Triumph Daytona 600
Triumph Daytona 600
newrides.04
A large, silver moon lingered coolly in the dawn sky. The rise of light showed the road without shadow, and the ungodly early hour meant no traffic as this all-new Triumph Daytona 600 once again spun up past 10,000 rpm and into the meat of the power as we sung down Highway 1 south of Big Sur. It was as perfect a morning as could be, one that also happened to be our first opportunity to ride Hinckley’s middleweight missile on American soil. More important, the Daytona got its first run on our dyno and at the dragstrip. Verdict? A healthy 96 horsepower, about the same as a 2003 Suzuki GSX-R600 and roughly 5 bhp off the more recently introduced 600cc Supersport machines from other
Japanese manufacturers. At the dragstrip, the Daytona ran an 11.35-second quartermile, about .2-second slower than the Ducati 749 and roughly a half-second off the
king-of-quick Honda CBR600RR. Top speed was 149 mph. So the numbers show that it’s not quite up with the standards of the 600 repli-racer class in outright performance, but what they don’t show is that the peaks and valleys of the old TT600’s torque curve are gone: This thing’s twist delivery is as flat as a brick, hovering around 40 footpounds over a broad range. Unfortunately, part-throttle engine response still isn’t as crisp as it should be. Couple this
with a somewhat abrupt clutch engagement, and leaving the line often sees the Daytona’s mill fall on its face. The gearbox, too, proved vague and balky, making around-town, shift-intensive riding irksome. At least the riding position is
excellent. Other than a too-wide rear part of the tank, sitting on the Daytona is quite comfortable, with a good barseat-pegs relationship, and a broad, supportive seat. The chassis remains a strong point. This is seriously one of the best-turning 600cc sportbikes on the market. Steering is superbly light and low-effort, the Daytona snapping quickly through transitions with excellent stability. Looking particularly tasteful in silver, the $8699 Daytona really is better than ever. We still think they’re crazy for trying to topple the giants in such a quickly changing, competitive class. But after a solo ride at dawn down PCH at speed, where the bike is at its best, we’re glad Triumph is keeping at it. -Mark Hoyer
