Fast Bikes Magazine June 2024 issue **FREE 20 PAGE PREVIEW**

TESTS

TriumphDaytona660..................... 15

It’saDaytonaby name,butisit bynature?

We headedtoSpainto ripitaround.

KawasakiZX-6R.............................. 24

It’sbeenandgonemore timesthana boomerang,butthat’snottosaywe’renot ecstaticthatKawasaki’sdecided to bring backits sorely-missed600cc for2024.

HondaCBR600RR............................ 38

Anothersupersportsensationtomakeits returnin’24isthe much-loved CBR600RR. Onlythistime, you’llwantonemorethan ever.

UsedBikeGuide.............................. 54

We love aSuperDuke R,andKTM’s1290 iteration hasperhapsbeen themostloved of them all. Here’swhatyouneed to know aboutthem.

Kawasaki’sfeisty500s................... 60

Ifyou’reinthemarketfor acredible A2 offering,withor without fairings, Kawasaki’s Z500andNinja500 couldbe your answer.

MVAgustaEnduro Veloce.............. 70

Mixingtheroughwith the smooth,MV’s new adventure-esqofferingshouldprove aright blastonoroff-road.

COLUMNISTS

TomNeave...................................... 94

He’sallset forhisBSBdebuton aKwacker, as Tomtellsusahead of roundone.

ChristianIddon............................... 96

After asolidfirsttest,Iddon’seyesarewell andtrulyontheprize.

SteveParrish................................... 98

Moremadnessand wisdom fromtheman they call Parrish.

FEATURES

Next-generationsupersport........... 90

Ifyou’reconfused aboutthe supersport scene, you’renottheonlyone.Wetryand makesenseofitall.

It’sfunnyhowonly afewmonths backJohnnyandI weretalkingover thestateofthesupersportsector and revellingattheideaofthereoneday being acomeback. Fast-forwardtonow andthat’sexactlywhatwouldappearto behappening. Lastyear,musing away,it seemedaslikelyas alotterywinthat Hondawould reintroduce arevitalised 600RR,butthat’swhatit’done. Andasfor Kawasakiandthetried-and-tested ZX-6R –well,itmighthavebeenlostandfound onthemarketmoretimes than anold pairof gymsocks, butwe’reecstatic that it’sback.It belongsintheshowrooms,let aloneoutonthestreets,asJohnnyhas validatedinthisissuefollowing arecent joyride. Mymessageismuchthesame abouttheCBR600RRthatyou’llalsofind

isthismag:it’sacorkerand akeeper.The bigquestionis, whathappensnext?Are we reallylookingat acomebackofthe mid-capacitysportsbike? Or is thisa momentofmadnessfromsomeof the bravermanufacturersonthemarket? Onlytimewilltell,and Iguessthemost tellingfactorofallishowquicklythe availableunitswingtheirway outof dealershipsand findnewhomes.After all, money talks,andthe reality is thatas hypedasmanypeopleare toseesuch modelsoncemore, iftheydon’tsell,there won’tbeanymore… that’sforsure. But I’moptimisticthattheywillsell,especially whenyouconsiderhowcomparably affordabletheyare. Honda’s600RRcosts lessthanhalfofwhatyou’dpay fora Blade,andatan equally

similar£10k(ish)cost,it’salsoworth bearinginmindthattheNinja600isn’t thatmuchmorecostly than aZX-4RR. They’rebothonthemoney, themain reasonbeingthattheR&D, tooling,andall thebigcostlystuffwasdoneand dusted yearsago,soit’stheliteralmanufacturing costthat’slargely determining theprice ofthesemachines. And,when you think aboutthat,there’s no reasonwhythe likesofYamaha,Suzuki andTriumph couldn’t,orwouldn’t,do thesame. I’mno Mystic Meg, but Iimagineall oftheabove brandsarestudyingthe600sectorsales closelyandweighingup their options for apotentialcomebackof their own.We’ll justhavetowait andsee,but for now, whatI do know isthere aretwocracking supersport machines back in themix–andI’mplanningto make the mostofthem.

Enjoythemag,

JOINOUR MOTORCYCLINGCOMMUNITY

Some things arebetterlef tbehind, but Fast Bikes isn’tone of them...trust us.For astart, we’dmis syou,but it’d also mean you’dmis sout on awhole load of news,reviews,tech, talks and insightintopioneeringprotagonist s. Just thinkabout theroad trips, theproject bike builds– andall theexcuses we throwinwiththem. We want youonthisride, andwewant yourstories,yourinput andguidance, so don’t be astranger! Checkout thecrackingdeals we’ve gothereand let’sget yousettled into anotherseasonofthe good stuf ffromthe UK’s leading spor tsbike magazine.

