WHAT WE LIKE
- Top value
- Sublime handling
- Gorgeous finish
NOT SO MUCH
- White colour scheme will mark easily
Many a time I’ve reviewed Triumphs bearing the ‘Daytona’ model tag over the years, and those bikes have spanned a reasonable spectrum of styles and capacities. A Daytona T595 was my introduction to high-end Triumph exotica when I first joined the crew at Australian Motorcycle News back in 1998, and it was soon followed by the lovely Daytona 955i. I sampled both the Daytona 600 and then the Daytona 650 in Europe in the mid noughties, when the British manufacturer dabbled with taking on the Jappers at their own four-cylinder game, and then not long after I moved back Down Under I had the pleasure of riding my first Daytona 675R, just after its launch in 2006.
The move back to an in-line triple powerplant was a good one – the 675 came dripping with modern-day Triumph character, plus the performance and handling that make the most hardened of track day nutters weep with joy. The model underwent a fair revision in 2009 (losing a little weight, gaining a little power and copping a cosmetic update), but has continued on since then pretty much unchanged.
Plenty of other Triumphs have proudly worn the Daytona badge, too – click here to learn a little more about the Daytona name’s heritage – but for this test we’re only concerned with Triumph’s latest and greatest, the 675R.
NICE Rs
A new model for 2011, the Triumph Daytona 675R can be summed up thus: it’s the stock Daytona 675, but with primo Öhlins suspension and brakes, a quickshifter and various carbonfibre bits – and it only comes in a unique Crystal White paint scheme with special graphics.
There’s nothing new about attempting to whip up a bit of buyer interest in a pre-existing model by loading it up with goodies, but in the 675R’s case, the carefully manufactured buzz is entirely warranted, because all the extras only bump up the stock bike’s $13,890 (plus ORC) price by $2000. Hell, you can spend more on a set of leathers these days…
Just buying the Öhlins gear separately would set you back around five large, so 2k for that and all the other niceties sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me, as indeed Triumph is hoping it will to you, too. To be honest, if anyone in the market can stretch themselves far enough to buy the stocker, they’d be a mug not to go that bit further. Not only will you be getting a nicer bike, it’ll hold its resale value better over the long run – that’s just a plain fact when it comes to most special edition models.
So, let’s take a closer look at what’s on offer. In the ‘look at moi’ department, the 675R gets a carbonfibre front guard, exhaust heat shield, rear hugger and cockpit infills. A quickshifter momentarily cuts the bike’s ignition by 50 milliseconds for smooth, clutchless upshifts above 2500rpm, and the R gets Brembo’s premium radial-mount, four-piston Brembo front brake calipers with matching master cylinder. The special R livery and graphics speaks for itself, so that leaves the Öhlins suspension package.
Where the standard Daytona adopts Kayaba gear and a 41mm front fork, the 675R gets a 43mm Öhlins NIX30 fork, complete with TiN coating for reduced stiction. Naturally enough it’s an upside-down jobbie, but the Swedish maker says the larger 30mm piston fork offers improved front-end feel and control. It’s fully adjustable for preload, compression and rebound, but unlike a conventional tele the compression damping is only on the left leg, while the rebound damping is only on the right.
The fork is mated with an Öhlins TTX36 monoshock, also fully adjustable, with a 36mm main piston. Öhlins says it’s lighter and smaller than most conventional monoshocks, and affords easy valve and shim changes for riders looking to shave that last 10th of a second from their lap time.
That little lot aside, it’s the same old Daytona 675 – same alloy beam chassis, same 675cc, liquid-cooled and fuel-injected in-line triple engine, same rear Nissin brake and same striking lines. But we’re not about to let familiarity breed contempt here at the Bikesales Network, so grab your lid and leathers and let’s see what she’s got.
POTENT PACKAGE
I’ve owned a number of naked streetfighters in recent years because I love a bit of performance but I like a bit of comfort too, but for sheer, unadulterated, blow-your-toupee-off thrills, nothing beats a pure sports machine. And for anyone who shares those sentiments, don’t be put off by the Daytona’s middleweight engine capacity – this is the real deal.
Gorgeous from a distance, the view only improves as you get closer. The styling is elegant yet aggressive – think Mike Tyson in a tux – and even the smallest of brackets has been fashioned with loving care. This is the product of designers and engineers who obviously love their work – I bet they skip through the corridors of Triumph’s Hinckley headquarters to their desk each morning, oblivious to the dreary conditions that are part and parcel of British life.
