The Triumph Daytona 660 is a Dream bike.

Triumph’s Daytona 660 is a sportsbike that is a dream to ride and visibly pleasing. Jeremy Webb was fortunate to get on one in the Advent season and dodge the storms to get some fantastic rides around West Sussex. The Daytona got vigorous testing from many happy RTR staff, so Christmas came early for them.

The Triumph Daytona 660 enters a market with stiff competition in sports bikes, such as Aprilia’s 660s and Suzuki's GSX-8R. Can it hold its own regarding performance, handling, ride quality and appeal?

The bike uses the same chassis as its cousin in the 660 range, the Trident, which I reviewed previously and fell in love with. Triumph has slightly altered the Daytona with an 11% steeper rake and reduced the trail by 25%. They have also put on Showa SFF-BP suspension.

When pushing the bike, the handling feels fluffy and not as positive as other Triumphs. The front suspension is soft, and even more so in the rear. The rear can be adjusted to improve the softness by adding preload.

The seat is comfortable, and the riding position isn’t too leaning and reaching forward, accommodating a full day of riding. The tank position also offers good support when pushing on and getting your head down. The higher peg position may restrict your legroom if you are above six feet tall.

The Daytona 660 has J. Juan brakes do the job well, and combined with Power 6 tyres offering decent grip, you get a package that provides reasonable safety.

Performance comes from the new 660cc triple motor, which Triumph created for the Daytona. Their development has led to an engine that produces 17% more power and 9% more torque, revs higher, and has a more thrilling output than the Trident 660. The company states it accelerates faster than its rivals and feels like it. When you twist the throttle, it is fast and uplifting, and the bike’s exhaust sings. The Daytona 660 is also pleasant to ride at cruising speeds, but the limited size fuel tank at 14 litres restricts you to around 110 miles before you need to fill up, making touring a real hassle. MPG ranges from 40-50 when riding fast.

The build quality is difficult to criticise, and I love its look, so I am impressed with the Triumph Daytona 660. As it shares the same platform as the Trident 660 and Tiger Sport 660, I assume reliability will be good, and you won't have any issues.

Triumph deliberately set the price of the Daytona 660 lower than that of its middleweight sportsbike rivals, with £8595 competing against Aprilia’s RS660 at £9,550 and Yamaha’s R7 at £8,919. The Suzuki GSX-8R maybe the Daytona 660’s nearest rival £8,899 which has lower power and is heavier.

The Triumph Daytona 660 is priced well and has good engine performance but lacks equipment. It has three standard rider modes (Sport, Road, and Rain) with switchable traction control and ABS, which are all controlled through the display unit, which is similar in design to the Trident and Tiger Sport 660.

The Triumph Daytona 660 is a sportsbike but track riding is not at its core, with the setup more road riding friendly. The company knows its audience, so it isn't a gun-ho circuit buster but a country road twisties tamer. The sub-100bhp sportsbike sector is doing well, and many brands have machines in this hotspot. So Triumph has to make the Daytona 660 competitive and attractive, and it has.

The handling may not be the best in the group, but the riding position is good, the seat is comfortable, and riding is pleasant and can be thrilling—what you want from a bike. The price is impressive, too.

£8595