differen tapproaches of the Norton
and Triumphconcerns as they
totteredtowardsthe approaching
superbike age.Nortonspentvery
little on theAtlas engine as itwas
transformed into the Commando,
but invested heavily in the fabled
Isolastic bicycle.BSA /Triumph
did thereve rse.Those who’ve
ridden the prototypeTrisolastic–a
Tridentengin eunit bolted into
aCommando frame–say it’s a
remarkable machine indeed.The
best of bothworlds; quitepossibly
the ultimate Triton .Idigress again.
TheTrident feels heavy and it actually is:
460lb as opposedto the 410lb ofaT140V
Bonneville.There’s nothing unwieldy about
it,the stee ring isprecise,the ride goodby
the standards of the dayand the handling is
exemplary, but itfeels weightywhen hauling
hardthroughaset of familiar tightbends.
One of the advantage of sourcing so manyof
the bikesIborrowfromthe same generous
soul is thatIknowthe localroads very well.
This permitsalittle exploration and indeed
comparison, andIpreferthe Tridenttoi ts twin-
pot sibling.Itf eels seriously stable,and indeed
it is .Sufficiently stableto accept braking quitehardintocorners
without gettingstressed,and heavy enoughto
make the suspensionwork,too.
Braking is OK.Nobetter than that, as I’ve
already said,and theTriumph-Lockheed
caliper iswooden.Thepads looked new but
stoppingwas...OK.
So that’sthatwith the introtothe riding.
Theriding itself isagrand experience, even
with those long silencers the sonorousexhaust
zoom isapleasure, and although the all-alloy
engine isarustler (ratherthan arattler), the
noises combineto boost theexperience, not
detractfromit. It’s rapid,too.The 58 horses
which apparentlyreach full gallopat 7250 rpmdo not accelerate the Tridentint he way
thatthe similarnumber of dobbins boot a
Commando down theroad,but despitethe
lack of the Nortontwin’s sheerimmediacy
the Tridentcovers thegroundveryquickly.
An almost stock T150 like this doesn’t
tempt achaptoplayracers,but if you
want topress onat A -road speedsyou’re
notgoingto be overtakenbyverymuch.
So it’s comfortable,quick and
capable; what’snot to like? It’s heavy.
Thefront brake iswooden.It’s not exactly
chuckitabout fun, as some of thetwins are.
That’s about it.Rightthen: time forasecond
ride,thistime without spending half of it
wonderingwhattowrite about thebike.
Tridents arelike that: the moreyou ride,the
moreyou wantto ride.Which says it al l, re ally.The last of the classic days,probabl
y...Theway the machineridesise ntirely
familiarto anyone who’s usedto preoily-
frameTriumphtwins. Theframe isvery stable,
the later- modelforksworkwell and the single
disc is...OK. Not spectacular,but more
consistentand reliable than the 2lsconical
hub which preceded it.Lots ofridersfita
second disc.Iwouldtoo.
But the engine is the keyto aTrident. It’s
alwaysamusing and interestingtocontrast the
BBaacckkiinntthhee^11997700 ss,FFWWhheellddaaddrreeaamm..TThhiisswwaassiitt,,
prettymuch...12 I AUGUST 2019 More old bikes online: Real-Classic.co.uk
FW’s onlyreal complaint
about theTridentwasthe
single disc front end