Sporty – Test Triumph Daytona 675 R 2013: the royal road – The new queen of Triumph

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2013 Triumph Daytona 675 R test: the royal road

Sporty - Test Triumph Daytona 675 R 2013: the royal road - The new queen of Triumph

The all-new Daytona 675 arrives in January at Triumph dealerships. The Hinckley Supersport is 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 new queen of Triumph

Admittedly in World Supersport, the Honda CBR600RR, Yamaha R6 and Kawasaki ZX-6R are the only contenders for the official title of champion of the category. But since its release in 2006, the Daytona 675 is for many bikers – and for Site – the "queen" of Supersport. !

Daytona R: availability, colors and price

  • Availability: January 2013

  • Colors: White

  • Price: € 13,690 (standard ABS)

The 2009 update brilliantly confirmed this status as the best 600 sports car on the market (read our). After seven years of loyal service, however, the "first name" Daytona has decided to bow out and make way for a brand new motorcycle….

Although its name does not change, the 2013 Daytona 675 no longer has anything to do with the old one: "in fact, there is only the front mudguard, the indicators and two-three screws which are common to both models", summarizes Simon Warburton, Triumph Product Manager.

But this, Site readers – who, as everyone knows, are a little more fortunate than others – already knew: on the English stand in Milan, the marketing director of Triumph France had revealed to us the total overhaul of the Daytona 675 (see our).

From top to bottom (see also), the Hinckley Supersport arrives in its first year in its two versions: "standard" and R. Now it is the latter that Site had the pleasure of testing on the Cartagena circuit , in the south of Spain…

"We are launching both models simultaneously because we did not want to frustrate our customers", explains Simon Warburton Site. No question therefore to use the Daytona 675 R as a" booster "the second year since it represents"around 40% of Daytona sales".

As a reminder, the Daytona 675 R shares the same engine with the "straightforward" Daytona 675 – brand new for 2013, it develops 128 hp and 74 Nm! – and the same chassis – also revised -, but offers the services of prestigious suppliers for suspensions and brakes: Ohlins and Brembo !

Great novelty compared to the predecessor of 2011 (read our), the R of 2013 receives as standard the all new Nissin ABS system that the base Daytona can also embark, for an extension of 400 euros (or 12,190 € in total).

The Triumph Daytona 675 R, it will be displayed from January at a price of € 13,690: a tidy sum for a Supersport, but by subtracting the price of the ABS, the price increase is only "200 euros" (ditto for the Daytona 675) … Increase that manufacturers sometimes inflict on us from one vintage to another without even bothering to change the color !

According to the British, the arrival of the new 3-cylinder alone would justify this price difference. Besides a tight schedule, it is also for cost reasons that the all-new Street Triple did not inherit the new 675: "the new block is more expensive than the old one and we wanted to contain the price of Street", says Mister Warburton.

But enough discussion: while its first session on the demanding Cartagena track begins in a few minutes, Site takes a little tour of the owner…

Despite the upheaval experienced in 2013 – the exhaust migrates to the low position! -, the Daytona 675 retains a particularly fine and elegant line. The silencer is as short as it is cute, its rivets reminiscent of those found on RAF fighters !

The LED tail light that points to the end of the new rear frame – which is no longer tubular, but still red on the R! – further accentuates the impression of lightness that emanates from the new Daytona 675. The 2013 models have however lost only one kilo compared to their predecessors: 184 kg all full compared to 185 kg previously.

From a mechanical point of view, the finish of the English remains impeccable and the golden hues of the Swedish suspensions mounted on the R only increase the level of perceived quality. The deft carbon touches – mudguards and cockpit trim – end up flattering the retina.

The new fairing is less enveloping than the old one. It partially takes the appearance of the black aluminum frame and always encloses the engine block as closely as possible. As in 2011, we still regret that its acronyms – and those of the tank and the rear part – appear on simple stickers…

Likewise, one can question the presence of the new appendages on the fork crown: the gray plastic which composes them makes them "cheap", especially on the "Recing" version which also exhibits carbon parts of great importance. quality.

Finally, the most aesthetes will criticize the Daytona 675 R for having too basic brake fluid reservoirs. The Triumph accessories catalog nevertheless presents pretty anodized jars which could have joined the original endowment of the luxurious "R" model! Next time ?!

Fortunately, Triumph did not delay the appearance on the speedometer of the Daytona 675 of a fuel gauge which had been lacking until now. The "R" screen always displays the information in white on a black background: readable when stationary, they are less so in the heat of the action compared to a classic display (black on white).

If it will still be necessary to wait before being able to adjust the distance of the clutch lever, we greatly appreciate the little effort required to disengage: Triumph engineers estimate that the reduction in force compared to the old model reaches 25%.

The new clutch "slip-assist"inaugurates at the same time an anti-dribble function which we will come back to in the second page of this essay. For the moment, let’s just take a seat on the all new Daytona 675 R…

Still nestled at 830 mm in height (against 820 now on the basic version), the Triumph saddle will always pose a problem for small riders and continues to offer relative comfort … Likewise, the 5 mm gained in height by the semi-handlebars do not change the situation: the Dayto ‘is "sporty" !

However, we must recognize the benefits of its extreme finesse and its limited weight: the little English is easy to get on and super easy to handle with the engine off. But beware, once the key (coded!) Is turned and the starter is activated, the beauty suddenly turns into a beast…

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