Triumph Daytona 660 Review | Motorcycle Test

Triumph Daytona 660 Review

Test by Rennie Scaysbrook

The supersport class is dead. Long live the supersport class! That might be a slightly melodramatic way to start an article, but there’s an element of truth in it.

The bikes that were classed as supersport, are being phased out by manufacturers, or morphing into basically anything under 1000cc (Ducati Panigale V2, Triumph Street Triple 765 RS, Suzuki GSX-R750, Kawasaki ZX-6R 636), which is a whole new class of bike. Sort of.

Like the movie character, Derek Zoolander, the twin-cylinder mid-capacity class is “so hot right now”, all the world’s manufacturers are trying to get the new girl’s attention. It’s so hot it can’t bear to have another two-potter in the ranks, so thank God Triumph has come into the game with the only three-cylinder motor in the class so far.

The 2025 Triumph Daytona 660, also available in a reduced power LAMS model, marks a significant departure in Triumph’s approach to the sportsbike segment.

According to Triumph’s Chief Product Officer, Steve Sargent, “Supersport bikes of the last 15 years have essentially priced themselves out of relevance. The cost of these bikes was getting closer and closer to those of litre bikes, but without the performance to back them up. We’ve taken a different approach with the new 660 in that we’re focusing on everyday street-performance but one that’s financially accessible to most people.”

For those attuned to subtleties, there are a couple of underlying messages here. Riders expecting a traditional Daytona supersport experience might need to readjust their expectations. The emphasis on affordability, as stated by Sargent, implies a few design compromises have been made, which we’ll get into shortly.

The new Daytona 660 draws its design ethos from Triumph’s mid-size naked, the Trident 660, and it steps into the ring alongside contenders like the Yamaha YZF-R7 and the Aprilia RS 660.

However, compared to the Trident, the Daytona has a claimed 17 per cent increase in power and nine per cent more torque. The Triumph boasts a robust 69 kW at 12,250 rpm and 69N m of torque at 9250 rpm for the Daytona, with an impressive 80 per cent of that torque available at 3125 rpm.

The LAMS model comes to the game with 42 kW and 62 Nm of torque, with its redline reduced to 6750 rpm. To achieve these figures, Triumph has implemented several key upgrades to the 660cc three-cylinder in-line engine.

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These include a redesigned, forward-mounted intake, three new 44 mm throttle bodies (the Trident only runs a single 38 mm unit), an updated cylinder head, an exhaust camshaft with longer lift and higher duration, revised pistons, a different crankshaft, and bearings.

Additionally, the six-speed gearbox has undergone changes, with first and second gears now taller while third, fourth, fifth, and sixth gears are shorter to facilitate getting to the top speed faster.

Given these motor enhancements, the Daytona 660 proves to be an exhilarating companion on twisty roads. While the exact horsepower output may hover around the early 80s at the wheel, rather than the 93 hp Triumph says the motor produces, the three-cylinder engine delivers such impressive performance, you swiftly become engrossed in the ride. So, forget the actual numbers and just relish the enjoyment of wringing the life out of the little three-pot.

The Daytona 660 offers three ECU modes, Sport, Road, and Rain, and although I briefly played around in Rain mode to check its effect on power delivery (hint: it significantly neuters the bike), I think most riders will find themselves spending all their time in either Sport and Road modes.

Road mode is adequate for everyday riding scenarios, but Sport mode is where the real fun is at. Sport mode has a slightly jerky throttle response, but it unleashes the full potential of the triple, which, with just over 80 real-world rear-tyre horsepower, is more than sufficient for most riding situations.

Even though it’s the smallest triple in the Triumph range, the Daytona 660 delivers impressive top-end power. The motor eagerly builds revs quickly through the range, and like a good performance engine, the more you rev it, the better it goes.

However, this performance sadly isn’t mirrored in the suspension — a topic we’ll touch on shortly.

Although the Daytona lacks a standard-fitment quick-shifter, the gearbox is so good on the Daytona 660 it hardly requires one. Shifting gears with the stock Triumph gearbox is a seamless affair — just be nice by gently rolling the wrist forward to take the load off the gearbox, snick the next gear and off you go. No clutch required.

