Sporty – 2013 Triumph Daytona 675 R test: the royal road – The 2013 Daytona 675 R on track

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2013 Triumph Daytona 675 R test: the royal road

Sporty - 2013 Triumph Daytona 675 R test: the royal road - The 2013 Daytona 675 R on track

The all-new Daytona 675 arrives in January at Triumph dealerships. The Hinckley Supersport aims to be more powerful, more agile, more stylish and safer thanks to an ABS fitted as standard on the R version … that Site tested on the track !

The 2013 Daytona 675 R on track

The sound that emanates from both the new muffler and the new airbox – and its central duct "whose surface area has increased from 38 to 53 cc", the English tell us – is very attractive. The presence at this press launch of models equipped with Arrow pots (without baffles!) naturally increases the sound volume. !

But once alone on the track at the controls of an entirely original model, the first impression is confirmed: the new Triple sings superbly! Its tone is a bit harsher, but above all it retains its particularity: more angry than a twin and deeper than a 4-cylinder.

Inaudible on a circuit where the pilot takes great care not to go below 8000 rpm, the whistle also characteristic of the "Tripeul" is still present. On the road and in town especially, the Daytona 675 will therefore continue to pierce the ears of its user….

Discovering the Spanish circuit – and any other! – is greatly facilitated by the availability of the Triumph engine. Despite its more square dimensions, the new 675 still offers convincing pickups from mid-revs.

Triumph has taken care to reduce the inertia of the engine and the weight of its components in order to maintain a substantial "trunk", and you can feel it on the track! Initially, the Daytona allows to roll on the circuit of Cartagena on the 3rd and 4th gear, which would not allow some small Japanese women….

At the same time, the cycle part makes the pilot’s task much easier. The bike’s agility is excellent, and even though it’s hard to tell – for lack of a direct comparison with the 2011 Dayto ‘R – Site found the new Dayto’ even easier to twirl in slow sections..

The combined effects of the low pot, its short wheelbase (1375 mm), its very reduced frame angle (23 °), its lighter rims (500 g at the rear) and its featherweight (184 kg) all plains) make the 2013 Daytona 675 R a formidable weapon in very winding parts.

However, the stability in curves is not in decline. Even the slight jerks of the injection at high speeds do not interfere with driving. Only a blind left villain allowed MNC to notice that by gripping the front brake lever, the Daytona maintains a small tendency to drift off course..

Before the end of the first session, however, we naturally incorporated the small effects of the use of the front brake in the corner entries. Moreover, braking later and later with more and more angle is one of the great pleasures of the Dayto ‘ !

As we suspected, the reverse operation is at least as exhilarating: to propel yourself out of the bends is still just as sensational. The new frame in eight parts – instead of 11 previously – and the oscillating arm – asymmetrical to accommodate the pot – without problem cash the 60 Nm of torque developed from 4500 rpm.

There is hardly that by going for the 128 horsepower – at 12,500 rpm, a speed to which the shiftlights panic! – that the more daring will notice some movements on the part of the rear axle … Adjusted by the house pilot David Lopez "between circuit and road configuration", the very last version of the NIX36 shock absorber allowed us to open wide without a second thought !

On poorly maintained roads or in the rain on the other hand, the Daytona 675 R will require a more marked "self-control" since, this new Supersport 2013 ignores traction control. !

The Daytona 675 R is however equipped as standard with Nissin ABS and it would not have been very complicated to integrate the "traction control" function into the system … But the English did not consider it necessary to equip their motorcycle of this assistance, just as they did not find it useful to offer different modes of mapping.

When exiting a curve, throttle management is therefore entirely entrusted to the pilot, unlike the – virile – corner entries where the butterflies open slightly – without fuel injection however – in order to limit the engine braking.

If necessary, the new clutch has an effective anti-dribble system which allows the pilots to retract gears very quickly without risking locking and drifting of the rear wheel..

The risks of triggering ABS and ending up in gravel are also extremely low thanks to the "Circuit" mode which is activated by means of the two buttons placed to the left of the speedometer. The degree of freedom is such that stops – even front somersaults – are possible !

Even the hard braking at the end of the straight line of the Cartagena circuit which is carried out on a fairly bumpy tar did not mislead the remarkable Nissin system supporting the no less excellent Brembo set..

If the replacement of the Triumph 308×4 mm discs by "official" Brembo 310×4.5 mm discs goes almost unnoticed, we find with joy all the bite, the power and the dosage of the Italian monobloc radial calipers.

The improvement of the software managing the quickshifter is itself very noticeable: too steep and a little slow on the Daytona 675 R of 2009, the 2013 version is more efficient and above all more pleasant. "The three cylinders are restarted gradually, one by one, which smooths the go-around", reveals Simon Warburton.

On the track, this does not translate into a significant reduction in jerks throughout the transmission which could lead, with the previous model, to deviations from trajectories. The selector is still sensitive to the touch … a little too much at first.

The pickups are all the more efficient when the engine is both lively and full! The large pistons spare no effort and their ability to climb the towers is impressive. The range of use of the "new triple" is wide (for this category): from 8500 rpm the 3-cylinder pulls hard and it does not let go for not far from 6000 revolutions !

Equipped with lighter valves – titanium on intake! – but beefier, the engine displays a compression ratio never seen before of 13.1: 1 against 12.65: 1 before. In return, the pistons benefit from better lubrication, via jets placed directly below.

"Several points have been reviewed at the request of the teams registered in various championships (the Daytona was crowned in British Supersport in particular, Editor’s note), like the low engine for example, in order to limit too much oil flow, or the first two gears which could pose a problem when starting a race", explains the English staff.

Improvements of this type can only be evaluated by professional pilots. Regulars of the Daytona 675, on the other hand, should have less trouble noting the change in final gear ratio: the pinion has lost a tooth (15 against 16), which also allows the new Triumph to accelerate harder. !

At the end of this first full-scale test, the observation is simple: already excellent in 2011, the Daytona 675 R will hold its rank next year thanks to this new 2013 version! Whether it is to discover the track or to chase the clock – a racing kit will be available in February – this Triumph is undeniably "royal".

Despite the reception of a disc lock under the saddle, the daily use of the Dayto ‘will require sacrifices, especially on the part of the wrists and buttocks! Its elitist price will also require some clear cuts in other budgets (avoid that of Madame all the same …): as a reminder, the Triumph Daytona 675 R will be displayed at € 13,690 in January 2013.

Finally, for this price, the happy buyers would certainly have appreciated benefiting from the traction control, available on the latest Ninja 636, with a more road program but capable of good performance on the circuit … The year 2013 promises to be turbulent among the Supersport: stay connected !

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