Triple treat

The electric-start Triumph Trident offers classic riders a wail of a time

WORDS & PHOTOS BY Chris Rooke

SEVEN YEARS AFTER the first Triumph T150 triple was launched, its upgraded successor, the T160, came onto the scene.

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Handsome from any angles, the T160 Trident is always an eye-catcher. This one boasts an unusual, if handsome, paint scheme

The British bike industry was on life support but somehow Norton-Villiers-Triumph had made more than 200 improvements to the original triples in an effort to keep up with the Oriental opposition.

The T160 boasted a three cylinder ohv engine slanted forward in a sexy, aggressive style; an electric start (which actually worked); a four-into-two exhaust system so it looked vaguely like a four-cylinder powerplant; that slanting engine like the BSA Rocket 3 which looked so much sportier than the upright Triumph T150; a five-speed gearbox, a left-side gearchange and disc brakes front and rear.

The T160 featured classy and classical styling in the true Triumph tradition. It produced a fabulous exhaust sound and offered a top speed in excess of 120mph. The three-pot engine had a 120° crankshaft which let it rev higher with less vibration than the over-stressed big twins of the time.

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Read more in January’s issue of CBG


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