Triumph has finally given us a new Daytona sports bike. But there is a caveat. The new Daytona is not a balls to the wall Supersport machine. Instead, what we have is a sporty middleweight with a less focused nature. With DNA derived from the Trident 660 rather than the Daytona 675/765 family, the Daytona 660 is aimed at a different crowd.
WHY DAYTONA? – A QUICK HISTORY LESSON
Modern Triumph (post-1990) has traditionally christened its sports bikes with the Daytona name, with the most recent versions being highly focused Supersport bikes. During the last three decades, Daytona’s have morphed from large capacity triples and fours (750cc, 900cc, 1000cc & 1200cc) to smaller capacity four-cylinder Supersports (600cc-650cc), and finally to triple cylinder 675cc & 765cc engined Supersports. The last Daytona sold was a limited-edition 765cc tribute to the Moto2 championship in 2020 (the only 765cc version sold). The Moto2 edition came thanks to Triumph becoming the exclusive engine supplier of Moto2 racing bikes, which the series still uses.
Ever since the demise of the Daytona in 2020, many have speculated about its return in the form of an all new 765cc (or larger) Daytona. However, when asked about this, Triumph always denied they were working on a new Daytona Supersport. During this time, Triumph continued developing new versions of the Street Triple, essentially a naked Daytona. How hard could it be to slap some fresh fairings and clip-on handlebars on the Street Triple?
Too hard, as it turned out. Demand for highly strung Supersport motorcycles generally declined in the final years of the Daytona, and Triumph could not justify building something so few people would buy. The motorcycling demographic was aging, and they moved on to adventure bikes, naked bikes, and modern classics.
The truth is Triumph wasn’t lying. They never had any intention of bringing back a Supersport Daytona. What they did was bring the Daytona name back, but this time, not as a Supersport. They threw everyone a curveball.
So, if the new Daytona 660 isn’t a Supersport, what is it then?
WHAT IS IT & WHO IS IT FOR?
Triumph calls the 2024 Daytona 660 (D660) a middleweight sports bike. This Daytona is not a Supersport motorcycle. If you think you’re going to get a true aluminium framed, track-focused Supersport, you’d be wrong. This Daytona is an easygoing road focused bike designed to appeal to younger riders with smaller budgets who want the look and general feel of a fully faired sports bike.
That’s not to say it is slow. 95PS is nothing to sneeze at and is ample enough power to have fun on the road. However, considering its budget suspension and ancillary hardware, more thought has gone into making it look like a Supersport rather than being an actual Supersport.
Part of Triumph’s strategy with the D660 is to cater to learners. The availability of an A2 licence conversion kit enables compliance with A2 rules via a replacement throttle grip and unique engine tune that limits power to 35kW. Importantly, this kit can both be fitted to a standard bike to make it learner compliant or removed to revert a learner bike to full power.
Remember those aging riders that moved on to those adventure bikes I mentioned earlier? Well, Triumph has now opened the door for a new generation of sport riders to fill the vacuum. But this bike is not just for learners. I can see existing sports bike fans wanting a more relaxed road riding experience buying this bike. If you have no intention of riding on the track and want something cheaper and much more easygoing than a full-blown Supersport, then the D660 may well scratch that itch.
STYLING
The look of the D660 follows more or less in the footsteps of previous Daytona’s. To me, it looks like the final versions of the Daytona 650 and Daytona 675 met at a swinger’s party, and nine months later, the D660 popped out.
Proportion wise, the motorcycle looks very dense in the front two-thirds, with the stubby rear end giving the bike a mass forward look and haunched stance. It reminds me of an amateure weight lifter focusing on working out the upper body while neglecting their legs.
Only solid colours are available – Snowdonia white, Carnival red, and Satin Granite black options. Wild graphic flair is nowhere to be seen. This is typical Triumph and consistent with previous Daytona’s.
The design is unoffensive and certainly looks sporty enough, but it doesn’t push any design boundaries. Call it a ‘safe’ design aimed at base hits rather than home runs.
ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN
As the name suggests, the D660 has a 660cc inline triple engine, which it shares with the Trident naked bike. The difference is the D660 produces 95PS (70kW) peak power at 11,250 rpm and 69Nm of peak torque at 8,250rpm, which is 17% more power (81PS/60kW at 10,250rpm) and 9% more torque (64Nm at 6,250rpm) than the Trident in full power form. Triumph claims more than 80 per cent of its 69Nm of peak torque is available from just 3,125rpm.
So, as you can tell from the power and torque figures, the D660 has a much sportier engine tune than the Trident. It revs 1000rpm higher, and its more generous peak power and torque is produced higher in the rev range.
These power figures are far from the original Daytona 675 that sported 125PS (92kW) at 12,600rpm and 72Nm of peak torque at 11,700rpm in its final iteration.
Interestingly, Triumph has differentiated the Daytona from the doner Trident engine, unlike Yamaha with its MT-07 and R7 siblings, which share nearly the same tune.
