Triumphrat

delbuort · 07-23-2008, 05:34 PM

I know I'll probably get a lot of bias opinions here but I'm looking for a no sh!t impression of the Daytona 675. I've got a S4 right now but I'm looking at getting a new bike. I've been throwing the around the idea of a Speed Triple or a Buell 1125R. But, I love the way the 675 looks but all I know is what I've read. Granted, I have only read good stuff but I'm looking for the opinion of someone who actually owns one.

How's the handling? Most importantly, how's the power? Can you power wheelie easily? How's the torque? I'm about 180lbs and my wife is about 120, does a passenger make much of a difference? How does it handle with two people? How is passenger comfort? How comfortable is it in general...do your wrists hurt or are the ergos good? Could it be something you could take a long 1-2, or even 3 day ride on?

Thanks for any info you can give. I think I've just about settled on the 675 but I'm still just not sure.

Will · 07-23-2008, 07:39 PM

Performance of all kinds? Believe the hype. That's about all there is to say. I have never had a pillion on my bike and took the pegs off almost immediately. They came off for the first trackday when the bike had 1800 miles on it and was about a month and a half old. I'm not ever sure I know where they are any more.

Ergonomically, it is a race rep. If your body can stand it, or if you are a little strange like I am and find it more comfortable, it is great. If you need more upright ergos, then you will either have to modify it or look elsewhere. I have taken mine on daylong rides, but haven't gone on several day rides. A friend did several 400 mile days on his, and I think he put 1000 miles on his over a weekend before it got stolen. He replaced it with a Husqvarna motard, but he is a bit ADD, so it fits. He rode the 'tard from Seattle to the end of Baja and back. Using him as an example of what a normal person can expect is a little iffy.

It will certainly wheelie. I am not a wheelie rider at all, but it surprised my by wheelieing onto the front straight during the first time I took it to the track. I had to change the gear I was in to keep it from pointing to the sky every lap. If you really want to wheelie, change the sprockets to lower the gearing. Then it will out accelerate most liter bikes if they haven't been regeared and it will wheelie like a fiend.

It handles like a dream with the exception of a tendency to tuck the front under extreme circumstances. If you have good tires and the suspension is set up right, you should have no problem with it. The geometry is steep, so there's not a lot of room for error. There are also some fixes like lowering the rear by a bit, raising the front by a bit, or putting a 190 rear tire on it. None of these things are relevant unless you are at the track a lot.

It gets around 40 mpg on the street. It gets less if you are riding hard, and I have seen up to about 45 mpg but no better riding gently on the freeway. It isn't terrible, but you don't buy one of these for fuel economy.

I have not had any of the oil consumption problems some early bikes had, and I don't believe the later bikes suffer from the issue. Some bikes have had cam chain tensioner problems, but those also seem to be an early production problem. My bike has had no maintenance issues that were not self inflicted (high speed crash at the track.) The steering stop has a tendency to break off if you crash. Mine didn't. A friend has broken his three times on his race bike. Otherwise, they seem to crash pretty well, not that you plan to find out.

None of us knows how long they will last yet. Mine has about 13K miles on it. There are others who have more mileage on theirs, but they are not the kind of bike you put 30K miles on every year. I expect to get 50K miles out of mine or more, especially since I bought a dedicated track bike and plan to spare the Triumph from track abuse.

I hope this long winded post helps.

TripleThreat · 07-24-2008, 12:26 AM

I'd agree with Will and add a little info on carrying a pillion for your consideration...

Prior to purchasing my first 675 I had a Speed Triple. It was outfitted with a Corbin rider's seat and a Corbin Pillion seat. My wife rode along on RAT Pack rides frequently when I had that bike and seemed to enjoy it (she grew up riding behind her dad, so she's a natural)

When I purchased my first 675 I immediately bought the Gel Riders and Gel Pillion seats so that my wife would be as coomfortable as possible on it. The bike handles fine with a pillion, but it sucks for comfort. My wife never rides with me any more.

Pressure on the wrists is part of the deal with a Repli Racer Styled bike and the 675 is no different. It is definately not a commuter bike, although some use if for that.

My first bike used to do double duty - Street Bike and Track Bike, but now it only sees action on the street as I purchased another 675 for track only duty.

That is where these things shine. That, and back road twisties.

If you are looking for a comfortable two-up bike, this is not it...

Jeff

delbuort · 07-24-2008, 02:22 PM

Awesome post guys. Thanks a lot. They really answered a lot of questions for me. I don't know how often I would get to the track anymore but it's still nice to make it out there from time-to-time.

