[josepeter]

A few months ago; something happened that changed my perception of motorcycles. It was one of those breakfast rides with our local HOG chapter and I was munching on drab idlis and stuff! Out of the blue; I mustered the courage to ask for the keys of a fellow HOG's superbike. It was an older flatplane R1 and i wasn't expecting anything earth shattering. I have had my share of superbikes; but that was all years ago. I haven't really had the chance to thrash an up-to-date superbike, the ones that came after Yamaha reinvented the liter class superbike with the r1 in 1999.

The r1 WAS earth shattering!! I couldn't help but be surprised by seeing 120 kph - in first gear; and the beast still pulling like there was no tomorrow. The speedo climbed relentlessly, with some 3 gears to spare. What do i do now?? I braked hard - she just stopped - No Drama. Took a a few sweeping curves - no drama again. She just did what you thought you wanted to do. The feedback was amazing and I was speechless. I returned the keys with trembling hands and no words to say. Just one thought - I want one!!


As I thundered back home on my 96 cu.in Streetbob; i was flipping the pages of that magazine in the sky for possible rides! R1? Blade? Gixxer? Ninja? OR what about hyper bikes - Busa? 14R ? or was it gonna be naked super bikes - FZ? CBR? Z1000? I decided to figure out what actually hooked me on. Was it the power? Of course yes; but not quite. It was actually the telepathic handling and the perfect aerodynamics at silly speeds that truly got me hooked. So the naked superbikes wouldn't make the cut. It had to be full faired beast. I hit home after the ride and straight onto the tube, watching videos all day. Terribly confused..


I called up my best buddy from Cochin who has been there and done it all. I told him the speeds i did, he said that's only second gear! I wasn't insane anymore - he was. But after my excitement had fizzled out gradually, he advised me to go for a 600. They are lighter, have power limits that's accessible to mortals and a top speed just shy of what the liter class and hyper bikes would do - which in either case is untouchable for mere mortals. He did give me some advice from his decades of experience: Ride within your limits; the bike has none. That stays planted in my head. I did talk to one more superbike junkie who advised me to go 600. I didn't discuss with any thereafter.

Now, where do i find the dough! Letting Harley go wasn't actually difficult. I had picked up my second Harley, a Dyna Streetbob for two reasons:

1. A more relaxed engine at cruising speeds compared to my Sportster and 2. ABS.

After I took her on a 2500km ride to Cochin and back; I realized that the 1st box was checked. The bob didn't tick any other.

My take - Dynas are the worst handling Harleys. They are not as agile as the lighter Sportsters or surprisingly; the heavier Softails and Touring bikes. Quite a (nasty) surprise!!

Low speed maneuverability is very poor on a Dyna. The best low speed handlers in the Harley range are surprisingly the heaviest ones - the touring bikes. I believe the rake in the Dyna forks kill their handling. On the other hand, Harley Touring bikes have a goosed out neck that takes away the need for more rake to get the required wheelbase for high speed stability. The Dyna chassis also doesn't like high speed sweeping corners.You get quite a scare if you are anywhere over 120 in a corner. The disappointment didn't end here. The Brakes feel wooden too and inspires very little confidence. So my mind wasn't too hung up on parting with the Harley. I my mind there are two unbeatable Harleys, the Sportster 48 and the RoadKing. These two bikes capture the soul of the brand. One a BadBoy Sledgehammer and the other a sweet handling mother of a rig. From my 3 years of riding and owning various Harleys; i have to say this. Harley is in a class of it's own. You don't CARE ABOUT specs and figures; you will buy a Harley when u need one. Its like listening to Jimi Hendrix; He may not be the fastest or the most melodious or technical and can be erratic. But you just don't care! For a Hendrix affection-ado; there is only one guitar god!


Whats a supersports?

Super sports or middleweights are generally between 600 and 750 cc and broadly comprise of Japanese 600 inline fours, Triumph and MV 675 triples and also the ducati 848 L twin. These bikes are generally accepted to have the best handling among superbikes and can stand up to the bigger superbikes in all but top speed. For street and real world riding, the supersports are considered ideal and most satisfying to ride. These bikes are also righter than their liter class cousins by around 25 Kilos that makes them more suitable for small frames like mine.

Cut to the chase; I walked into the Triumph showroom in Hyderabad and took two machines for a spin; a street triple and a Daytona R. The Daytona quickly reminded me of that manic acceleration that had me hooked in the first place. A few days after i had my own Daytona R sharing space with my HD Street bob.



The Daytona is quite a looker with exquisitely crafted aluminum frame that has a cool flat red coating on the sub-frame and a gleaming pearl white body work. The headlights looks like a two piece unit but is actually a single piece. There is an air duct that runs right through the headlight, the triple trees and the frame straight into an airbox hidden under the fuel tank. The tank is very ergonomically designed, giving you good thigh grip and holds 17 liters of fuel. The bike weight a very remarkable 184 Kgs wet - without fuel. The riding position may seem very radical when you sit astride first; but starts to make a lot of sense at the normal speed you'll be doing on this beauty.



