Who Doesn't Love an Inline Triple?
Triumph's 798cc triple has a way of changing the tone of any ride.
It delivers a broad, usable spread of power—below 5,000 rpm, it’s composed and manageable, making its way through town with smooth, predictable throttle response. Push past that mark, though, and the engine wakes up, pulling hard and clean all the way to redline.
When Ryan Adams sampled the 2026 Triumph Trident 800 earlier this month, the wet conditions during the first half of the day only amplified the engine’s character.
Damp pavement tends to expose uneven power delivery, but here the response remained linear and easy to handle, even without switching into rain mode. The power felt controllable, which says a lot about how well Triumph dialed the throttle mapping.
It raises an interesting question: when conditions turn sketchy, how many riders actually reach for rain mode versus relying on their right wrist?
With an engine this tractable, it’s tempting to leave the electronics in standard settings and trust the connection between throttle and rear tire. Triples have long had a loyal following for good reason, and Triumph's 798cc example reinforces why the layout continues to resonate.
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I've had twins, a triple, fours. Never owned a single.
MT-09 was fantastic, except for chassis and suspension (2018). Got rid of it.
I've had 998cc four, 953cc four, 948cc four, 1037cc Vtwin, 645cc Vtwin, (and 847cc triple). I'm not an engine configuration agnostic, I like the experiences they all provide. Right now, 2025 Z900 and liking the torquey and smooth powerplant. I never did tune the MT-09 or attempt to fix the suspension, although I know the lengths and efforts some have gone to do it, it just wasn't going to be worth it for me and nowhere near getting resale value back out of it. I also demo'd the 2024 MT-09 and found it to be fantastic, also 2024 XSR900. Would have gotten one of those last year but Yamaha was snoozing on prices, letting Kawasaki eat their lunch. I'm happy with the Z. Not real sure what I'd do next time I change bikes, maybe back to a twin.
Would nice if Triumph learned how to produce an accurate speedometer/odometer! If we are responsible enough to ride their product, they should be responsible not to try to fool us on our speed and mileage!