The middleweight naked motorcycle segment is so hot right now. The Suzuki GSX-8 platform is the company’s bestseller, the Yamaha MT-07 is a mainstay of streets everywhere, and the Honda CB750 Hornet may well be the best new bike of 2025. But those bikes are all have 270-degree parallel-twin engines, a layout that’s quickly becoming the motorcycling equivalent of a turbocharged two-liter four-cylinder — practical and peppy enough, but not incredibly interesting. It seems it’s up to Triumph, then, to give the middleweight segment something that really stands out: An 800 cc, 113 horsepower middleweight naked with a three-cylinder headlight and a classically stylish round headlight, all for under $10,000. This is the Triumph Trident 800, and it may just take the middleweight crown.
Now, the erudite among you might notice that Triumph already has a triple-powered middleweight: The Street Triple, which has long been a favorite of street-and-track riders. Triumph says the Trident is meant for a more casual rider, someone who wants something less hard-edged than the Street Triple, but the company has made one other big move to differentiate the two. For 2026, the entry-level Street Triple 765 R leaves the lineup, leaving only the $12,995 Street Triple 765 RS bearing the name. With $3,000 between the two bikes, they shouldn’t cannibalize each other’s sales too much.
Spec’d to compete
The Trident 800 shares the Tiger Sport 800’s 798 cc three-cylinder, which puts out 113 horsepower at 10,750 RPM and 62 lb-ft of torque at 8,500 RPM on the way to its 11,500 RPM redline. That engine is fed by a 3.7 gallon fuel tank ,which Triumph claims should be good for 220 miles of range. The Triden’t seat stands just under 32 inches off the ground, making it reasonably approachable for plenty of riders (remember that the seat squats down under your weight), and it’s sprung on unusually nice suspension for the price: 41mm Showa forks with adjustable compression and rebound damping, and a Showa rear shock with preload and rebound clickers. That’s all stopped by twin 12.2-inch discs up front, held by four-pot calipers with steel braided lines, and a single 8.7 inch disc out back.
On the tech side, the Trident 800 carries the requisite three riding modes for a bike in 2025 — road, sport, and rain — as well as lean-sensitive ABS and traction control. It’s also equipped with a quickshifter for twisty roads, and cruise control for long straight ones. In the round 3.5-inch TFT dash, the Trident offers Triumph’s corporate Bluetooth system.
Looks good too
While the Street Triple has long been derided for its love-it-or-hate-it bug-eyed looks, the Trident hews more traditional — fitting, in that its little brother the Trident 660 does the same. A rounded tank, a single round headlight, it’s a bike that will age well. Yet, there are still modern touches, like the tucked-in tail light beneath the pillion seat and the almost SV650-looking cowl over the dash. The swingarm-mounted fender, too, is a neat touch. The tail is pre-tidied, though the squids out there will still find a way to mount their plates below the tail light.
Somewhat unusually for the segment, the Trident isn’t completely naked below the fenders. The bike has a color-matched cowl beneath the exhaust, which helps to make the emissions equipment blend in a little better. It’s not my favorite aesthetic touch, personally, but it’s not exactly worth going through the trouble of removing — though it would likely only be a few bolts to ditch, if you’re so inclined.
It stacks up well
The middleweight naked segment isn’t exactly sparse: Kawasaki has 67-horsepower Z650 for $7,699, Honda offers the 83-horsepower CB750 Hornet for $7,999, Yamaha’s 72-horsepower MT-07 comes in at $8,599, BMW’s 105-horsepower F900R sits at $8,995, Suzuki offers 83-horsepower GSX-8 bikes ranging from $9,249 to $11,149, KTM has the 105-horsepower 790 Duke for $9,499, Aprilia’s 105-horsepower Tuono 660 comes in at $11,499, and Ducati tops them all with the 120-horsepower Streetfighter V2 for an eyewatering $15,495. The Trident 800 tops nearly all in horsepower, but its price does put it at the upper end — $9,995 for 113 horsepower.
Perhaps the most direct competitor here is the Yamaha MT-09, a fellow triple-powered naked bike. The Yamaha is the lighter of the two, at 425 pounds wet to the Tiumph’s 437, and the more powerful at 117 horsepower to the Brit’s 113. It’s also the more expensive, at $10,799, and its looks are… let’s just say less timeless. I expect the Trident 800 to really win some hearts when it hits dealers in April, and maybe even set a new bar for the middleweight naked segment.
