Used Bike Guide

All you need to know about Triumph’s Daytona 600/650

Remember 2003? It seems like an eternity ago when Crazy In Love topped the charts and the Iraq war kicked off, but away from Beyonce and Blair some pretty seismic changes were happening in the two-wheeled world. This was the year that the supersport class exploded into action – although ironically, it was also the start of its demise...

With Honda unveiling a mini-RCV in the shape of the CBR600RR and Kawasaki going bonkers with the angular Ninja ZX-6R (which even had an RR sibling), fans of 600cc race-reps were left spoiled for choice – and then, later in the year, Triumph also got in on the act with the Daytona 600.

Against all the odds, it was really rather good – a surprise as the bike it replaced, the TT600, was crap.

Believe it or not, the Daytona 600 was heavily based upon the TT, but where the older model used a terrible Sagem fuel injection system, the new bike came with more accomplished Keihin 38mm twin throttle bodies and a much prettier (it wasn’t hard) fairing design. Fairly understandably, there was quite a degree of scepticism surrounding the Daytona when it was released as the Japanese manufacturers had moved the supersport game on a giant leap, and the chances of ‘little’ Triumph matching them seemed remote. However, quite quickly the Daytona 600 proved the doubters wrong.

As you would expect, the initial focus went straight to the race track, and on that score the Triumph was never going to come out on top. Against the full-on track-targeted RR and Ninja, the Daytona was always going to be left lagging– but what was surprising was the fact it wasn’t actually that far behind.

Thanks to a well-balanced chassis and good brakes, the Daytona was more than capable of holding its own against the Japanese competition, and far from being the class’s whipping boy, the Triumph gave as good as it got. Easy to ride fast and far more forgiving than its rivals, the Daytona was a remarkably accomplished track bike (it won a TT, remember) that, given a few more ponies, could even cause an upset. So that’s exactly what Triumph did in 2005.

Although undeniably a stop-gap quick-fix model before the Dayton 675 triple arrived in 2007, the Daytona 650 addressed the main gripes about the 600 and turned what was a competent supersport bike into one that was really rather good and a genuine contender for top honours. Especially if you were a road rider.

Physically larger than its Japanese rivals (aside from, possibly, the Suzuki), the Daytona reminded riders that while it is all well and good to collect trophies, the majority of a rider’s miles are on the road – low clip-ons, firm suspension and a cramped riding position won’t win you any friends.

Blessed with wonderfully compliant suspension and a relaxed yet still sporty stance, even today the Daytona 650 makes for a brilliant road sportsbike as it was the last of

the supersports to properly take into account road riders’ needs. And that 650 motor is a cracker.

Where Kawasaki upped the bore of the Ninja to create the 636 models, Triumph instead lengthened the Daytona’s stroke to increase its capacity. While this meant the top-end power remained quite similar, as a long stroke doesn’t like revs, what it did deliver was a lovely boost of mid-range – and that’s where the Daytona excels.

Roll on the throttle and the 650 responds with far less of the breathless feel you get on a 599cc machine, meaning you don’t have to spend your days tap-dancing on the gear lever to get it to accelerate hard. This lovely mid-range drive suits the Triumph’s more relaxed chassis perfectly, and the end result is a bike that is a joy to ride on the

road, where its more rev-happy rivals can be frustrating and awkward. It’s not perfect, the gearbox feels from a different age and the dash is unimpressive, but overall it is a really engaging and fun machine to ride. And it’s also built in Britain, unlike Triumph’s current range...

The Daytona isn’t the fastest supersport bike on track; even as a 650, it’s not the most powerful on the dyno and it doesn’t come with a slipper clutch, inverted forks or radial brakes. What it does offer is a balanced overall package. If you want a wellpriced supersport bike that is great on the road, impressive in the bends and a genuine joy to ride, the Triumph is well worth checking out.

In 600 form it can feel a touch gutless, so ideally find a 650; it’s worth paying extra for as the improved mid-range grunt makes what is already a really enjoyable machine to ride even better.