MV AGUSTA ENDURO VELOCE

MV Agusta’sabit behindthe curvewhenit comesto hardcoreadventuretouringmachinery: itsTurismo Velocehadabit of anadventure angle,butyou’dnevertakeoneup agreen lane. Betterlatethan never,though– sowe’rewell chuffedtoseethis,andyoucan check outour fullriding reviewof the bike inthisissue. It’s basedon anew931ccversionofthefirm’s long-runninginline-three middleweightmotoras seenontheF3800andso on,withanall-new off-road biased chassisset-up.There’satough steeltubeframe,long-travelSachssuspension, uprightriding position, andsweet-styled bodyworkandpaint that really harksbacktothe Cagiva desert racersfromthe 1980sand1990s.

It’sgot some hardcoreaspects that willwork wellinthe dirt: a21infront wheel, Takasago Excelwire-spokedaluminiumrims,that fully-adjustablesuspensionwith210mm oftravel at bothends,toughsump guard,and atall seating position –870mmasstandard. On the roadside,ithas proper Brembosuperbike brakes: dual320mm discswith four-piston Stylemacalipers up front, andloadsofluxury touringkit, amassive7in colour dash,cruise control,Bluetooth phone link,anda large, protectivetopfairingand screen.

There’splenty of high-end electronicrideraids, too:IMU-assisted cornering traction controland ABS,launchcontrol,wheelie control,quickshifter, enginebrakecontrol, rearwheel lift-up control andmore.The electronicsalso have asuiteof off-road options aswell,with acoupleof dirt-ridingtractionsettingsandanoff-roadmode for theABS.

Itlooksgreat –but it’spriced around£20,000, whichputsitintoDucatiMultistradaV4territory but is45bhpdownonthe Bolognabruiser.It’sa bitonthe heavysidefortrue off-roadingtoo,at 224kgdry.It’saproper looker, though,and MV Agustastill has enoughcachetto carry off the price differential.Looking forsomethingdifferent from theBMW/KTM/DucatiEuropeanadventure bikemafia?Thengetyourself down to yourlocal MV Agusta dealer(theUKnetworkhasrecently expanded alot) foralook. www.mvagusta. com

2024

KTM RC8C

We are stillwaiting forKTMto launch aproper,balls-outfaired sportsbikewithoneofits monster180bhp V-twinengines (or a999ccV4basedontheRC16 MotoGPbike –we’renotfussy).In themeantime,those orange AustrianAlpine monkeysinsiston teasinguswith sweethotwheels likethis –the RC8C –andmaking it atrack-only,limited-editionjob with astiffpricetag. Thefirm releasedone lastyearlimitedto 200, butthey’re only making100 thisyear, the slackbuggers. The specispuretrackday sauce: a135bhp889ccengine

basedontheDuke890 parallel twinunit,tunedformorepeak power,ina142kgdry weight chassishonedbytheKramer racebikespecialists.Ithasa uniquehand-built steel tube trellis frame,Kevlar bodywork with audacious aerowings,WP APEXPROrace suspension, Dymagrims,Akrapovic racepipe andmuchmore.Theprice is prettytoughat£37k,butit’s probably irrelevantsincetheyall sold outsoon aftergoingon sale online.Get sweet-talking your localorangedealership fornext yearisour advice.

ZEEHOCIT YSPORT

We’d notnormallypaytoomuchattentiontoa newbrandbringinginelectricscootersfrom China,butZeehois abitdifferent.It’sthenew sub-brandfromCFMOTO,meaningit’sbeing importedanddistributedbyKTMUK,withthe service,warranty,sparesandfinancialback-up thisimplies.KTMissettingup awholenewUK dealernetworkwithdemobikes,tools,and workshipkittodealwiththebattery-powered tech.

Therearethreemodelscoming inatfirst–allofthem ‘urban mobility’ designsaimedat young folkin town or with moderate-length commutesinthesuburbs.The AE6+isa lightweight scooterwith performance arounda 100cc petrol machine,whiletheAE8S+is closerto125ccinterms of output,with17bhp peakpower,62mphtopspeed,and adual battery pack. Both haveremovablebatteries, so they canbechargedin aflat or atan office offthe bikes.

