The Triumph Daytona was ever-present in the middleweight supersports class, right until it wasn’t, and the category practically died.
The return of the Honda CBR600RR to European markets in 2024 is unlikely to mean a great revival of the screaming 600 class, and neither is the upcoming and as-good-as-confirmed Triumph Daytona 660.
The new Daytona will take the same engine from the Trident 660, which produces 80bhp, and it seems as though it will use the kind of relaxed riding position becoming more prevalent for contemporary middleweight sportsters.
But if you’re after something more powerful and focused, there’s a used option. The Daytona’s previous iteration (ignoring the 2020 765cc Moto2 thing) is an excellent motorcycle, as proven by its British Supersport Championship titles in 2008 and 2012 with Glen Richards, in 2014 with Billy McConnell, and in 2015 with Luke Stapleford.
Its three-cylinder, 675cc engine gave it an advantage in outright torque, and in the usable range of that torque, compared to its four-cylinder rivals, and it was more reliable than that other 675cc three-cylinder supersports machine: the MV Agusta F3 675.
Around that trumpeting three-cylinder motor, Triumph wrapped some gorgeous bodywork, whose looks were not lost from the bottom point of its triangular intake to the tip of its seat unit, under which, of course, was the CBR600RR-style central, single tailpipe.
The Pearl White (with Sparkle Blue frame, arguably the best colour combination for a Daytona) example shown in this article has 13,078 miles on the clock and can be picked up for £4,994. This is probably a few grand less expensive than the new 660 will be when it gets unveiled on 9 January, considering the Trident 660 on which the new Daytona is based costs £7,895 from the showroom.
For that reduced cost you get more power (126bhp to the 660’s expected 80bhp), more torque (54lb ft to the 660’s expected 47lb ft), and, if the darkened teaser images Triumph posted yesterday are anything to go by, something possibly a bit prettier than the new 660, too.
Find all the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.
