The Pirellis are also a factor in the Triumph's easy steering and agility because of their sharper profiles that promote quicker steering without impacting stability or showing any trace of nervousness on turn-in. They also heat up very fast; on a 55-degree F day, I had a new set of Pirellis that had never seen tire-warmers up to temperature within just a lap of the 2.1-mile circuit. Just what you need if you live in colder climes, where getting the rubber warmed up fast is a key issue.
The Daytona 675 just seems to shrug off all bumps and ripples while cranked over at any speed, and while exploiting the torquey three-cylinder will often lift the front wheel exiting a turn, it never gets out of hand. Presumably the non-adjustable steering damper fitted as standard plays a role in preventing even a quick flick of the bars in this situation, but it would be interesting to try the Triumph fitted with an adjustable one so you could experiment with settings. As it is, this is a very confidence-inspiring bike to ride, the type that makes you feel master of the universe at track days, in contrast to most literbikes that make you feel as if the bike is the master.
 Rear Kayaba shock also gains...  Rear Kayaba shock also gains new high and low-speed compression damping adjustment in correlation with the front fork. |  New monobloc radial-mount...  New monobloc radial-mount Nissin calipers bite on 308mm discs to provide superb stopping power. Note that the Kayaba inverted cartridge fork now offers both high and low-speed compression damping adjustability. |  The 675cc three-cylinder powerplant...  The 675cc three-cylinder powerplant has been upgraded with some subtle tweaks, with the cylinder head receiving revised porting, narrower valve seats to reduce shrouding, and a new exhaust cam with increased duration. Bottom end sports new carburized connecting rods, as well as a deeper oil sump and taller first gear ratio. |
Although I was a bit disappointed to see the new Daytona's three-cylinder engine painted black (presumably for commonality with its Street Triple sister, which reduces the visual impact of such a handsome, clean-looking motor), as well as the disappearance of the British Union Jack emblem that used to adorn all Triumph models, there's no complaint about the enhanced performance. Power is increased by a claimed three horsepower, now set at 126 horsepower at 12,600 rpm, with torque up slightly too, by 0.74 ft/lb to 53 ft/lb at 11,750 rpm. "We went for more power at high rpm, but almost by accident ended up with a fatter midrange as well," says Simon Warburton, Triumph's Product Manager and leader of the R&D team that developed the bike.
This was done partly by raising the rev-limiter 400 rpm to 13,900 rpm (equal to 14,500 rpm on the optimistic analog tach). New stronger carburized steel rods (titanium was considered, but rejected as unnecessary) assisted in this, carrying the same forged three-ring pistons running in Nikasil chrome bores, with their upper rings treated with DLC anti-friction coating aimed at minimizing flutter at high rpm. These deliver the same 12.65:1 compression ratio as before, although the cylinder head has been extensively reworked, with revised porting culminating in oval-exit exhaust ports. New valves and buckets--30.5mm inlets and 25.5mm exhausts, all still made from nimonic nickel-based alloy--feature narrower seats to reduce shrouding, and are still set at a shallow 23-degree included valve angle aimed at creating a very flat CNC-machined combustion chamber. There's a new exhaust cam with increased duration, and a hydraulic tensioner for the offset chain cam-drive. On the intake side, each 44mm throttle body features shorter intake trumpets intended to improve top-end power.
 The cast aluminum swingarm...  The cast aluminum swingarm returns unchanged, but the rear wheel and sprocket assembly have been redesigned for less weight, dropping more than two pounds off the previous components. The Daytona 675s at the press launch all were shod with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC rubber. |  The 41mm Kayaba inverted cartridge...  The 41mm Kayaba inverted cartridge fork now features both high and low-speed compression damping adjustment. Note the non-adjustable steering damper located beneath the lower triple clamp (same as last year) to help quell any headshake tendencies. |  |
The Daytona 675's close-ratio six-speed gearbox now comes with a taller first gear, same as previously found in the factory race kit; but to be honest, except in city traffic, you never really need to use it even with standard gearing, because of the engine's meaty torque curve. Perhaps more importantly, the stock motor now comes with an extra half-quart of oil via a deeper sump. British Supersport champion Glen Richards' tuner John Trigger added a spacer to achieve the same result on the title-winning 675 Daytona in '08, a key factor in Richards going the whole season with a spotless reliability record while the factory-supported Italian-based SC Triumph team in World Supersport were suffering from terminal bottom-end troubles.
For '09, Triumph is offering an array of new track-focused accessories, such as a programmable race ECU and related software including TRACS (Triumph RAce Calibration Software), a computer program developed in-house that allows customers and race teams to fine-tune the ECU via a laptop. This features a selection of different engine maps and a pit-lane speed limiter, all aimed at the needs of race circuit riding from track days to World Supersport competition. Other race hardware includes a complete Arrow titanium exhaust system, while the stock ECU comes pre-wired to accept a new plug-and-play electronic quickshifter, which Triumph claims can be fitted in a matter of minutes.