Zeehoalso hasanewSur-Ronstyle urban electric bike,which is probably closertoan e-MTBthan amotorbike. The CitySporthasa topspeed of 30mphand aweightofjust 80kg andis amachine ofpurefun –but witha usable40mile range.The CitySportcosts £2899,theAE6£3099(or£3799 withtwo batteries),andthe AE8is£4699.Dealersare beingappointed now: www.zeehoev.com

ABR FESTIVAL

The AdventureBikeRider festivalhasquickly carvedoutabit of anicheasa funsummer biking event.It’smorelike amusic festival than abikegig,withweekendcamping, music,livestageevents,andloadsof food and drinkoptions.There’salsoamassive off-roadridingsection builtinthegroundsof theRagleyHallestatewhere it alltakes place,with demorides from all the bigmanufacturers. Wellworth atripwitha load of mates.Thefestival is over theweekend of June28-30inRagleyHall, Warwickshire,near Stratford-upon-Avon. More infoat www. abrfestival.com

DUCATISALES RECORDS

It’schampagneall round attheannual Ducatifinance department end-of-year shindigasitmarked anew record interms of cashthroughthedoors.The firmhas topped abillioneuros in turnover forthe secondyearinarow,hitting arecordprofit of 112millioneuroswhile sellingmorethan 58,000 bikes.Impressive stufffrom the Bolognamassive!

2024DUCATI MULTISTRADAV4S GRANDT OUR–AL’S QUICKSPIN

Itwasloveatfirstsight formeand theDucatiMultistrada1200when itlaunchedway backin2010.A 1200 V-twinsuperbikeengine(from themental1198 Panigale,ofall things), race-spec brakes, long-travelsuspensionthatworked whenyoupushed hard... itwasthe firstproperlypowerfuland exciting ‘adventure’bike.Inthe14years since,it’sjustgot betterandbetter, andthelatestV4 poweredversion is agenuinerocketship –but also superpractical, comfyand laden withtrickkit.

TheMultistrada haslongbeen theepitomeofGrand Touring, in theposhcarsense.A classicGT carliketheAstonMartin Vanquish, Porsche PanameraorMercedesSL combinescomfort and performanceinthe best package forcoveringmanymiles.And the Multistradahasalways beengreat atthat –crossing counties, countries,and continentsatspeed, withaplomb.

There’sanofficial GrandTour versionofthebigDucati for2024,

anditwas ano-brainerformeto grabits keys atlastmonth’sDucati UK Mediatest day.Based on the mightyMultistradaV4S,withthe 1158ccGranturismo versionofthe PanigaleV4engine,itaddson radar-assistedadaptive cruise control,standard panniers,heated seatsandgrips, keylessignition andfuel cap,and evena centrestand.That’sontopof the semi-activeelectronic self-levelling suspension,fullIMU-assisted cornering ABSandtraction, massivecolour dash, wheelie control,launchcontrol,cruise control, quickshifter –the works, really.

On ourridearound Warwickshire though,it’sthat170bhpengine that really makesthebike,I reckon. It’ssuch awildmotortohaveina

soft,comfy,well-appointed luxo-tourer. It hasthe smooth, gruntylow-down urgeof amassive powerplantlike the HondaGold Wing,but then the screaming top-end of alitre sportsbike (170bhp would look fineona superbikegrid not so longago…)

We stopfor picsonasteep uphill bend, andridingupthe slope, asyoucomeoutofthebendon thegas,the front endgently comes off the deckwith youstillleaning over.Beautifulstuff.

I’mstill verymuch inlovewith theMultistrada –thoughpricedat £23,595,thisGT versionisan expensive habit.

INDIAN SCOUT101

Everynowandagain,we can definitelysee the appeal of an Americancruiser.When it’shot andsunny,popping down tothe seaside,goingfor ablattthrough town,ortakinginsomegentle twistieswith asilly,big, booming V-twinunderneath you does have acertainappeal. We’d obviously need apropersportsbike or two aswell,andmaybe adirtbike or

adventuremachine,but wecould see aspot in amulti-bikegarage for aclassy cruiser.

Even our veryoldnewseditor Dowdsdoesn’trememberthe originalSlippery Sam –a TriumphTrident 750 race bike whichsnatchedfive TT productionwins in arow between1971 and 1975. Itgot itswackynameafterafailedoil pumpcoveredits riderinoilina Bol d’Or race(canyouimagine thefeargoingdowntheback straightsoaked in 10W/40?) and boasted adistinctive full fairing andwhite/blue/red colour scheme.

SomethinglikethisIndian Scout101,actually.The ‘other’ American bike firm has revamped its high-tech,1250cc, V-twinpowered Scoutcruiser rangefor 2025(bywhichtheymean2024, thecrazy colonials),withmore power,extra tech, uprated chassis set-upandahostofequipment options.There arefivemodels: thetop-endScout 101with 110bhp,the ScoutBobber,Scout Classic,SuperScout andSport Scout,allavailableinthreetrim levels.Prices andavailability areTBC,but they’rewell worth consideringasan alternativetothe usual Harley offerings.

