Triumph Motorcycles Philippines made a living out of the Trident 660. As the motorcycle market boomed, so did sales of the British brand’s naked bike. In a matter of years, it gained strong footing in the two-wheeled space, competing against more established nameplates from Japanese brands.
Fast-forward to 2026, Triumph decided to upsize its now-popular model into the Trident 800. It has the same formula as the original 660 with a screamer of an engine, only with more displacement and, of course, more power.
But bigger isn’t always better, is it?
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Styling
Like most upsized or downsized motorcycles, the design usually carries over from the bike of origin onto the newer model. In the case of the Trident 800, it’s the same story. This borrows heavily from the design of the 660, which actually isn’t all that bad.
I liked the 660’s design. It was simple, and it was a proper naked bike through and through. The only things you’d see apart from the frame and the engine were the round headlight up front, the fuel tank that’s been carved out so the average-sized rider can easily hug the tank with his knees, the seat, and the taillight.
One of the most noticeable differences here in the 800 is that it has a tiny windscreen protecting the instrument cluster. Doesn’t really do much for the rider, but it does add style. Another is the new exhaust layout—there’s a large muffler now to the side, which is unfortunate. I think the underbelly exhaust looked miles better. Still, the colorway works perfectly for me—the gold finish on those 17-inch cast-aluminum wheels looks darn good.
The saddle
The Triumph Trident 800 does look (and sound) like a monster of a naked bike, so I expected to have a hard time on the saddle, at least comfort-wise. Surprisingly, it wasn’t all that bad. The seat has decent cushioning, and it’s not too shabby on longer rides. The riding position here also isn’t as aggressive as on a sportbike, staying true to its roadster nature. I found the placement of the handlebars and footpegs just right for me.
Straddling it can be a bit of a chore, though, as the bike does weigh 198kg. However, I can say the seat height is more forgiving at 31.6 inches (global specs say it’s 0.9 inches higher), so it’s still fairly easy for a 5’6” rider like myself. The frame is a bit chunky, so if you have a short inseam as I do, expect to tiptoe on this bike if you want both feet down when stopping.
Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about the pillion seat, as I didn’t bother getting a backride to try it out for me. It looked a bit uncomfortable, and I’m not a fan of having a pillion on naked bikes like these. I’d be happy to be proven wrong, though.
Engine performance
What I loved about the 660 was its engine note, and it’s the same here in the 800. While I’m still not the biggest fan of Triumph’s decision with that exhaust, I do still find the stock sound pretty damn sweet. I can only imagine what a full-exhaust upgrade would sound like.
Of course, Triumph’s triples aren’t all just sound. They pack quite the punch, too, especially this new powertrain on the Trident 800. Specifically, that’s a 798cc liquid-cooled, in-line-three engine I’m talking about, and not only does it rev to oblivion, but it also churns out 113hp at 10,750rpm and 84Nm at 8,500rpm. It makes the 660’s 80hp and 64Nm look measly, when in fact, they’re not—the 800’s just that powerful.
Granted, hitting triple-digit horsepower figures doesn’t automatically put you in liter-bike territory, but in the case of the Trident 800, it’s got a solid power-to-weight ratio. You don’t even need to look at the numbers, because you’ll feel it the moment you twist that throttle. There’s just so much oomph from that straight-three, and I can attest that whether as a weekend toy or a daily rider, it’s more than what you’ll need. If you’re setting lap times at a racetrack, it’s a different story, but for the vast majority of us who don’t regularly suit up in leathers, I promise you, this is plenty. That’s even without Sport mode on, mind you.
Ride and handling
What good is power if you can’t put it down properly, right? That’s one thing the Trident 800 does well. Even a not-so-expert rider like me can manage the bike with ease. It leans through a corner without asking any questions, and it powers out of it without even breaking a sweat. Experienced canyon carvers will have a heck of a fun time with this bike through twisties, because even I did. There’s a quickshifter available with auto-blip, and it makes spirited rides all the more enjoyable. There’s also a lot of confidence when riding, with the availability of ABS and traction control. Even when cornering at that, but not that I needed it, since I don’t ride that hard.
Ride comfort also isn’t as bad as I expected. It’s still a bit harsh on major road imperfections, so I made sure to avoid all the ‘humps’ on SLEX, but it isn’t too punishing to ride for long distances. In fact, for the week that I rode this, I didn’t mind the fatigue, because why would I when I was having so much fun with every twist of the throttle?
I still probably wouldn’t commute with this bike in the city for five days a week, though, as it can still be too much for Metro Manila’s unforgiving roads and hellish traffic. Despite there being a strap on the pillion seat, it’s still not easy to push around in tight parking lots with the lack of a grab bar out back. It can also get a bit hot underneath when idling for too long, so crawling through gridlock on EDSA will be worse than the usual. Filtering is easy, yes, but it’s the other things that make it a less-than-ideal daily rider in traffic-riddle urban settings.
But then again, it’s really the long, open roads and winding mountains where you should be riding this bike. In places like those, I can assure you that you’ll find yourself grinning from ear to ear.
Extra features
You’ll also find the ‘boring’ parts of expressways easy to get through, as the Trident 800 has cruise control available. On top of that and the aforementioned safety tech, there’s a new-and-improved instrument cluster here. There’s plenty of information available through the two small screens, with separate trip meters at your disposal.
The lower display can be simplified into the digital gear indicator, but you can also use it to control your smartphone’s music via the My Triumph app. You can also use said app for turn-by-turn navigation, but sadly, for demo units like these, I don’t usually connect my personal phone since it isn’t my actual bike, so I wasn’t able to utilize the features fully.
Verdict
I’ve said this before, and I know a lot of you agree with me: middleweights will always be the most fun bikes out there. The Triumph Trident 800 just drives that point further. It proves that for the average big-bike rider, you don’t really need 1,000cc or more to fully enjoy the two-wheeled lifestyle. Seriously, what more do you need from a naked bike, anyway?
Now, the Trident 660 was nice and all, but it was admittedly lacking for the slightly more experienced motorcyclists. This Trident 800 takes the good things from its smaller sibling and pushes things up a notch without going too far. I believe this is the real sweet spot for most people—not just performance-wise, but also price-wise. That P649,000 tag is just right for what this bike brings to the table. It’s a worthy rival to the likes of the Honda CB1000 Hornet and CB1000R or the Yamaha MT-09 or XSR900.
SPECS: 2027 Triumph Trident 800
Price: P649,000
Engine: 798cc liquid-cooled, three-cylinder
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Power: 113hp @ 10,750rpm
Torque: 84Nm @ 8,500rpm
Wet weight: 198kg
Seat height: 31.6 inches (802.5mm)
Fuel-tank capacity: 14 liters
Score: 9.5/10
More photos of the Triumph Trident 800 2027:
