I let patriotism get the better of my natural instincts. I bought a 2400 mile, 1991 Triumph 900 Trident privately for £4275. The low price because it was January, cold, wet and generally miserable. The bike was salted away in the garage until the end of March. Since then I have managed over 8000 miles with few problems. Rule Britannia and all that crap.
Any company willing to start producing goods in the UK has to be given the benefit of the doubt. My main worry was its mass. Quoted as 468lbs dry not one of the magazines revealed its true wet weight, which meant as far as I was concerned that it was well over 500lbs (more like 525lbs - Ed).
Utterly ridiculous for a modern 900cc triple, even one equipped with watercooling, DOHC's and 12 valves. The weight is very apparent at walking speeds, but once under way with in excess of 20mph on the speedo it seems to submerge itself and the machine holds the road in a refined and, well, modern manner.
Old Triumphs got most of their handling finesse from very rigid suspension, suffering a ride that on neglected modern roads would be unacceptable. The 900 has compliant suspension that does a good job of absorbing minor road irregularities and the larger holes, but does not succumb to the blancmange effect when ridden hard and fast. Few bikes have achieved a better compromise.
Front forks are massive with no apparent flex whilst the single rear shock has been of such a quality that there has been no loss of damping, although adjustment is very limited.
Steering is not quite light but reassuringly precise. Effort is needed to switch direction but once the manoeuvre is effected it’s a pretty good bet that it will be completed without trauma. I was able to lose speed once leaned over or make minor changes in direction without upsetting the reassuring feel of security.
Those occasions when emergency braking was called for when banked over tended to lift the machine up off the road, the complete opposite of what was required, a tightening of my line. It was much safer to use the back disc and manhandle the bike out of danger.
With 100hp and 140mph on tap, the bike way exceeded my own personal desire for speed or stomach churning acceleration. With 0 to 60mph in little more than 3 seconds there were no cars able to stay with the machine. Suffice to say, cruising ability way exceeded the actual speed at which it was possible to hold on to the bars for any length of time.
I found that the unfaired bike was usable up to 90mph but for any sustained periods 85mph was more like it. As the company provides models with fairings it is perhaps unfair to criticise the machine for this, although I haye ridden unfaired BMWs that were able to sustain 90mph for much longer. Admittedly, the tighter riding position could be less than comfortable in sustained town riding. Also, the Beemer seat was superior to the Triumph’s, giving a more comfortable ride for much longer.
These Triumphs are sort of English BMWs, so I was glad to find that the O-ring chain needed hardly any adjustment and still had loads of life left after 10000 miles. The Triumph’s gearchange was so vastly superior to anything the Teutonic engineers have produced, that it more than compensated for the lack of civilisation of the shaft drive. Why full chain enclosure was not included in the specification is way beyond me in a bike costing nearly six grand!
I hate to think what the fuel consumption would be like with a shaft drive fitted, though. It was bad enough as standard, rarely doing better than 45mpg, quite often approaching 35mpg. I did not cane the beast mercilessly and although I broke the speed limits when it was safe to do so, I only rarely saw more than 100mph on the speedo. I suspect that some juvenile delinquents will get the fuel down to 30mpg. Good luck to them!
One magazine went to great lengths to prove that they were real men by getting the bike up on the back wheel. Unbelievable, juvenile antics. The sheer torque of the engine would make it fairly easy to aviate the front wheel, but only if you were a complete nurd as regards operating the clutch. I don’t know who they thought they were going to impress, it certainly wasn't me but then I am quite old, so know how to co-ordinate clutch and throttle (both a lot lighter than the older Triumphs).
The 900 had greater similarities to an old Bonnie than the original Trident in the way it produced power. There was an excess of torque at most revs and hardly any need to cut a dash through the six speed gearbox. Why they had to burden the bike with so many gears and a rear disc (that worked OK) is, again, quite beyond comprehension. Why on earth give in to Japanese fashions?
Another piece of Jap style has been copied - skimpy mudguards. Five minutes in the rain meant both the machine and I were covered in all kinds of crud. Riding in the wet was not a frightening experience. Power was easily controlled and the Dunlop radials gave excellent grip even when subjected to sudden changes of direction to avoid idiot cagers.
The slightly raised, quite wide bars meant I received the full force of the rain, large puddles forming in my crotch. If I wasn't wearing wet weather gear I looked just like I had pissed myself, which pissed me off no end.
The Triumph did not quite have the poise of BMWs in wet weather, there was a certain looseness beyond 80mph that was less than reassuring. Admittedly, I was never thrown into a dangerous skid but then my riding style is very fluid, unlikely to upset the beast. I was always aware of just how much mass there was waiting to let loose, even if it never gave any indication that it was going to. The Trident was vastly superior in the wet to some evil old Japanese beast like a ZX-10!
Much more dangerous and disconcerting was the headlamp bulb which blew with tiresome persistence. The triple doesn’t vibrate to any appreciable degree as far as the rider is concerned but some vibration evidently got through to the front light. Either that or the voltage regulation was naff, unlikely, though, as no other bulbs or the battery were affected. Just to annoy me even more the damn headlamp gave a poor spread on dip and lacked power on main. Perhaps I have been spoilt by owning big BMWs in the past.
Another annoyance was the radials becoming twitchy when they still had more than 2mm of tread left. Replacing both tyres at 4750 miles seemed pretty heavy going to me, but the new Dunlops quickly reassured me that it was money well spent by bringing back the excellent stability. The extremely powerful twin front discs were only used with great caution and reluctance... which probably explains why they are still on the original pads.
Engine braking is effective, the exhaust making a lovely growl. Triples sound very charismatic but for a lot of the time the Trident’s heady tune is lost in the wind noise. Rather a pity, that. More than made up for by the fact that the finish has lasted very well, although I admit to weekly cleaning sessions - it's the kind of bike that inspires that amount of respect. The deep green paint still shines up beautifully, its understated appeal making the more garish Jap efforts look ridiculous.
There have been no engine problems. The carbs and valves have been attended to once, the oil and filter changed four times and grease applied to the rear suspension spindles once (through the nipples provided for once engineering won out). I am not a hard rider by any means of the word, so engine longevity is still an open question and whether it will survive more normal abuse and neglect I leave to other contributors.
The overall concept is a good one. I like the way the chunky alloy engine is hung from the large diameter spine frame, the rigidity is such to give more complex and expensive Japanese efforts a spurious appeal, although its simplicity goes to pot with a complex array of brackets needed to hold the swinging arm bearings... why didn’t they mount the swinging arm on the back of the engine?
If I had to offer any improvements the first would be to lose at least a 100lbs in mass (in line with the latest Japanese bikes), then make the tall seat two inches lower, fit a different headlamp, fully enclose the chain, fit a rear drum and single front disc, and make the exhaust a bit louder above 5000 revs. Some of these I will do myself, but there is not much I can do about the mass. The rest of the bike is so good that I can live with that. BMWs? Who needs them!
P. K.