FIT FOR A (FUTURE) KING
Triumph’s final foray into the inline four supersport world was – and still is – actually a bit of a cracker…
2005 – 2006 TRIUMPH DAYTONA 650
WORDS: JON URRY IMAGES: FB ARCHIVE
To many, Fast Bikes included, there’s a certain quirky charm to Triumph’s often overlooked inline four Daytona models. These bikes not only helped the British manufacturer recover some supersport credibility after the débâcle that was the firm’s first effort, the TT600, but these machines also broke Triumph’s TT drought, took a British supersport race win, made the Japanese sit up and pay attention and even tempted a future king to part with his cash – now there’s a seal of approval. That’s not bad going at all when you think about it.
It’s hard to believe it, but the Daytona models are actually very closely related to the horrible TT600. The chassis and engine are pretty much the same, but there are two fundamental differences. Triumph swapped out the horrific Sagem fuel injection system that plagued the TT for far more accomplished Keihin 38mm twin throttle bodies, and then gave the whole bike a much-needed facelift. The result was a bit of a surprise hit.