are wholly adequate, the initial lever bite lacks feedback and feels somewhat wooden. Once you get through that lack of initial bite, you’ll be welcomed with that adequate braking performance.
Sigh: The clutch cable routing is a bit… out there
The visual execution and routing of the clutch cable stick out unnecessarily, disrupting the otherwise clean, modern roadster styling. It’s just one of those things that, once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it.
Down the road
As it should be obvious here, the highs ultimately outweigh the sighs in our opinion. But who knows, some larger folks may be too restricted by the short (front to back) seat area, while others may be absolutely enraged by a clutch cable dangling off the front right side of a motorcycle. As far as we’re concerned, the Trident 800 takes a deserved spot in the Triumph Roadster line-up, offering a step up in chassis and engine performance from its siblings.