Power is delivered through a six-speed gearbox and slip assist clutch with a non-adjustable clutch lever. Triumph’s Shift Assist quick shifter is available as an accessory fit for clutch-less up and down gear shifts with auto-blip.
Claimed fuel consumption is 57.6 mpg (4.9 litres / 100 km).
CHASSIS PACKAGE
The D660’s chassis is made up of a tubular steel perimeter frame and double sided fabricated steel swingarm. Triumph has cleverly disguised the steel frame and swingarm as aluminium pieces. The frame is covered by a plastic piece moulded and painted to look aluminium, and the swingarm is shaped and painted black to look aluminium as well. At a glance, the combination resembles a full-blown Supersport chassis.
The D660 weighs in at 201kg wet, has a 14L fuel tank and a seat height of 810mm. Suspension is by Showa with non-adjustable upside down separate function big piston 41mm forks (SFF-BP – spring preload in one leg, damping in the other) with 110mm of travel, and preload only adjustable monoshock with 130mm of travel.
Brakes are Triumph branded radial four piston calipers gripping twin 310mm semi-floating discs at the front with a non-radial master cylinder and a span adjustable brake lever, and single piston sliding caliper gripping a single 220mm fixed disc at the rear, all fed by braided lines. ABS is standard, and tyres are Michelin’s new Power 6’s fitted to five-spoke cast aluminium wheels.
The bar and footpeg position is definitely skewed to the sporty side. The side profile reveals a riding triangle somewhere between a Yamaha R7 and Aprilia RS660. The handlebars form part of the upper triple clamp assembly and are positioned just above the fork tops in a unique design.
The semi-relaxed riding position (for a sport bike) and 810mm seat height make the riding position less extreme than a Supersport but will still place your body in the correct position for sport riding.
The 810mm seat height and triple engine allow for a narrow stand-over, making the D660 manageable for shorter riders. An accessory low seat is also available, lowering the seat height by 25mm to just 785mm.
TECHNOLOGY
The D660 has a ride-by-wire throttle and three riding modes (Sport, Road and Rain). Each mode offers a different throttle response and level of traction control intervention, with Sport mode providing the most reactive throttle response. The traction control system can also be turned off using the instrument menu.
The multi-functional instruments feature a colour TFT screen integrated into a white-on-black LCD display. The unit is compatible with the accessory fit My Triumph Connectivity System, enabling turn-by-turn navigation and phone and music interaction.
The display is an interesting anomaly. By all accounts, it is effective enough, but the part LCD and part TFT design looks like it belongs on an expensive washing machine. Surely a single larger TFT screen is cheaper to manufacture than this combined design? Why not do that?
ACCESSORIES
Triumph is good at offering an extensive range of accessories for their motorcycles, and the D660 is no exception. Over 30 genuine accessories are available, all carrying the same two-year unlimited mileage warranty.
Accessories include colour-coded seat cowls and billet-machined parts, including an oil filler cap, pre-drilled for lock-wiring, paddock stand bobbins, bar end finishers and a rear brake reservoir.
Other additions include heated grips, an under-seat USB socket and a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). A tank bag and tail pack are also available, adding 20 litres of carrying capacity. A low seat is also available, lowering the seat height by 25mm to just 785mm.
The My Triumph Connectivity System allows phone and music operation plus turn-by-turn navigation and is available as an accessory on the Daytona 660. Triumph Shift Assist can also be added, providing clutch-less, full-throttle upshifting and seamless downshifting with auto-blip.
PRICE
In Australia the D660 retails from $14,790 (ride away). Pricing starts from $9,195 in the US, £8,595 in the UK, and €9,795 in Europe.
In Australia at least, the D660 can’t compete as a budget offering. Considering the Kawasaki ZX-6R retails for $17,868 (ride away), customers will have to ask the question, “do I want a ‘real’ Supersport for a few thousand more, or a sporty road bike for a few thousand less?”.
SERVICING
The D660 has 16,000 km (10,000 mile) service intervals (whichever comes first) and is backed by a two-year unlimited mileage warranty.
COMPETITION
The D660 joins the growing middle sport category, with the D660 slotting in at the upper end in terms of price and performance. The Aprilia RS660, Honda CBR650R, and Yamaha R7 are the closest competitors.
You could argue bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and Kawasaki ZX-4R are also competitors, but the 650 is more budget conscious and lacks in power, and the ZX-4R is far more sport focused than the D660, so I feel different customers would be shopping for these bikes.
MY TWO CENTS
I want to be critical of Triumph for diluting the Daytona name, which has been associated with hard core Supersport bikes in the recent past. But then, I don’t run a multi-million manufacturing company that must make a profit to survive. And if that means it is the season for a softer Daytona, then so be it. But just remember, seasons change, and all those young riders learning their trade on the easygoing 660 might one day want to step up to a true Supersport. That’s when Triumph might have to step up and give them one
Supersport or road sport. Which do you prefer?
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