Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128398
2006 Triumph Dayton 675 and Scrambler • PI riumph Motorcycles recently introduced two new 2006 models at their U.S. dealer conference In Phoenix, Arizona. A year after introducing the groundshaking Rocket III • the first cruiser ever to feature a three-cylinder engine mounted lengthwise along the frame - they've introduced two more bikes that are sure to make an Impact on the market. First is the Daytona 675. powered by an inline three-cylinder motor similar to its big brother, the 955i. On the other end of the spectrum is the Scrambler, a fresh take on the off-road-inspired bikes made famous by '50s and '60s thrill-seekers such as Steve McQueen in The Great Escape. T and a Blast from the Past By BLAKE CONNER PHOTO COURTESY OF TRIUMPH The Daytona 675 in Scorched Yellow. The 675 has top·shelf Nissin radial·mount calipers and an upside·down fork and piggyback rear shock. DAYTONA 675 Triumph made a valiant effort with its inline-four 600-65Occ sportbikes, but they always came up a little bit short in our Cycle News Middleweight Shootouts. Sure, the TT600 suffered from poor fuel-injection response and lack of power, as did the Daytona 600 and 650 that replaced it. But, both bikes handled exceptionally well and were still great street bikes; they just didn't have that little bit of extra performance to keep up with the fantastic four from Japan. Triumph is in a unique position because they aren't committed to a Supersport racing program. So why not try something new, go back to their modem roots and just build a great sportbike and stop trying to keep up with the Joneses? So that is exactly what they've done. Triumph's approach to the new bike was to try to build a lightweight, torquey bike for awesome street performance. The Daytona's power plant is a compact, lightweight design, with a stacked, close-ratio gearbox to enable more compact packaging. What sets the three-cylinder Daytona 675 apart from any other engines in the category is masses of bottom-end and midrange torque. Triumph claims the new motor was designed to start pulling hard from all the way down in the 3000-rpm range. But this isn't just a new motor in the old chassis; the new narrow engine has allowed the chassis design to be much narrower and has allowed the engine to be placed in an optimal position for great handling. The frame ralls go over the engine instead of around it, which is how the chassis has been kept so narrow. The Daytona has fully adjustable suspension featuring a new upside-down fork and radial-mount fourpiston Nissin brakes for eye-popping stopping power. The face is all Triumph, and quite sharp if you ask us. 44 OCTOBER 5,2005 • CYCLE NEWS