Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125994
-.. Ignoring the recommended break-in red line of 3,500 RPM for the first 500 miles (we received the Trident with just over 400 miles showing on the odometer), we immediately played drag racer getting underway. Gone is the neek snapping low end power of the "old" triple, but gained is a lower RPM top end obtained via new gearing. Running with the standard 19 and 50 tooth final drive sprockets, 4,000 RPM settled the speedometer needle on 70 mph. At that point, one of our two major complaints surfaced. The steel mounted foot pegs begin to vibrate more than the combined efforts of 1,000 Magic Fingers vibrating motel beds. Back off just a tad and away goes the tingle. Maybe a Trident owner was the major force behind the new lowered speed limit of 55 mph. Anyway, unless you're en radio equipped, you won't be cruising for any great length of time at . 70, and at any speed under th at the Triden t is vibration free. The newly designed exhaust system has toned down the Trident's sound. An entirely different sound quietly informs one and all that you are riding a multi-cylinder machine. We preferred the older sound, but do admit th at the new system is quieter and thus will be easier to live with on long runs, Braking , as mentioned earlier, is faultless. With one easily correctable exception. The front brake pucks float freely and annoyingly chatter in their housing. Dick Bender, who has returned to Triumph in the capacity of service manager after a stint with Yamaha, suggested at taching small rubber pads above and below the pucks. Whatever, the tick-tick-tick will make you pull over on your first ride as you'll think the sound is coming from the engine. The front brake's fluid reservoir is mounted where you would expect it to be - on the righ t side of the handlebars. The rear brake 's reservoir is located under the seat. Instrumentation is top notch. A four position ignition/Iights switch is centered between the speedometer/odometer/tripmeter pods and mounted on a plate which also holds a high beam indicator, and oil pressure warning light, a turn signal light indicator, and a hit -and-miss 'neu tr al in d ica to r light. The left handlebar controls (we discussed the right side controls earlier) include a horn button, high and low beam headlight switch and a turn signal switch . A toggle switch on top of the headlight provides for either a running light, which goes on whenever the igni tion switch is turned to the running position, or normal high/low beam ligh ting. The seven inch headlamp provided adequate illumination at normal speeds, but if you 're out to play road racer on a twisty black asphalt road at night - you'll need more candlepower. Like that provided by quartz iodine headiamps. 27