Will The First Baby Triumph Be A Meteor 350 Competitor?

Triumph and Bajaj’s first baby will take on another British-Indian rival.

By: Earl Davidson

Dec 19, 2021 at 5:00pm ET

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Triumph and Bajaj are in cahoots with each other, and the pair have yet to produce something together, whether it is a co-developed or a rebadged and restyled model. The partnership has been going on since 2019, but there have been whispers from each of the brand’s mother countries as to what may happen next.

Rushlane was the first to speculate about the Bajaj-Trident baby, then it was later picked up by a UK-based publication, Visordown, across the pond. The Indian source claimed that the small-displacement model will likely be a smaller version of the ever-popular Triumph Trident 660. While we love the Trident 660 for all its technology and its approachability, it will be interesting to see what a Bajaj-built version could look like with smaller dimensions and similar styling.

It’s unsurprising to see speculations about the new bike being based on the Trident. After all, it’s currently Triumph’s best-selling model, with the brand shipping 12,500 units globally. So it won’t be a surprise to see the styling and a Trident-influenced design trickle down into the lower displacement categories should the rumors hold true.

What do you think?

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Triumph has confirmed in the past that a new model is going to be unveiled in 2022, and that that it will be a Bajaj-developed model in the books. Rushlane speculated that the model could have a 250cc single-cylinder engine that is similar to the Bajaj and KTM offerings in the Indian market, but Visordown speculates that the displacement could go up into the 300cc range to be competitive with yet another Brit-Indian motorcycle, the Royal Enfield Meteor 350.

It’s not impossible that a Bajaj motor could be taken and developed by the two brands. The first engine that comes to mind in the 300cc class will be the unit powering the Bajaj Dominar, a 373cc single that has a single-overhead-camshaft, which is very similar to KTM’s 390 mills, only with one less camshaft and a few other key differences. The only question is, will Bajaj and KTM be willing to share its powertrain, or will we see another motor paired with the Triumph badge? That remains to be seen, and I guess we’ll just have to wait for the rumor mill to churn.