The harmonious interplay between the engine and gearbox enhances the overall riding experience, but what about the chassis? Well, it’s a case of potential, yet room for improvement.

You (and I) both need to remember the one keyword in the chassis: Price. Given the 660 tips the financial scales at $14,790, you can’t expect race-bred springers. The suspension consists of unadjustable 41 mm Showa Big Piston Fork units offering 110 mm of wheel travel, while the rear runs a Showa RSU with preload adjustment only and 130 mm of wheel travel.

At regular road speeds, the Daytona’s suspension will be up to most tasks you throw at it. City cruising through to the twisties in Alacante, Spain, showed a bike perfectly capable of deflecting the crappy road surfaces without upsetting the chassis too much. At this speed, the ride is entirely pleasant.

Triumph is betting (and it’s probably right), this is where the Daytona will mostly be ridden, by riders who are early in the their riding career, and who are not as demanding in terms of suspension tech.

Up the pace a little and the Daytona still holds its own, offering agile steering and braking performance, but when you’re trying to have a bit of sporty fun, you’ll reach the limits of the suspension pretty quickly.

During our last half of the day after the photo shoot, we really started to screw it on, and the fork soon reached its limit, diving to the bottom of the stroke and rebounding far too quickly, thus taking the weight off the front Michelin Power 6 tyre and making the front-end a little slippery. Therefore, the faster I went, and the harder I rode the Daytona, the more it would protest (at least in terms of chassis). The engine, as mentioned, loved a good thrashing.

It was during these…um, spirited runs back to our Spanish HQ when I need to remind myself of the price-point the Daytona sits at, and thus a few rough edges can be forgiven.

Overall, the Daytona 660’s chassis holds up adequately to most riding situations you’ll find yourself in, albeit with a certain softness. Riders weighing under 85 kg, which sadly is not a group I can claim membership in, are unlikely to encounter many issues.

If I were to opt for a Daytona 660, the very first thing I’d do is put in a suspension kit tailored for the 660. As Triumph’s preferred race-development team, Peter Hickman Racing has worked up an array of aftermarket components, such as race bodywork, a new subframe, a new exhaust, race seat, rearsets, clip-ons, race ECU, and the accompanying wiring loom.

While some of these upgrades might be tempting (and straight-up required if you’re going racing with the 660), what I truly want out of the 660 is a more compliant (and adjustable) suspension package, so that’s number one on my wish list, thanks, Hicky.

The rider sits slightly forward from centre but not to the extent of putting undue pressure on the wrists, plus, you get the added bonus of taking a bit of weight off the bottom of your spine. The ergonomics lend themselves well to extended journeys, with handlebars mounted above the triple clamps, and the Daytona boasts a distinctive aesthetic that sets it apart from class competitor bikes like the R7, which is an old-school clip-on racer for the road.

I’m not terribly enamoured with the dash on the 660. It’s the same as on the Trident, and although it gives me all the information I’m ever going to need, when you’ve got the sun behind you it’s damn near impossible to read. There are a number of different configurations you can run on the dash, so you can make things like gear position or speedo bigger than the rest, but compared to the unit on something like a Street Triple (yes, I get it, cost and all), the dash looks a bit… underdone.

The Triumph Daytona 660 is a solid package, but to fully harness its potential, you’re going to need to delve into the suspension and make it a match for the prowess of its engine. While the Yamaha YZF-R7 emerges as a purebred sportsbike in Yamaha’s true racebike style, the Daytona aims to bring a new versatility to the market in the same fashion as the Suzuki GSX-8R — part sportbike, part streetbike, part commuter, and part… whatever you like.

In real Back to The Future style, this ethos is pretty much what the original supersport bikes of the 1980s tried to achieve — bikes capable of taking on various roles and doing well in all of them. It’s highly likely we’ll see more models following this trend in the years ahead, possibly even in larger capacities (Triumph’s kind of, sort of, already done this with the Street Triple 1200 RR that came out a few years ago).

The 2025 Triumph Daytona 660 stands as a good base bike, but I’d love to get my hands on one with some decent suspension to see what it can really do when the road gets twisty.

Head to the Triumph Motorcycles Australia website for more information or to find your local Triumph dealership.

2024 Triumph Daytona 660 Specifications