UsedBikeGuide
2012 TRIUMPH DAYTONA 675R
WORDS: JONURRY PICS: FB ARCHIVE
There are many reasons why manufacturers build homologation specials. In the case of Ducati, their SP/ SPS/R models exist to bend the WSB rules to ensure they can win on track, and the same could be said for the latest Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR and Honda Fireblade SP2.
Then there are the purely commercial high-spec variants such as the Yamaha YZF-R1M and Suzuki GSX-R1000R, which add a bit of bling and a degree of exclusivity to justify a higher price tag yet have no real race advantages. Oddly, Triumph’s Daytona 675R doesn’t really follow either of these patterns. Yes, it certainly helped supersport racers to have access to a bike with Öhlins suspension as standard, but in reality all were already running aftermarket shocks and fork kits.
So why did Triumph unveil an R version of the Daytona in 2012? To be brutally honest, they needed to shift as many of the old 675’s components as possible as a new model was set to emerge a year later. However, while its release may have been somewhat of a cynical move by Triumph, the resulting bike is so good we are more than prepared to let this slide!