Best Value Motorcycle of 2021

Being the penny pinchers that we are, we like a good value when we see one, and the Triumph Trident 660 is certainly a wise choice for those looking to get a lot of bang for their buck. Let’s take the $8,095 price tag out of the equation for a second. The Trident 660 is a nice bike we’d expect to pay a few grand more for. Starting with that sweet three-cylinder engine, we were initially bummed (and a little confused) to hear it went down in displacement to 660cc from the 675cc it started life as in the Street Triple and Daytona, but once you ride it, everything starts to make sense.

It might be a little smaller in size, but it still delivers nearly as much fun as its bigger siblings. Then, of course, there’s the sound. The awesome Triple wail is as cool as ever on the Trident 660. It’s also surprising how well it turns, handles, and stops, too. Add to that a basic electronics package that seems well suited for its purpose, and it’s no wonder John liked it after his First Ride. It also is a little surprising to think back to its top placing in our Middleweight Naked Bike test too, but factor in how good of an overall package it is – then bring back its sub $8,100 price tag – and yeah, kudos to Triumph for knocking out a banger in the Value department.

KTM was really hocking the 890 Duke R when it was first released and paid little attention to the non-R version when it came out a year later and replaced the 790. We get it – you want to put your best foot forward. But do you really need the better fork and Brembo brakes? The 890 Duke – with no R – says no. And we agree.

Before we get into it, a quick note: This runner-up spot should have been occupied by the Yamaha MT-09 SP. However, if you’ll remember, one of our rules is that at least one member of the MO team must have ridden the bike before the selection process begins. Unfortunately for Yamaha, we didn’t get our hands on a bike in time. Never fear – it’s now in the running for 2022 honors, where it likely stands a solid chance of doing very well.

But back to the KTM. Having ridden it during our 900cc-ish Middleweight Naked Bike test, it brought out all the right emotions in us. The 890 engine was an absolute thrill to ride, its quickshifter (a problem on early 890 Duke R models) worked flawlessly, and the typical aggressive attitude we’ve come to know from KTM all shone brightly. So much so that we hardly missed the up-spec WP fork and Brembo calipers. And at $10,999 at the time of this writing, that’s not a lot of change to spend on a bike that can whoop on things costing much more. Seems like the definition of value to us.