SHOOTOUT
P104
1 ST
2013 MIDDLEWEIGHT SPORTBIKE SHOOTOUT PART II
T
he Triumph Daytona is no
stranger to success, having won multiple magazine
shootouts since its 2006 model
year debut. After some minor
revamps, the 2013 model year
features the first engine overhaul
for the British bike's signature inline triple. The R-spec 675 also
sources top-shelf components
and electronics, making it a more
potent package than ever before.
Engineers tweaked Triumph's
675cc inline triple to be more
oversquare, with a 76mm bore
and 49.6mm stroke (from 74mm
x 52.3). Compression is bumped
and the valvetrain swapped for
lighter parts. The new engine
ran the dyno up to the tune of
113.68 horsepower and 49 lb-ft
of torque. That's a modest three
hp increase from the previous
model and slight decrease in
peak torque, but this Daytona
sports a fatter torque curve in the
bottom and mid-range. The 600s
start catching up to the Triumph
on the top end, and the Kawasaki
636 actually does. But the British
triple is all about the torque down
low, where it surges well above
all but the Ducati and Gixxer 750.
The translation on the street is
an engine with plenty of pulling
power across the entire power-