Carbon fiber is sprinkled lavishly on the R and there is some very trick race spec suspension and brakes.



The R features top drawer suspension from Ohlins at both ends and monobloc caliper equipped brembos with race ABS. The is a slipper clutch and speed shifter to complete the package. The only addition required would be a set of pipes! I did get an Arrow competition 3-1 exhaust that bumps the horsepower marginally, but more importantly sounds gloriously raw!




The Jewel in the Daytona's crown is undoubtedly the engine. Its a clean sheet design with titanium valves that produces 128 BHP at the crank and redlines at a manic 14500 rpm. This engine will push the beauty from 1-100 kph in around 3 seconds. Now, one would think that a race spec 675 triple would be peaky and would need massive revs to keep the momentum; but the Daytona motor is such a gem.




You can short shift @ 4000 rpm and the bike still feels fast. The engine redlines at a heady 14500 rpm and has strong torque everywhere in the rev band. It will clip 120 when you redline in 1st; but will also pull cleanly from 35 kmph in 6th all the way to a heady 250 kmph+; with no hesitation whatsoever. Gears are simply superfluous on a Daytona; you could ride all day in 1st or in any gear for that matter. The right gear will simply reward you with more manic acceleration; talking of which, the Daytona does the 0-100 kmph sprint in roughly 3 seconds. It is simply manic.

All this power can be laid to the ground due to some clever rider aids. The slipper clutch makes you look like you belong to the motogp grid. Slam down the gears whenever u feel like; the slipper clutch takes care of the rest. The excess rpms do not end up locking the rear wheel and sending you into a rear end skid; the clutch slips just enough to keep the wheels stable and ofcourse give you that glorious exhaust note on the overun. Another trick piece of kit is the quick shifter; what it allows is a seamless gearshift at high rpm; just redline at any gear and slot in the next ratio; no clutch required at all. The exhaust note on upshift is just divine; pure motogp.


The suspension on the DaytonaR would need a whole thread to itself. Its stiff when required but very supple should the road surface deteriorate. You can cream over potholes and attack speed bumps; no drama whatsoever. On fast curves you have great feedback from the front and under harsh braking there isn't hefty dive either. Makes you look so much better a rider than you'll ever be.

The brakes are another story altogether. They say that's the first thing you need to do on a brand new motorcycle. Find an empty piece of road; taker her up to insane speeds and slam the brakes. I did this from triple digit speeds, and it stopped - no drama. The Race ABS is so finely tuned that all you need is a mighty grab on the lever and the pedal; it will simply stop. You just got to be able to hang on with pressure. As you get used to this other worldly braking ability; you'll know that a hard squeeze does just as well as a grab.



Now the Raison d'être for this bike. The Handing! The frame geometry, weight distribution, sticky Pirelli Diablo Supercorsas and awesome suspension come together to create arguably the best handling production bike on sale today. Corner carving is child's play on this beauty. The feel is so nuetral, the suspension so complaint and the power so limitless that you'll soon feel like a corner carving motogp god! Explanations of the Daytona R's handling characteristic can get very technical and boring. Riding is believing. Of course; one should be well versed with the basics of high speed riding - counter steering, right eye position, getting the line and speed right at the apex and nailing the throttle on exit etc. There simply is no greater rewarding cornering experience than learning the right technique and feeling the bike navigating a corner effortlessly. If there was to be one reason to pick up a Daytona R; this is it.


Now the all important "kitna deti hai?" thingy! It gives an astonishing 20 KPL + on average. Light throttle legal speeds on the highway gives close to 30; manic redline shifting close to 15. I don't think any of this will make any difference on how the bike is ridden; but its good to know!





Instrument cluster has lots of detail. Lap timer, fuel consumption, average & instant, exhaustive trip meters with time, average speed and trip fuel consumption.

I have done close to 5K on the machine now and am in Love. Every time you wring the throttle there is amazement at the raw and angry power from a great sounding motor; the plush and complaint suspension and the astounding brakes. Ive been reading reviews on the Daytona R after I got her and tend to believe motorhead journos from around the world that this is the closest to a supersports racer that you can use on the road; probably as an everyday ride - this thing is that good!

GEAR Up and Ride Safe Guys!

[mobike008]

Note from Mod : Thread moved from Assembly Line to Superbikes & Import section. Thanks for sharing

[Turbanator]

I have done close to 5K on the machine now and am in Love.

Oh Man , from sportsters to roadking and now this ... what do you do for living ?

Congrats on your purchase - what happened to your Harley's ! Did you got chance to drive Storm ?

