Steel grey and never ending, the road wound its way westwards.

Down into fourth on Triumph's Trident 660 and in a flash I had passed the early morning tourist bimbling along.` Best to get rid of him,` I thought as the VW Caravanette drifted towards the crown of the road on a bend.

A little further on a polite driver in a Golf gave a reassuring flash of a left indicator in reaction to my rapid approach. I fled by with the sun and the wind behind me and gave a friendly wave to acknowledge his alertness.

The road to the coast was clear now and I reeled in the miles as I tried to out-pace the cares and worries of my world. I rode faster and faster, swinging lightly through those twisty bends on one of Wales finest roads.

It was too early for much tourist traffic and the miles were covered in good time and fine style - all thanks to the £7,395 Trident - Triumph's stunning new naked middleweight bike that just about beats all of the other naked 'roadster' bikes in that class.

Thoroughly modern looking and with unique styling, it`s a distinctive 'streetbike` that immediately grabs your attention. Avant-garde features abound such as the underslung exhaust, LED lights and 'ride by wire throttle.

Once astride, you appreciate the low seat height which will surely broaden the bike's appeal. With a slight forward lean to the bars and feet firmly planted on the ground you feel very secure. To use the old cliche, everything `falls to hand` so you`re confidently in control straightaway.

Excellent design for the `real world` is this bike's hallmark - it`s a thinking man's motorcycle if ever there was one, knocking the barren perches of some hyper sports machines for six.

At its heart is an 80bhp 660cc Triple engine (you can get a 'restrictor' kit to cut power back for A2 licence holders until the next licence level is reached) which is really a re-worked 675 Daytona engine that has been developed so that 90 percent of peak torque is available across most of the rev range. You don't need to wring the motors neck and play tunes on that superslick six speed gearbox: you just `twist and go` - it's so easy to ride.

Silky smooth, your progress can go from sublime dawdling to 'fast': up to about 130mph in no time as the engine displays its total flexibility - almost as if controlled schizophrenia lurks deep within its soul.

I venture to suggest that given the comfort offered and the multitude of characteristics like high torque, light weight and ease of control, the average rider on one of these could get from A to B just as quickly as if they were on a racing greyhound sportster. And you would be hard pushed to get the fuel consumption to rise more than 50 mpg; if only some of those `Wannabe Top Guns'` of this world would realise that, they would get more pleasure from their motorcycling.

Which brings me to the surefooted handling that inspired complete confidence on twisty roads. The tubular steel frame, cast alloy wheels, adjustable Showa suspension front and rear, Nissin brakes and light weight of 189kgs make for nimble agility that, a few years back, would have done credit to a race bike: such is the progress in road bike technology.

Flicking through bends the Trident feels balanced to perfection and flatters your ability with its balletic prowess, tracking, as it does, with precision.

Brakes, with ABS, combine with light weight and sticky rubber to haul you down from high speed as if you have just dived into a vat of treacle. A particularly surprising aspect of riding fast on this naked machine, is how buffeting from wind blast is minimal. Whether by aerodynamic design or just good luck, the airstream was directed above my helmet, enabling high speed to be held for long periods. I would not choose it for regular motorway trips but it will let you hold high speed comfortably.

In a world where some bikes are meant to make you feel arrogantly beyond the reach of mere people; where some are designed make you happy to die for the glory of screaming speed, and where some just enjoy the acclamation of a public blinded by marketing heraldry but are really little more than a bag o` bones, it`s so good to find one that satisfyingly matches up to most requirements, catering for the accepted necessities of modern riding. But above all it is a top quality bike that's a joy to ride. That`s what the new Trident is.

So - as I slashed my way across Wales I concluded that there`s enough performance for all but the deranged. Quite simply it`s the `useable` performance on tap that counts, thanks to the easy manners and thoroughly forgiving nature: even in our world of bureaucratically boring righteousness you can still have great fun on one of these. Even at my pal's classic bike workshop where everyone smokes Woodbines and drinks 100 percent proof tea and where garish modern bikes have to be parked 'round the back' the Trident was warmly welcomed.

"That combines class with dignity" opined 'Erudite Eric' who thinks that everything from a Sopwith Camel to a Eurofighter is flawed in engineering terms.

It was the supreme accolade...