The2024 Trident 660 isas far from thehairy-arsed1971 dinosauras youcanget,though thelittle roadsterhasalmostthe same powerat80bhp –and wouldprobablyroastthe 750 round the Island eveninstock form.But Triumphhasreleased thisSlippery Samreplicavariant, withspecial paint,trimand graphicsto celebratethatold Trident.It’sonsalenow,priced at£7895.

TRIUMPH DAY TONA 660

Youmighthave wonderedwhetherthe name‘Daytona’ wastobe lostinthe annalsof Triumph’srifesporting history,butwiththeintroductionof the660,it’s verymuchaliveand kickingoncemore.

“Ihave just onequestion,”camea voicefromtheother sideofthe room. “Whenareyou goingto buildaproperDaytona?” As youcan probablyimagine,thatmoment feltaboutas awkwardaswalkinginonyour neighbours to fndthemcoveredinchocolatespread, indulging in some adulttime.Wide-mouthed, sittinginthe midstofthe Daytona 660’s globalpresentationandwishingI’dbroughta tubofpopcorn, Ieagerly awaitedthe retort from TriumphtotheBrazilian journalist who’d fredthe shot, pointblankandfull bore. “Well,thisis aproperDaytona.Long beforethe675, therewereseveralother sporty Triumphs that shared theDaytona moniker.Some were big,someweresmall, some were more focused,othersmore comfortable. Ifanything, thisis acaseof goingbacktoour rootsanddeliveringtothe peoplethe bikethat theywant –asportsbike that candoitall.”It wasapolishedand convincing response,and as bad as Ifeltfor, Alastair, the Triumph representativeupon stagewhohadtoofferthe room hisanswer,I fgureditwas afairquestion,andonewhich alotofpeopleare wondering, myselftoo.

Let’scut toit, hot offthe heelsofarguably oneofthe most-lovedand best-selling

middleweightsportsbikes on the market,the news of a660 tripleeffectivelytaking the nameand placeofthe masterpiece thatcame beforeitdidn’tbode well, especiallywith those ofanagewho’ve seen, riddenand lovedthe675 that frst blewthe world away backin 2006 whenit supersededthe lesser-likedDaytona 600/650(four-cylinders). Buthere’sthe thing,putting nostalgia to one sidefor asecond,thisisn’t aimedat replacingwhat’sbeenbefore, or evenchasing salesfromthat coreofexperienced sportsbike riders. It’s more acaseofcapturingthe imaginationanddesire of the marketthat has seenanuptickindemand forthe emerged twins(andnowtriple) middleweight entry-levelsportsbikesector.Think Yamaha R7,KawasakiNinja 650and Aprilia RS 660.

Withthedemiseofthe traditional Supersport600 scene,the aforementioned upstarts have broughtsignifcant sales successes tothebrandsthathaveinvestedin this route.And thebest thingforthose bold enough to have stepped intothe ring isthat inalmostall cases, the sporty propositions that have comeabouthavebeen derived from readily-produced,fairing-less brethren, meaning productionand R&Dcostsare minimal,atmost.And that’sthe exactcase

Lolz on holz...

withtheDaytona,whichis unsurprisinglybasedlargelyaround the Trident660,whichhasbeen abig hitsinceitsinception. Bastardising thesebikes justmakes sense,butsotoo dotheraftofchangesthathave goneinto makingtheDaytonaaDaytona –andnotjust aTridentin afancyfrock.

Thebiggestchangebetweenthetwo machinesisarguablytheengine.Okay,that tooisnabbedfromthe Trident,but it’s been given asubstantial rework,whichisthe reasonpeakpowerisup17%to95bhp, helpedonits wayby aheftyhikeinthe redline by some 20%.Now, youmightbe thinking thatwhilethesegainsare impressive, it’ssurelycome atthecostof the triple’s punchydemeanour, butthat’s simply notthecase.Themagiciansat Triumphhave notonlycrankedthepeakpower, but they have alsosomehowmanagedtoincreasethe motor’storque by 9%,meaningtheDaytona harnesses aclaimed69Nm… whichisn’tto besniffedat.Forcontext, aclevermateof minepointedoutitactuallydeliversmore torquefromsecondtosixthgearthanwhat the675 evercould.Mindblown!Butjust howhavetheymanagedthesefeats? Well,I canonlyimaginethatduringthereworking

He’llrun hisknee over if he’s not careful.

