With its bodywork off, the...
With its bodywork off, the Triumph's minimalist package is evident. The finished bike scales in at 348 pounds with no fuel, 40 pounds less than the stock bike and two pounds under the minimum weight limit for the class. We didn't go to any extremes to save weight-the only titanium bits are the front-caliper bolts-and there are plenty of ways in which the bike could be made even lighter. Gripster Sport tank pads ($42) from TechSpec provide some much-needed grip on the Triumph's narrow tank. We used Sebimoto bodywork from Yoyodyne ($620 for the seat and fairing); the seat unit installed perfectly while the fairing required some work to mount. Kasey's Auto Body in Torrance, California, did a fantastic job on the stock-appearing paint job, and we topped it off with a Double Bubble windscreen from Zero Gravity ($90) and Factory Effex numbers.
Triumph's list of parts for the Daytona 675 is extensive and includes almost everything required to build a competitive motor. While most of the parts are manufactured in-house, some are outsourced, popular aftermarket bits.
| ITEM | RETAIL PRICE |
| Arrow exhaust system | $1699 |
| Intake and exhaust camshafts and sprockets | $823 |
| Valves, valve springs, cam |
| chain and manual tensioner | $987 |
| Intake trumpets | $340 |
| Tall first-gear pair and HSG kit | $731 |
| Rotor kit | $899 |
| ECU and harness | $649 |
| Cylinder-head gasket (0.65mm or 0.60mm) | $76 |
| Carbon-fiber engine covers | $178 |
| BMC air filter | $79 |
| Manual idle kit | $20 |
| STM slipper clutch | $900 |
A 30-page manual details engine assembly, and we shipped everything off to Hypercycle and Carry Andrew (see sidebar on page 84) with instructions to install the parts exactly according to the instructions. Interestingly, the manual calls for a minimum squish height (the gap in the combustion chamber between the piston and cylinder head) of 0.6mm, and our stock engine with a stock head gasket was already tighter-we wouldn't be using any of the thinner kit gaskets. Other than this minor snag, the engine went together with little drama.
The $555 Beringer radial-pump...
The $555 Beringer radial-pump master cylinder is a beautiful piece machined from billet aluminum and features ball bearings at the lever pivot and to actuate the piston. This makes feel at the lever very smooth, but a minor tipover ended up breaking one of the tiny bearings and we had to replace it. We used Motul's RBF 600 synthetic DOT 4 brake fluid and didn't experience any fade problems. The steering damper is a V4 from GPR Stabilizer; the 20-position adjustable rotary unit ($495) attaches to the triple clamp and fuel tank mounts, safe from damage in most crashes. We installed a Yamaha R1 throttle tube to make the throttle throw shorter. Note also the custom brake lines and master-cylinder reservoir mounting. Aftermarket clip-ons from Driven USA ($180) are made from billet aluminum, are black-anodized and have removable tubes for easy crash repair.
The shorter (and stronger)-than-stock...
The shorter (and stronger)-than-stock Sebimoto subframe ($440) from Yoyodyne is made from aluminum tube and is more than two pounds lighter than the stock part. The stock battery had trouble turning over the engine after we added some compression, and eventually gave up. An R6 battery is just one inch wider and two pounds heavier but offers more than twice the cranking power; we slotted the battery box a bit wider, and the R6 battery slid right in. The Triumph kit manual calls for an external fuel-injection device to trim the kit ECU's map for various conditions or fuel, so we ordered up a Power Commander ($350) and quickshifter kit ($266). A Penske 8987 shock handles rear-suspension duties, offering adjustments for high- and low-speed compression damping, rebound damping, spring preload and ride height. The shock is very user-friendly, with easy access to the adjusters, and does not require a compressor to change the spring.
The stock fork was shipped...
The stock fork was shipped off to have GP Suspension's 25mm cartridges installed. While high-dollar aftermarket forks are allowed in the class, we were impressed with the cartridges in an earlier test and felt they'd be more than up to the task. The $1500 purchase price includes springs, oil and labor, making them an attractive option. The 16.5-inch front Marvic wheel is forged aluminum and wears a Pirelli Diablo Superbike slick. The front rotors are Axis-design ductile iron from BrakeTech ($350 each), cryogenically treated to reduce stress. The rotors' unique one-way carrier design allows them to be much lighter than a standard configuration. Beringer supplied a pair of its radial-mount, four-piston Aerotec calipers ($544 each); the two-piece units are machined from billet aluminum and have stainless steel pistons to prevent heat from transferring to the brake fluid. The stainless steel brake lines were custom-made by Orme Brothers to Nugent's specifications; the company offers a variety of configurations, fittings and colors with prices starting at $65 for a two-hose setup. While Beringer also makes rotors, the company doesn't list an application for the Triumph-the BrakeTech Axis rotors are slightly larger in diameter than the stock parts, and we had to shim the calipers to keep some clearance. The front fairing bracket is a $154 Sebimoto piece from Yoyodyne that is a quarter-pound lighter than the stock part.