2009 Triumph 675 Daytona
December 2, 2008 - Jon Pearson
Triumph's 2009 675 Daytona was launched on a cold Spanish Cartagena circuit. Our man JP has checked in with these first riding impressions ... Scroll down for the full story
I've only tested on track so far but the new bike feels about as much of an improvement as it appears to be. That's to say that new nose fairing and headlights don't make much difference to the overall look of the 675 but just about enough for it to matter. The same rings true for the engine and chassis changes to the 2009 bike.
A touch more power from the triple cylinder motor, more powerful Nissin brakes, revised Kayaba suspension with high and low-speed damping adjustment and a little bit less weight add up subtly but nicely.
The power difference is tiny on paper, only 4bhp at the top-end and 400 more rpm available but it holds that power for longer up top and there's smoother passage through the mid-range.
Those differences mean you can drive out of slow corners better and hold the gear for longer as it keeps trumping forwards. It's always been a positive characteristic with the 675 but I think, by comparison to Japanese supersport bikes, it is easier to ride on track than ever.
Corner entry is improved as well with those new brakes and slightly plusher suspension, although any weight difference was hard to spot without comparison. What does help though is a “strategy to control engine braking”. With Keihin's help Triumph has developed a new ECU which tells the butterfly valves to open under deceleration, allowing more air through and decreasing engine braking. Effectively that means there's no need for a slipper clutch and the control I felt under hard braking and rapid down-changing was very high.
What was already a brilliant track bike, with a flatteringly easy engine which transfers neatly to a cracking little road bike has been refined and improved enough to keep it a strong challenger for class champion once more. That bodes well for 2009 and I can't wait for our supersport group test.
More details will be in the February issue of SuperBike, on sale December 24th or visit www.triumph.co.uk
Could you be tempted by this championship-winning British bike over a Japanese middleweight (or litre bike?) If not, why not? Start an argument here on the forum.
And here's Jon's report of the launch of the original bike.
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