RETRO REBOOT

What if Triumph remade the Daytona for today?

Triumph’s Daytona 900 was Hinckley’s first big triple sportsbike, launched to much interest in 1992. Overshadowed by the likes of the Fireblade, Triumph joined forces with Cosworth in 1994 to come up with a limited run of a more powerful version called the Super III, but it was too little, too late. In 1997 Triumph unveiled a 955cc fuel-injected inline triple with a claimed 128bhp and 74lb-ft of torque and all-new chassis. The T595 lived up to expectations, charming all with its excellent road manners and engine characteristics. Although still outpaced in the performance stakes, it was a sales success. Following a name change to 955i (to avoid the confusion of riders thinking 595 referred to engine capacity) the bike gained a few tweaks along the way but by 2006 the 955i had lost its way and the model was dropped from the range to make way for the Daytona 675. Since then, Triumph has resisted the urge to make use of its impressive 1050 triple motor in a sportsbike, so we thought we’d do it! The 140bhp motor from the latest Speed Triple is our starting point. Fly-by-wire, traction control and a quick-shifter would be standard on a machine like this and with a few tweaks to raise the rev ceiling we could sacrifice a little of the donor motor’s excessive torque for more top end power. With a remap and a few days at Cosworth, 175bhp would get us in the ballpark. Not a massive figure in itself but the midrange-generous power delivery, plus a weight loss regime will make this a formidable machine for the road. As the T595 evolved it suffered visually, looking heavier and more cumbersome despite getting lighter. We’ve minimized weight – perceived as well as real – by extensive use of carbon fibre so it truly earns the Super III moniker. Powerful, lightweight and compact LEDS light the road ahead. Then we’ve re-created some of the better Daytona schemes over the years (solid colours) as well as giving a patriotic tinge to the bike’s lines with some red, white and blue! We’ve used a fusion of Daytona 675 and Speed Triple frame technology to carry our motor and springy bits. Suspension and wheels are from the Speed Triple R parts bin and although our bike will take passengers we’ve unbolted the pillion footrests and fitted a solo tail unit. The original wasn’t bad two-up, but we think this Daytona is best sampled solo.