I'm not too worried about the ergo's, I broke my back on a dirt bike a few years ago and now the race-type ergo's are pretty comfortable. It takes pressure off the back muscles. Besides, I've found a cure for to much pressure on the wrists; go faster and let the wind hold you up!

My wife might be a little disappointed with the comfort but I'm not really worried about that either. I much prefer to ride by myself instead of with a passenger so the less someone else is on there...the better. Sometimes is okay though.

Does the front tucking in have anything to do with the profile of the tire? I had a Buell XB9R until it was stolen in February. Extremely underpowered but it bar-none the best handling bike I have ever ridden...once I got ride of the crappy Dunlop tires and went with the Diablos. With the Dunlops I had the same problem, the front end use to try to tuck in on me.

I'm not a big wheelie rider either bit I've found it to be a good way to compare the power of bikes on the bottom/mid section. If I can't get power wheelies very well then the bike probably doesn't have enough power!? Simple, but it works for me.

I gotta say, I think I'm sold. The bike seems to be a lot more reliable than the 1125R I was considering and I love the way it looks. I think I would absolutely have to go with the Special Edition though, the gold wheels give me a chubby!

Alekker · 07-25-2008, 04:56 PM

I traded in my S4 for the 675 and regret nothing about it. No more jumpy first gear, no more numb fingers after a couple hours riding. I'm 6 feet, 175 lbs and carry girls about your wife's size on the back frequently. If she knows how to ride, she'll be fine. I havent taken it to the track but have the utmost confidence in it on the street and in the twistys. I've never owned a liter bike (the S4 was really my first bike) but I really can't imagine anything I would like improved on the 675. Longer summers perhaps? Can my local dealer arrange for that?

delbuort · 07-25-2008, 06:44 PM

I don't think I'll miss the S4 very much. I didn't even like it all that much when I got it, but it has grown on me. I've put a lot of work into it. When I got it, it was in poor shape. The guy that had it before me didn't take very good care of it. Now that I've put all the work into it I've grown attached to it. But, I'm sure a 675 would make up for that pretty quick.

My wife rides pretty well. She also can actually ride the bike by herself but prefers to ride on back so she can just enjoy the ride. Sounds like we're on the same page with riding styles. I like the road a lot better than the track and I absolutely hate that lurch on the S4 at about 2500 rpm.

I bet your dealer could help you out with the longer summer thing, you would just have to move to Hawaii or something.

Will · 07-26-2008, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delbuort

I'm not too worried about the ergo's, I broke my back on a dirt bike a few years ago and now the race-type ergo's are pretty comfortable. It takes pressure off the back muscles. Besides, I've found a cure for to much pressure on the wrists; go faster and let the wind hold you up!

My back has never been broken, but it has been sprained at each end and beat up unmercifully for almost 49 years, and I agree completely about race-rep ergos.

delbuort · 07-26-2008, 05:19 AM

Yep, they're much more comfotable to me. I got the chance to ride a friends Harley a few days ago (can't remember which one...they all look alike to me) and it was different, and even comfortable...for about the first mile. Because the bars came back so far and you end up pulling on the bars to keep yourself up I just couldn't do it. If I had a Harley like that I would have to change out the bars for some small drag bars to keep me forward a little bit.

FFMedic · 07-28-2008, 11:41 AM

Let me put it this way...I just purchased a Triumph Sprint ST 1050 this spring. I was at the dealer last week and they offered me a ride on a demo Daytona 675 after they caught me drooling over it. The bike is simply amazing with plenty of power on tap, regardless of the rpm range you happen to be in. The handling was crisp and the bike was incredibly easy to flick through corners. I can only imagine what a rider who is completely familiar with the feel and limitations of the bike can do. After this purely amazing 20 minute ride, I was sold. I'm getting my Daytona this week. I don't see one area of disappointment with this bike.

I ride a lot, as the unfortunate Chicago weather limits the riding season. I had concerns about the rider position and comfort, which was the reason for my Sprint purchase. Though brief, I found that after 20 minutes I had not one complaint with the rider position. I do feel, however, that the bike offered such an extreme level of excitement that any aches that may have been present would have certainly been overshadowed by the ridiculous grin on my face. I doubt you will regret the decision to buy the Daytona. I can't wait to get mine! Good luck and let us know what you decided to do!

delbuort · 07-28-2008, 02:43 PM

Well, I was at a bike show I helped organize this weekend and one of the entries for people's choice competition was a D675 special edition. I talked to the guy about it for a little while and then he offered up a ride. He followed behind on my S4 (and I do mean BEHIND!). I loved it. I had to clean the spot off of his tank when I was done. I'm sold. I rotate back to the states in Feb so I'm going to have to wait until then but I'm headed to the Triumph dealership my first week back.

Incredible bike!