Every renowned two-wheeler manufacturer on this planet has at least one model in their lineup that sets them apart. At least one. Falling short on Cash? Find your favorite Triumph? motorcycle listed on OLX for sale and you might find an interesting deal that fits your Budget While such a model usually redefines the segment on its arrival, it goes on to define its maker in a heroic manner. It doesn’t just personify itself; it also symbolizes the brand it represents in a much more magnified style. It brings a company out of the rut and injects new life into it. The Supersport class is one of the most hotly contested categories in the motorcycle industry. And one particular bike maker has made the biggest impact in it in the last 10 years. That is Triumph. 2006 – Onslaught of the ‘Three’ When Triumph launched the Daytona 675 in 2006, they did not do it because they were struggling. They were doing pretty good in general but the British manufacturer had literally nothing that could challenge Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki in the 600cc Supersport category. At that time, their inline-4 cylinder Daytona 650 sportbike was good but it was just that, good. It didn’t have anything that would make the Japanese raise their eyebrows.

Work on the Daytona 675 began in the early 2000s when Triumph realized that their 600cc sportbikes were simply being ignored. It had become quite impossible to compete against a well-established Japanese inline 4 engine. So Triumph made a decision to base their next Supersport on the famous Daytona 955i, their inline 3 955cc sportbike. Hence, the Daytona 675 was born. We Sincerely thank Triumph Motorcycles for letting us ride this Daytona 675R in Pune. It must be noted that Triumph developed an all-new inline 3 675cc engine and not something derived out of the 955i motor. When the Daytona 675 was finally introduced, it appeared as if Triumph had done time travel into their future and industry’s present. Their latest sportbike looked sleek, devoid of any fat, and sharp. The thin profile sent a direct message to the rivals that it meant business. And it did. The Daytona 675 went on to become the best sportbike in its class outperforming every other motorcycle by a noticeable margin. The first generation 675 produced around 107 PS of maximum power and since then, it has gone up to 128 PS in the latest version. One of the things the Daytona 675 is popular is its exhaust note. Those inline 3 cylinders produce a howling noise at high RPMs which gives the motorcycle its own identity. Daytona 675 ‘R’ The R version was introduced in 2011. There are no changes in the engine, however, the 675R gets the Ohlins suspension front and rear, a quickshifter for clutchless up-shifting without blipping the throttle and the carbon fibre inserts at certain places. The one that we rode is the latest Daytona 675R 2016. The current generation of 675/R are considerably improved over the last 10 years. There have been styling updates and the latest bikes look sharper and more up-market. The 675 debuted with an under seat exhaust which was replaced with a small side-mounted exhaust system in 2013. It looks better and also helps in keeping the low centre of gravity. Visually, there’s nothing different between the ‘R’ and the non ‘R’ version but the red coloured subframe, front Ohlins suspension and the carbon fibre front mudguard does make the ‘R’ look special. Filling the streets with the inline 3 howl Our riding experience of the Daytona 675 R has been phenomenal. What a surprise! The typical forward leaning riding ergonomics are quite perfect for most riders and overall, the riding position does not hurt even in the city. Ohlins make their presence felt and the ride quality is extremely impressive in general. Things only get a bit unnerving on bad roads, but then they will on such motorcycles. The 675 R is also a better track bike compared to the standard Daytona primarily because the Ohlins offer a wide range of settings. Depending on the circuit and the rider, appropriate settings can be done to help extract the best possible performance on the track. In India, the Daytona 675 R produces 118.5 PS at 12,305 RPM and 70.2 NM of torque at 9,900 RPM from its 675cc triple engine. These numbers are almost 10 PS and 4 NM low than the 675 R which is sold in the European markets. We hope that Triumph would eventually get the same variant here as well sooner than later. Priced at 12.14 Lakhs ex-showroom Delhi makes the Daytona 675 R not really approachable, but given the prices of various 1000cc Superbikes, it is quite worth it. Also, there’s always a good possibility of finding a good second-hand sportbike on platforms like OLX. Perhaps, someone might get lucky with a second-hand Triumph Daytona! In the end The Daytona 675 is by far one of the best sportbikes in the world across different segments. And the ‘R’ variant is even better. We would like to believe that other motorcycle manufacturers have taken note of the Daytona’s success in the Indian market and hopefully, they are considering getting their 600cc Supersports here. If that happens, we are in for a real treat.