History and development
Triumph Daytona 675 development started in 2000 following the launch of the TT600. The TT600 represented Triumph's first modern foray into the middle weight sports motorcycle market. A decision was made to manufacture a machine closer aligned with traditional Triumph values. A notable technical decision was the selection of a three cylinder engine as the power plant, instead of the four cylinder used by the TT600 and the other 600 cc supersport motorcycles.In 2001, soon after the completion of the similarly three cylinder powered Triumph Daytona 955i, Triumph began engineering analysis to work out weight, engine performance in horsepower and torque. Pleased with the figures, the project moved to the full concept phase in March 2002.
Triumph Daytona 675 in Tornado Red
Design work for the Daytona 675 proceeded, producing a primarily black design based on the Daytona 600. However, this initial design was discarded as great British designs of the 1960s had "a flowing curved design - no sharp angular aggressive edges". A member of the engineering team produced a concept drawing of the 675 as a naked bike. Styling was based upon this concept drawing and that of the earlier T595 model. Styling development continued in house, staying close to spirit of earlier Triumph design. Market research groups made up of a variety of different classes of sportbike riders choose the latter design of bike which was refined and adopted for production.
The newly developed engine was first tested on a dynamometer in May 2003. Final development combining styling, engine, chassis into a prototype quickly followed. Prototype testing started in late 2004.
Daytona 675 with 08 Decals
Daytona 675 Special Edition
The Daytona 675 won the Supersport category for the Masterbike 2006 (finishing 3rd overall), and won again in 2007.
A 24 hour race track test by Performance Bikes Magazine in the February 2007 edition placed a Daytona 675 against a Suzuki GSX-R750 over a 24 hour period which did not yield a positive result for the Daytona. The Daytona 675 did not complete the race test due to a severe mechanical failure. Later analysis indicated that the engine had suffered a broken valve which is thought to have occurred due to incorrect servicing. Prior to the failure the Daytona had been consistently outpacing the Suzuki on the course, averaging 0.7 seconds a lap faster (despite lower engine capacity and horsepower). The magazine concludes (as suggested by Triumph) that this appeared to be an isolated case attributable most likely to incorrect assembly during pre-race servicing.
No significant revisions have been made since the bike's release in 2006. Colour schemes have been revised for 2008, options for "Scorched Yellow" and "Graphite" have been removed and replaced with "neon blue" in addition to the previous "tornado red" and "jet black". In addition to minor decal changes on the standard Daytona 675, Triumph is offering the Daytona 675 Special Edition. This version features a "Phantom Black" paint scheme, black engine cases with gold wheels, decals and steering nut.
The 2009 model of the Daytona has had over 50 technical improvements according to Triumph.While the only obvious change is that the front fairing has been changed slightly to improve aerodynamics and air flow, the new model is lighter, the ECU has been remapped to increase the rev limit and produce a power increase of 3 hp (2.2 kW), a taller first gear, and handling has improved through high and low speed dampers. The 2009 model is now only available in tornado red and jet black. There is also a limited edition Daytona 675 SE available in pearl white with a blue swing arm and sub frame. Only 160 of this model are being built.
