TRIUMPH DAYTONA T595/955i
We waited decades for a world-class British sportsbike, and when it finally came in 1997, it was a very good attempt. Triumph had been selling its modular range of 750, 900, 1000 and 1200cc bikes since 1990 with some success, but they were a bit lardy and soft compared to the likes of Honda’s FireBlade. And as part of its strategy to break away from the modular steel-framed bikes, Triumph went to town when it launched the Daytona T595. Hinckley engineers developed a new 955cc triple, with fuel injection which made about 130bhp, and bolted it into a slick aluminium tube perimeter frame with single-sided swingarm, beefy conventional forks and dual four-piston front brake calipers.
It just about had the measure of the FireBlade – but the Yamaha R1 appeared soon afterwards, re-defining the litre class at just the wrong time for Triumph. The unique triple power delivery gave some advantages, offering a hint of the torquey power of a big twin with more top-end power, and it was pretty light at 193kg. There were early teething troubles with gearboxes and frames, but these were sorted with subtle updates and rebranding to the 955i model in 1999. Later bikes got even better, making 150bhp and were sorted bikes, but the market had moved on to the wild pleasures of Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 and the like. Triumph gave up in 2006, re-focusing on its 675 Daytona, naked, retro and adventure bikes, with some success, I might add.
Sadly, there’s not been another superbike from the West Midlands since. And that’s part of what makes the T595 a tempting prospect as a future classic – especially at the current low prices. There are two nice ones listed for just £1,750 on eBay right now, with around 20k miles and no damage.
If all you want is a bike with the same sort of performance, a Kawasaki ZX-9R would do the job. But the Kawasaki doesn’t have the heritage and historical importance of the big Daytona. Especially if, as looks likely, we have to wait a very long time to see another superbike that’s made in the UK…