Post Sale Update: This Trident sold for $8,000 after 7 bids on eBay in Shingle Springs, California.
The Trident T160 is one of motorcycling’s great “what ifs”. Its T150 predecessor debuted as a 1969 model to lots of excitement from Triumph fans who wanted to see how the British firm would fight back against Honda’s CB750. It did not go well. Classic British Motorcycles notes that the Trident was doomed by “the combination of bad timing (it took too long to introduce), withering competition (the Honda 750-4 had just arrived), homely styling, spotty build quality, low production figures (initially only about 2,500 units per year), and a high price (a 1971 Trident sold for $1,765 US, while a ’71 Norton Commando sold for $1,490).” The 1975 T160 is what Triumph should have released in 1968, and history might have played out quite differently if that’s what happened.
The T160 benefited from several incremental changes, including an electric start, left-side shifter, five-speed gearbox, front and rear discs, and new silencers to satisfy US noise requirements. Interestingly, this bike also “regressed” in styling to a more traditional Triumph design – management felt that the slightly adventurous styling (Ray Gun mufflers, shoebox tank) of the previous generation had hurt sales. For more on the T160, check out this story on Motorcycle Classics – they call it the “machine that, until the resurrection of Triumph in 1990, represented the pinnacle of mass-produced British motorcycling.”
This example (VIN: T160XK00530) shows 28,410 miles on the odometerand the seller feels confident that’s the correct number as he bought it used back in April of 1978 from TT Motors in Berkeley, California. At 22k, the seller had the bike restored in 1994 which included a “complete engine rebuild by Marshall Ehlers at Mean Marshall’s Motorcycles.” Due to the seller’s age, the bike “has had limited use in recent years” but it starts and runs and it comes with a few upgrades such as a Mistral high-output alternator and Boyer ignition.
Find this Trident for sale in Shingle Springs, California with bidding up to $5,900 and the reserve not yet met