Review: 2012 Triumph Daytona 675R

Performance

Sure, the Triumph Daytona 675R is not a 1000cc bike but it’s not a 600cc either, it has the perfect blend of both. On the traditional 600cc bikes, they feel “gutless” from idle to around ~7000 rpm but the 3 cylinder engine of the Daytona doesn’t feel that way. It has adequate torque, as low as 3000 rpms, to accelerate you quickly to its peak torque and horsepower range at around 10,000rpm. Once the rev needle reaches 10,000rpm it’s like hitting the nitro boost button in a video game. The first time I took it to the redline, I got a severe case of tunnel vision. All I could focus on was the road ahead of me and nothing else around me. Once I got more comfortable on it, I noticed the excellent handling characteristics of the bike. It’s a very narrow and light bike, thanks to its inline 3 engine, and it gives you great confidence to push it hard through the corners. This is a surprisingly easy bike to control when going around corners despite its super aggressive riding position (more on that later on).

However, by far my favourite aspect of this bike is its superb braking. It has an upgraded 308mm 4piston Brembo monobloc brakes from the standard Daytona 675 and I believe that every superbike should start using Brembo monoblocs as standard.

Comfort

This is the most uncomfortable bike I’ve ever ridden. As I said earlier, the riding position is very aggressive which is great if you’re on a racetrack, but riding through a city center is painful. I’m 6’5” and I constantly felt like my head was past the front headlights the entire time I was riding it. The suspension as well is very harsh for city driving, even on the smoothest of roads the suspension manages to make the road feel like you’re driving on a gravel road. Further adding to the poor riding comfort in a city is the undertail exhaust. On the move everything is ok but when stuck in traffic on a hot day, the heat from the exhaust can really be felt through the seat. If you want a sportbike that can be used on a daily basis in a city, then this is not the bike for you.

Odds and Ends

Let’s face it, this is a gorgeous bike. It looks like nothing else on the road and the white only paint job attracts a lot of attention from everyone. This bike also sounds like nothing else on the road. It has a deep and raspy sound at the low end but at the top end it sounds like a proper race bike. I want to say that I would recommend it for anyone but I can’t. This is a bike for those that are only interested in going fast and not caring at all about comfort. Plus you have to have deep pockets to pay for the $14,500 CAD price tag plus maintenance and parts costs.

This particular bike also has a few minor modifications that greatly improve the fun factor. First is a quickshifter that saves on the shift times and let’s face it, is a lot of fun to play around with when accelerating away from stop lights. Secondly is the Arrow slip-on exhaust. In addition to clearing up the exhaust path out of the engine, it also produces one of the nicest exhaust notes of any motorcycle. It doesn’t have the scream of a Japanese inline-4 nor does it have the burble of an Italian V-twin, it’s in the middle and it’s the best of both.