Three-Peat!
THREE-PEAT!
Triumph's all-new Daytona 675 is a breakthrough bike
DON CANET
CW FIRST RIDE
IN sweetest persistence, THE HIGH-STAKES triumph is trial and SPORTB1KE often the error result and, BIZ, ultiTHE of mately, remaining true to your character. No one knows this better than the blokes at Ffinckley, England-based Triumph Motorcycles Limited. Going toeto-toe with the Japanese contingent in the hotly contested middleweight sport category has been a losing battle for Triumph.
Playing by the rules of convention, Triumph entered the arena with its TT600 in 2000, followed by the Daytona 600 three years later (see our Long-Term Wrap-Up, this issue). Both machines were inlineFours sharing many similarities in engine and chassis design with their Japanese counterparts. Although the bikes gained praise for excellent handling, both lacked the engine performance and overall value of the competition. Last year’s Daytona saw a mid-life model update that hinted of Triumph’s new line of thinking. No longer constraining itself to the 600cc-displacement cap dictated by Supersport competition rules, Triumph focused on optimizing its middleweight machine for real-world street needs. With an increase in displacement and refined fuel-injection, the Daytona 650 proved a much better street package than its predecessor, but remained in the shadow of Kawasaki’s ZX-636, a bike that most view as a superior example of a similar theme.
Triumph calls the all-new 2006 Daytona 675 “incomparable.” While sounding like common marketing hype, it’s hard to disagree, considering the new machine is powered by an inline three-cylinder engine that faithfully exudes the tactile sensation, sound and soul that is Triumph and Triumph alone. While undeniably trying to be different, the Daytona 675 also offers several tangible advantages over the middleweight status quo.
Foremost is the engine’s broad spread of torque, extending much lower into the rev range than any middleweight Four. Being substantially narrower than an inline-Four, the 675cc, 12-valve, dohc Triple resides in an aluminum frame that is 20 percent lighter and narrower than that of the Daytona 650. The result is a very slim machine claimed to offer class-leading cornering clearance. At a claimed 365 pounds dry, the bike is a class featherweight as well.
Steering geometry is aggressive, with 23.5 degrees of rake and 87mm trail. A steering damper is tucked out of harm's way beneath the lower triple-clamp. The bike's 54.8-inch wheelbase is right in line with the best 600 supersports, as are its top-shelf Kayaba suspension and front brake system featuring Nissin radial-pump master cylinder and fourpot radial-mount calipers. The use of peculiar-sized 308mm-diameter front rotors underscores the attention to
detail that has gone into the machine, shaving unswept rotor area and unnecessary rotating weight. Having covered the new 675 with a tech preview in the January issue, the stage was set for our first ride at the bike's world press launch held early this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I spent 90 minutes lapping the spectacular Sepang Circuit and logged 100 miles on public roads. Not a lot of seat time, but enough to experience the breadth of the engine's versatility and the nimble, unflappably stable chas sis over a wide range of speeds and pavement conditions. I'm hungry for more! Triumph has nailed the recipe with the Daytona 675. This is not only the best sportbike to roll out of the Hinckley plant, but one the most enjoyable sporting machines I've ridden to date. I was surprised most by the fact I didn't find a single quirk when riding the bike on either the road or the track. Mechanically, everything works precisely and with smoothness. Throttle response is spot-on, power delivery seam less, clutch action fluid and driveline lash minimal.
If you're intent on digging for a complaint, okay, some may find a coarse band of engine vibration that creeps through the grips to be finger-tingling on longer rides. The engine features a gear-driven counterbalancer shaft located ahead of the crank that quells vibes to a subdued and char acteristic Speed Triple-like growl. Didn't bother me much, considering I frequently found myself revving the engine into five-figure rpm territory during the street ride without realizing it unless I glanced down at the tachometer. Keeping pace with our swift ride guide as he sliced through the tropical landscape along traffic-clogged backroads and expressways was no jungle cruise. Lane-splitting hardly describes the way our point man displaced slow er-moving motorists along the route, but I came away with no doubts as to the Daytona's ability to pull out and pass cars and trucks at a moment's notice. Several times, I didn't bother with toeing the shifter, simply leaving the bike in a taller gear and allowing its impressive roll-on acceleration to go to work. When we came upon the occasional red traffic light, I also noted the ability to roll away from stops with little more than idle revs.
Even though I wore jeans for the street ride, I felt no legroasting heat radiating from the upswept tailpipe-an issue with some bikes that feature underseat exhausts, including Triumph's own Sprint ST. The windscreen offered decent protection and caused only minimal buffeting, while the mirrors offered good rear coverage and remained relatively free of vibration. While I can't say I spent enough time in the saddle to rule on the bike's ergonomics for sport-touring duty, its firmly padded saddle and riding posture are cer tainlysuitcdtotrackuse.
In spite of the 675's track-inspired ergos and styling, Triumph has no intention to race the bike, and neither does it want the Daytona to be perceived as a Supersport contender. Still, while I arrived with somewhat limited expectations for the bike, I left truly inspired by its performance on the circuit. This could be the most grossly underrated track-day bike ever. Although this was my first visit to Sepang, I got a primer
THREE-PEAT!
on the 15-turn layout prior to riding by playing a Formula One racing simulator on my laptop. Two things became imme diately evident when I took to the track for real: The circuit was very accurately modeled in the game, and the Daytona 675 works so amazingly well that I was comfortably riding in full track-attack mode by my third lap! The bike felt light and compact beneath me, and its agile yet stable-handling chassis instilled great confidence and held the line with ease. Feedback through the front was superb, and there were never any signs of tire patter or chatter. The stock-fitment Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa Pro radials provided plenty of grip, allowing ridiculous lean in corners with nothing more than the peg feelers ever touching down.
The brakes offered excellent power and feel without any grabbiness when initially applied and offered not a hint of fade throughout each session. Stability under hard braking was excellent as well, even over ripples left in the pavement by F-l cars. I didn’t experience any rear-wheel hop when braking hard and downshifting, even when going down through the gears from sixth to second at the end of the long main straight.
The meat of the engine’s torque spans a broad plateau from 8500 to 13,000 rpm, making gear selection less critical than with other middleweights. Extracting the last ounce of
power out of the Daytona calls for grab bing upshifts at 13,500, a full 700 rpm shy of the rev-limiter. This over-rev is a welcome departure from Triumphs I've ridden in the past that suddenly cut out right at the very peak of power output, easily baiting you into the rev limiter and costing time. No excuses accepted here as the 675's instrument cluster features a programmable shift indica tor with a row of seven lights located adjacent to redline. As well as rpm of preference, the lights can be set to either illuminate sequen tially or all at once.
Modern-era Triumphs have never held much visual appeal for me, often looking somewhat gangly and industrial, but there was instant attraction the moment I laid eyes on the 675. It appeals to my senses much like the Ducati 916 did when first introduced years ago. It’s worth noting that the 675 is the work of an in-house stylist, a first for Triumph, having always outsourced that aspect of design in the past.
In many ways, the 675 is a breakout machine for Triumph. The Daytona offers proof that the company has come into its own and gelled in all aspects of motorcycle production. There’s now a true and cohesive identity that spans the entire product line. Seems there is truth in the old saying, three’s a charm. □
THREE-PEAT!
