Driving report Triumph Daytona 955i

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Driving report Triumph Daytona 955i

In the middle of life

The new Daytona is still exactly between two and four-cylinder. But against the midlife crisis of their flagship, the British are setting a comprehensive relaunch.

Those who get on in years gain wisdom and dignity, but they also quickly become fat and short of breath. Then it becomes difficult in the competition with the impetuous newcomers. In humans? and at his pedestal. 224 kilograms with a full tank are now considered to be corpulent in the super sports community, and 128 hp is now the lower limit there, while there are apparently no upper limits.
So time for a makeover of the sportiest three-cylinder from Hinckley. But which should? that’s how the marketing strategists wanted it? not too blatant. Daytona should remain Daytona, because the hot British girl with the American name was one of the top sellers in the Triumph program, a face in the crowd.
A project that ?? the fans can rest assured ?? succeeded, even if this face is now presented completely differently and the first glance suggests a creeping Japaneseization of the 955i. Gone are the beautiful single-sided swing arm, which has given way to a 3.3 kilogram lighter, two-armed component. The typical oval double headlights, which have been replaced by two large round headlights behind a shared polycarbonate pane and promise better light output, have also disappeared. Even the first seat test makes it clear that the Daytona has remained the same in its foundations, has only gained in comfort thanks to the handlebars, which are no longer as widely spread, and a narrower tank in the seat area (now 21 instead of 18 liters).
The Daytona enthusiast only gets really cozy after pressing the start button. There it is again, that familiar triple rumble that makes the fan stand up and also makes sworn quadrophonists think about whether four cylinders is not one too many. Especially when, as here on the GP circuit in Estoril (Portugal), the carbon silencer offered by Triumph, but which is highly inadmissible for road traffic, amplifies this sound experience
The fact that this part, together with a mapping of the injection system that needs to be changed, is supposed to release two to three more horsepower than the series system, is of minor nature in view of the lush increase in performance. The British promise a whopping 146 hp and hardly left any component untouched. The six inlet valves grew by one millimeter, while their counterparts on the exhaust side shrank by one millimeter. The valve stems became slimmer, the shims now under the bucket tappets lighter, and the valve angle narrower. In addition, the engineers revised the pistons, made the connecting rods lighter, and increased the compression from 11.2: 1 to 12: 1. To do this, they reduced internal friction by using narrower slide bearings and optimized the motor housing ventilation. The ignition coils are now seated directly in the spark plug sockets, the airbox has grown, as has the throttle valve diameter (46 instead of 43 millimeters) of the Keihin throttle body, and the new manifold system is adorned with an interference pipe that is supposed to provide better airflow in mid-range engine speeds.
In the German Daytona version, a regulated catalytic converter plus secondary air system ensures clean exhaust gases. so promises triumph ?? has no influence on the output. A promise that it has to stay with for the time being, since the presentation models in Estoril all started without a clean man. Instead, with chassis modifications, which become apparent on the first few laps on this exciting, tricky course. Finding number one: the Daytona has become more manageable. This applies above all to changes in lean angles and course corrections, where ten kilograms less dry weight (188 instead of 198 kilograms) are just as noticeable as the now 450 grams lighter front wheel rim from the TT 600 and the rear wheel rim that has been shrunk by half an inch (5.5 instead of six Inches), over which a 180 Bridgestone BT 010 (front 120/70 with J identifier) ​​spans instead of the previous 190. Finding number two: The 955i still turns in willingly and keeps precisely within the given radius. So equipped, the fast and seemingly infinite right before the home straight is always a pleasure. Then applied the gas in time? Load change jerking is also alien to the youngest Daytona generation ??, and it goes with increased ease of turning and full thrust on the straight. Incidentally, the speed limit is now only at 11,000 rpm instead of 10,500 rpm. The driver arrives at finding number three on the bumps at the exit of the curve: The coordination of fork and shock absorber is on the comfortable side. Especially when it comes to compression damping, could the Daytona ?? at least on the racetrack ?? Can handle more reserves, while the rebound damping, especially the fork, is still quite tight despite the revision. This fact, in combination with the modified chassis geometry (14 millimeters less wheelbase, 67.2 instead of 66 degrees steering head angle, 81 instead of 86 millimeters caster) ensures that the Daytona twitches its handlebars in the undulating acceleration passages and at the end in the braking zone that the rear wheel quickly becomes light.
Without a doubt, this is also thanks to the still brilliant braking system. Finely dosed, brute effect: Hinckley rightly saw no need for action here. In stark contrast to the transmission, which has revised shift claws, but is still rough when shifting up quickly on the racetrack and sometimes refuses to engage the next higher gear while the shift travel is still pleasantly short.
The presentation of the new engine is just as pleasant, as it noticeably increased its punch in the upper speed range and lost none of its quality in the lower and mid-range. With a full, but always predictable thrust, it comes out of the corners. It doesn’t matter much if the right gear is not available, because it usually does a number higher as well.
E.in a trait that shapes the entire character of the new Daytona. Because although it has gained in agility and performance and is presented to the crowd of journalists on the Estoril race track, where it is a lot of fun, Marketing Manager Ross Clifford emphasizes the civilian use of the Daytona 955i. It was designed for the sporty country road ride. Right in the middle of life, the new three-cylinder.

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