Following up on the success of Triumph’s other middleweights, including the Trident 660 roadster and the Tiger Sport 660 adventure sport-tourer, Triumph has revealed a new Triple-powered middleweight sportbike for 2024, the Triumph Daytona 660.
Related: 2022 Triumph Tiger Sport 660 | First Ride Review
At the unveiling of the Daytona 660, Alastair Fairgrieve, Triumph’s global product marketing manager, said the name was originally chosen to honor Buddy Elmore’s victory on a Triumph in the 1966 Daytona 200, where Elmore came from the 46th on the grid to win the race.
The name has appeared in various iterations of Triumph motorcycles over the subsequent years and returns in 2024 with the Daytona 660, which features a liquid-cooled 660cc inline-Triple with DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, and a 240-degree firing order. It makes a claimed 94 hp at 11,250 rpm (17% higher than the Trident 660), with redline at 12,650 rpm, and 51 lb-ft of torque at 8,250 rpm (9% more than the Trident), with more than 80% of the torque available from 3,125 rpm.
The bike has a 6-speed gearbox, throttle-by-wire, a slip/assist clutch, and 3-into-1 exhaust with a low stainless-steel silencer. Triumph’s Shift Assist is available as an accessory fit for clutchless up- and downshifts.
Stuart Wood, chief engineer of concept and electrical at Triumph, said the Dayton 660 is focused for “real-world use.”
“Everything we do inspires us,” Wood said. “(With) everything we do at the highest level … we’re learning, and we’re getting more into the engine. We’re looking for better economy, cleaner, and more performance all the time. And I think we’ve delivered fairly well on this one.”
See all of Rider‘s Triumph coverage here.
The Triumph Daytona 660 has three ride modes – Sport, Road and Rain – each offering a different throttle response and level of traction control intervention, with Sport mode geared toward more aggressive road riding or track sessions. The traction control system can be turned off for riders who prefer complete freedom from electronic intervention, and a new Emergency Deceleration Warning system activates the hazard lights to alert other drivers during heavy braking.
Stopping power comes from twin 4-piston radial calipers biting 310mm floating discs up front and a single-piston sliding caliper and 220 fixed disc in the rear. ABS is standard. An inverted nonadjustable Showa SFF-BP (Separate Function Fork-Big Piston) fork provides 4.3 inches of travel, and a Showa rear monoshock offers 5.1 inches of travel and preload adjustability. When asked about the lack of adjustment on the front fork, Triumph Chief Product Officer Steve Sargent said that when supersport bikes evolved to become more track-focused, they became more tech- and spec-laden.
“The price point moved up to a point where the (middleweight) class really kind of disappeared because they got to a price point where they were not that far away from the cost of going to a larger capacity machine,” he said. “But they weren’t delivering the same kind of performance.”
Sargent said it became a question of delivering the balance between the specification and the price that a customer really wants.
“So that’s the way we’ve ended up with this bike,” he said. “We think this really hits the mark.”
Ergonomics also reflect the idea of “real-world use.” Clip-on bars are positioned above the top yoke, and footpegs have been moved slightly up and back for a balance of comfort and cornering clearance. Separate rider and passenger seats, with a rider seat height of 31.9 inches and a narrow stand-over make the Daytona 660 manageable for riders of all sizes, and an accessory low seat is also available, lowering the seat height almost an inch to 30.9 inches. The bike rides on five-spoke cast aluminum wheels wrapped in Michelin’s new Power 6 tires.
The Daytona 660 has twin LED headlights that incorporate a central air intake, as well as a contoured LED taillight. The bike has a color TFT screen integrated into a white-on-black LCD display that is compatible with the accessory fit My Triumph Connectivity System, which enables turn-by-turn navigation plus phone and music interaction.
The 2024 Triumph Daytona 660 will come in Carnival Red, Satin Granite, and Snowdonia White starting at $9,195, available in dealers in March 2024.
Check out more new bikes in Rider‘s 2024 Motorcycle Buyers Guide
I for one think it’s great that Triumph is making active inroads to appeal to and be accessible for newer riders. For a long time, I think they have been gatekeeping themselves from certain demographics because of the prices and engine sizes; their smallest engine size for years was a 900cc parallel twin. Which was not a wild machine or anything, but for newer riders (in the USA) under the age of 25 the insurance for such a bike could often be brutal. (I sell motorcycles)
This bike, on paper a fantastic addition to the midsize supersport market, and their new 400’s, likewise priced and built out for beginning or price conscious customers, shows Triumph is thinking about and preparing for the future.
Happy to see it!
Yep. Yay! to this.
Pretty sure it’s a T-plane crank like all the other bikes built on this updated engine design.
Very forward thinking, bikes and the tech have come so far that manufacturers have lost sight of the reason so many of us began to ride, the freedom and enjoyment of two wheels. The tech is great for those who want to listen to music and phone calls and have navigation on the bike, with many ride modes for traction control and throttle response and ABS . There are also people that just want to ride a quality, safe, comfortable and capable motorcycle. Some riders are looking for less tech, displacement and weight. Triumph seems to be listening to these riders and I applaud the recognition.
Pretty awesome looking motorcycle. Wonder how it wills stack up agains all the Japanese sport-bikes out there. Perhaps they aren’t really going after the 600cc sport bike class?
I had a 1992 CBR600F2 back in the day, and I was not a beginning rider. It was a great size for me. Powerful. Great handling. Affordable. I even did some moderate sport touring on it. It was a great size for on-the-road sporty riding, and plenty fast enough. About 100 HP, 450 lbs. I can only imagine that the Triumph would work, only better. By the way, I was in my late 40s in the early 90s. Now, I get by on a nice quick-for-me BMW and a sporty Triumph Thruxton. But, if I could roll the clock back, I’d be looking at this 660!
I have a 2022 trident 660, and I’d love the extra 17% power and 8% torque. Are these future aftermarket mods that us original 660 owners can get? Because, at the moment, exhaust and flash tune is all we get, and we’d be lucky to get 5hp out of these combined.
Elsewhere I’ve read that the power improvement comes from head, camshaft and pistons. Those would represent significant work to change. Probably the best path to performance from the Trident would be trading up to the Speed Triple, which has more power & tech than this.
This bike is going to be a big success! I like that Triumph brought out a sporty middleweight with more comfortable ergonomics. Even though it has clip-ons, it looks like they’re up higher than the SuperSport bikes. And its engine has good performance numbers for a 660—94 hp and 51 lb-ft torque with nice wind protection. This bike looks really fun and it’s very good looking. Price is right also; I can see a big demand for this one. I can see it appealing to a wide range of riders, not just the younger crowd. I’m an older Naked bike guy and I’m interested.