Throwing a leg over quickly underlines the bike’s single-minded focus – to go as fast as possible, in a straight line or through a bend. The 830mm seat height is on the taller side, and it’s really pretty firm, but it’s fairly slim towards the tank so it shouldn’t prove too difficult for most to get their foot down. The ride position had me in a classic racer crouch, my head pitched low and forward over the sporty instrumentation, my legs hunched beneath me as my feet found their way to the beautifully crafted footpegs. It’s a little thing, too, and a snap to manhandle in the shed.
With a spring sun blazing overhead and just a hint of crispness to the air, I eased out into the traffic and aimed for the Black Spur, a nearby Mecca for Melbourne-based riders to the city’s east, in the Yarra Ranges. It was going to be a good day…
The 675R poses no problems in the urban jungle. On the contrary, it’s a delight to ride in commuter mode. Sure it’s got the limited steering lock found on most sportsbikes, which can make threading through the peak hour slalom a tad tricky, but unlike a lot of sporty fare its gearing is really quite useable for real-world riding – no clutching through tight corners or roundabouts required. At 100kmh in top gear it was pulling 5000rpm – pretty standard for a bike of its capacity.
It didn’t take me long to reach Healesville, and after that the towering gums of the Black Spur hove into view. Now the bike was in its element, and I could revel in what is an incredibly cohesive, integrated and sorted package. The electronic fuel injection is a delight – we’re talking that elusive combination of razor-sharp response, yet smooth and easy progress at lower speeds and on a steady throttle around town. The howl of the stock exhaust sent tingles down my spine whenever I wound on the light-action throttle – it’s a suitable evocative aural complement to the blurring scenery.
DOWN TO BUSINESS
I simply can’t fault this bike’s handling. The alloy beam chassis is a picture of composure, while the Öhlins kit is – in volume production terms – as good as it gets. To be fair, only top-flight racers and track day hounds will truly appreciate the finer nuances of its operation – to my mind the stock Kayaba gear always did a damn fine job, too – but you don’t need to be Casey Stoner to revel in the sublime ride it delivers.
The up-spec Brembo stoppers, too, are eye-bulgingly good. One-finger operation, all the power in the world and a prodigious level of feel. Despite their blistering performance, I found the front end remained composed when I was hard on the picks before a corner – sorted.
The clutch, gearbox and throttle are all incredibly light, and the manner in which it slices through a bend had me hungry for more. It pulls nicely from 6000rpm, pulls hard from 10,000rpm and charges like a bull with a bee up its clacker the closer you get to its 15,000rpm redline.
Once back at Healesville, and allowing my nerves to settle over a coffee and donut at the local bakery, I couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would bother with a litre-class bike, when a middleweight like this can be so damn good. I can harness more of a Daytona 675’s performance compared to a litre-class bike, and when I stuffed up a gearchange, a braking point or my throttle control, the Triumph was far more accommodating. Instead of punishing, it simply pushes you to go harder. I like that.
Practicalities? Well, the mirrors allow a detailed inspection of your elbows and a 6.45lt/100km fuel economy gives a working range of 240km, but hey – I wanted to stretch my legs by then, anyway. The instrumentation looks great and works well, and there’s a lap timer and a shift light. The Crystal White colour scheme looks great with the carbon and the vivid red subframe, but it is prone to marking. My heart stopped when I noticed my blue leathers had left a 5cm streak on the side of the tank – thankfully it rubbed off with a bit of Mr Sheen.
The Daytona 675 has won a swag of awards from magazines all around the globe since its introduction, and one ride quickly reveals why. This bike works – period. Throw in a Santa’s sack of top-shelf goodies for 675R’s modest $2000 price premium, and Triumph’s onto another winner.
SPECS: TRIUMPH DAYTONA 675R
ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-stroke, in-line three-cylinder
Capacity: 675cc
Bore x stroke: 74mm x 52.3mm
Compression ratio: 12.7:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection
Claimed maximum power: 124hp (92kW) at 12,600rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 72Nm at 11,700rpm
TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet
CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Aluminium twin-spar beam
Front suspension: 43mm USD Öhlins NIX30 fork, fully adjustable
Rear suspension: Öhlins TTX36 monoshock, fully adjustable
Front brakes: Twin 308mm discs with radial-mount, four-piston Brembo calipers
Rear brakes: Single 220mm disc with single-piston Nissin caliper
Wheels: Five-spoke alloy
Tyres: Front 120/70ZR17, rear 180/55ZR17
DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 23.9 degrees
Trail: 89.1mm
Claimed wet weight: 185kg
Seat height: 830mm
Wheelbase: 1395mm
Fuel capacity: 17.4lt
OTHER STUFF
Price: $15,890
Colours: Crystal White
Bike supplied by: Triumph Australia, www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres
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