[mobike008]

Jose, congrats on your Daytona. This was the only bike that I didnt ride in entire Triumph stable but, your description of this bike's performance is eye-pooping and very well explained in terms of its overall performance and handling characteristics

I rode along with a Daytona many times and also with Arrow'ed one. Infact, this reminds of one ride ( Prakash, you may know him) was riding the Arrow Daytona and we both were leading the pack and he used to slow down to let me hear the beautiful raw sound of the arrows. It was simply mesmerizing...

Another instance there was an Harley Iron 883 owner who rode the Daytona and was riding so flawlessly taking the Bangalore highway corners at high speeds and he was amazed with the bike but, eventually he sold his Harley and bought the Speed Tripple

IMO, Triumph has a beautiful stable and has one bike for each and every one of us looking at classics, nakeds, cruisers, off-roaders and super sports

Enjoy your ride and keep sharing your experiences

P.S: How much did the Arrows cost?

[aargee]

Thread deserves a 5* I've one practical question to ask...if you're within Hyderabad, how long should you ride out of the city to take the half the potential of Daytona? This means, a proper light to no traffic road where anyone (not skilled biker like you) can do a justifiable speed FOR a Daytona?

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by aargee

how long should you ride out of the city to take the half the potential of Daytona? This means, a proper light to no traffic road where anyone (not skilled biker like you) can do a justifiable speed FOR a Daytona?

Give and take 10kms-15kms practically from all corners of Hyderabad is what is required to reach a highway to enjoy the potential of any high powered bike

Thankfully, we are blessed with some amazing road infrastructure and we use it to the hilt

[wolfy]

WOW! Finally a Daytona thread. Congrats Jose!
Please keep the thread alive with loads of pics and info!

[the VTEC guy]

@josepeter - Congratulations on the Daytona. Have read wonderful reviews for this bike. And very honest opinion about the Harley. Its very rare to find Harley and Supersport combo! Ride Safe

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by josepeter

The r1 WAS earth shattering!! I couldn't help but be surprised by seeing 120 kph - in first gear; and the beast still pulling like there was no tomorrow. 200 was up in no time too, with some 3 gears to spare. What do i do now?? I braked hard - she just stopped - No Drama. Took a a few sweeping curves - no drama again. She just did what you thought you wanted to do. The feedback was amazing and I was speechless. I returned the keys with trembling hands and no words to say. Just one thought - I want one!!

Felt like reading my own story on a much much (much) smaller scale. A Royal Enfield owner test riding the Duke 200 and then the 390 and ending up buying the 390! Honestly, the scales are differing here, but I can relate to every word that expressed your feeling!

Congrats Jose chetta! Wishing you many happy miles ahead!

[ebonho]

Wow! A Daytona at last. Congrats Jose on owning a truly droolacious bike. Will be hooked on to your thread and look forward to many more photos please. She's a looker alright!

[Rehaan]

Awesome write up!

Originally Posted by josepeter

The brakes are another story altogether. They say that's the first thing you need to do on a brand new motorcycle. Find an empty piece of road; taker her up to insane speeds and slam the brakes.

Maybe this is from a different school of thought, but it only had me thinking of one thing:

Green Fade

This is the type of brake fade caused by hard braking on relatively new pads. With new pads, the resins that bind the friction material will "out-gas" at relatively low temperatures. This is caused by not "bedding" the pads rather than being caused by elevated braking temperatures. Green fade typically occurs much earlier than normal pad fade. This can catch an unaware driver off-guard who may be used to the way the car behaves during normally braking. Green fade can happen even after changing the brakes and driving normally for many hundreds of miles. The first aggressive stop may result in a loss of friction .... thanks to green fade.

cya
R

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Green Fade

This is the type of brake fade caused by hard braking on relatively new pads. With new pads, the resins that bind the friction material will "out-gas" at relatively low temperatures. This is caused by not "bedding" the pads rather than being caused by elevated braking temperatures. Green fade typically occurs much earlier than normal pad fade. This can catch an unaware driver off-guard who may be used to the way the car behaves during normally braking. Green fade can happen even after changing the brakes and driving normally for many hundreds of miles. The first aggressive stop may result in a loss of friction .... thanks to green fade.

Experienced this recently before my Goa ride when I had just gotten new rear brake shoes installed on my Bullet. Took her for a test ride, and one point, descending a steep earthern embankment slope, pressed the rear brake ...... and ...... nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The resins are the key here.

[Sheel]

Wow, Team-BHP is amazing, we have so many converts. Sedans to SUV's, cruisers to SBK's & back. RE to KTM.

Is your HD now entrusted for grocery shopping?

[r.joshi]

Congrats man! I've few questions to ask.
1) Have you tired off-roading your ride? How sticky were the tires on gravel and sand?
2) What about back and wrist pain after long rides?
3) I'm assuming you've had your first service done. What were the service charges including oil and filter change? Any feedback on service guys would be a great help.

I'm dying to hear exhaust note.

[pratap.pratu]

Thanks @josepeter for this post..A much needed and long awaited Daytona owners review. Thumbs up .
cheers