Quick Ride
Quick Ride
TRIUMPH 955i DAYTONA Mid-life upgrade
THIS BEING THE YEAR IN which brand-new liter-class sportbikes from Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha are getting all the love, it would be easy to overlook the Triumph 955i Daytona. That would be a shame, because the 2004 version of this British-built Triple has undergone a facelift and also benefits from a $1700 price reduction.
Since it was launched six years ago, the Daytona has come to be regarded as a gentleman’s sportbike, a machine that offers a unique riding experience and an air of sophistication not always found in Japanese inlineFours or European Twins. Fortunately, none of this charm was lost with the recent makeover. The restyled fairing (with dual headlights, more shapely mirrors, understated graphics, and color-matched air intakes and cockpit in-fill) has a sleeker, more aerodynamic “Daytona” family resemblance with its 600cc brother, and the rear seat hump has been toned down. This year, Racing Yellow joins Tornado Red and special-edition Jet Black, the latter featuring a textured finish on the frame, singlesided swingarm and wheels.
Sorties between home and office on our testbike provided a smooth freeway flight. The fairing and windscreen offer a fair degree of protection from the elements, and suspension calibration strikes a pleasant balance between sporting competence and everyday comfort. Racercrouch ergonomics differentiate the Daytona from the more “posture-pedic” Speed Triple naked-bike, but sacrifice some inner-city civility and open-road comfort. While there’s plenty of legroom for average-size riders, the long reach to the low, clip-on-style handlebars strains wrists and backs on longer hops.
On the other hand, the dohc, 12-valve, fuel-injected, three-cylinder engine is incredibly user-friendly, with smooth throttle response, always-on-tap torque and seamless power delivery. Coarse (yet somehow soothing) vibration and a growling exhaust note further add to the bike’s appeal. The six-speed gearbox provides a nice spread of ratios and troublefree shift action even when out for a hard romp.
Weighing 468 pounds without fuel and producing 128 horsepower and 65 footpounds of torque, the Daytona is no power-to-weight poster child at least when judged against the latest literbikes (all of which cost hundreds of dollars more than the $9999 955i). In fact, quarter-mile acceleration (11.03 seconds at 126.91 mph) and top speed ( 163 mph) compare more favorably with middleweight repliracers. If you ask me, though, the ol’ girl still possesses more than enough excitement and sass to satisfy most any middle-aged gentleman’s sporting desires. -Don Canet