Type: 660,liquid-cooled,inline-triple

Bore xstroke: 74.04mm

Fuelling: EFI

Claimedpower: 95bhp @11,250rpm

Claimedtorque: 69Nm@ 8250rpm CHASSIS: Frame: TubularSteeltype

Fsuspension: 41mmUSDKYBforks, non-adjustable

Rsuspension: KYBmonshockwithadjustable preload

Frontbrakes: Four-potcalipers,310mmdiscs

Rearbrake: Single-pistoncaliper,220mm disc

ELECTRONICS.

Ridingmodes: Yes

Tractioncontrol: Yes

ABS: Yes

Quickshifter: No

Autoblipper: No

Wheeliecontrol: Yes

Launchcontrol: No

DIMENSIONS:

Wheelbase: 1425mm

Seatheight: 810mm

Wetweight: 201kg

Fuelcapacity: 14litres

INFO: Price: £8595

From: www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk

ofthe motor,literallynothingwas outof bounds,and this notion isbackedupbythe smorgasbordofnipsand tucksmadetothe motor’sinternals.

Wheretostart? Well, there’sanew crank, newpistons, and evenanewcylinder head thatfeatures larger exhaust valves, whilethe camshavebeen reprofled for higherlift duration. To help the motorbreathe, there’sa bigger front-mounted airboxand the exhaust hasbeengiven ashake-up fromfrontto back,with anew catalysttohelphitEuro 5-plusemissionstargets. Anotherbig change istheftmentofindividual 44mm throttle bodiestoensurethis thirsty beast isn’tleft parched. Otherchangesincludenew input andoutput shafts,while the gear ratioshave allbeen reworked.Last but notleast is the

introductionof anew slipand assistclutch. Yougetthepoint,thisthing’shad morethan aslap andtickleandaccordingly,during the presentation, Triumphwenton to saythat theDaytonacould blitz 0-60mph in just 3.6 seconds,whichput itabout asecondahead ofits nextnearestrivalin theclass.Notbad, eh?

Anothercarry-overunit istheframe,but eventhat’s been givenabit of afettle.From 20 yardsyou might thinkthatthe bike features awholly different cast aluminium option,butthetruthis underneath acouple ofplasticcovers beliesatubularsteel frame that’slargelysimilar tothe Tridents.But it’s not totally thesameand thetwopartsarenot interchangeable, owingto somesubtle alterationsthatallowedfor changesin

Having introduced theDaytona,Alastairthen droppedhis freestylerap rout ine.

geometrybutalsoforthelargerairboxand throttlebodiestoftwithinit. Forgood sportingreason,theheadstockangleisthat littlebitsharper to helpthebike turn,while thetrailhasbeen reduced by 25mm.But beforeyou startthinkingthat ashorter wheelbaseisanaturalbiproductofthese tweaks, it’snot,becauseinordertogivethe bikeamoreaggressive, weight-forward bias, the rearshockislonger,and aconsequence ofthisis aslightlylengthenedlengthof 1425mm…whichisstillprettystubbybya lotofmachines’standards,butnotably longerthanthe Daytona675’s, whichhit homeatjust1375mm.Justsaying.

Withthepresentationdoneanddustedand agoodnight’ssleepinthebag, Iwas up before sunrisethe next morningtokick-start what wouldbeaneight-hour soireeonthe protagonist.Linedneatlyinrows10bikes deep, youcanprobablyimaginethe raucous noisethat awoketheentiretyofthehotel complex as tensoftriplesbarkedtolifeatan unholyhour.Theysounded awesomeand onlygotbetterwith revsaswe snatchedthe bikes intogearandbegantheday’slongride aroundBenidorm’ssurroundingmountainous roads.Havingmadeitoutofharm’sway,far fromprying eyes andthe strongarmofthe

law, thefunbegantokickoffin earnest,with somespiritedriding warmingboththebikes andourbodiesaswechuckedthisthing aroundand sampleditsgoods.

Ididn’tquiteknowwhatto expectfrom the Triumph,but Iguess it’sfairtosaythat ontheonehand Ihadhighhopesforthe package,knowingfull well Triumph’s competenceandengineeringprowess, but at thesametime,I’dtriedtodampendownmy owndemands,giventhatthis wasn’ta fully-focusedsportsbike. Howthehellcould itdeliverDaytona 675brilliancewhen

What’s not to like?

pitchedandpricedin awhollydifferent place?Nope, Ihadto keep reminding myself thatthis was adifferentpropositionto what I’dknownbefore, so when we got upin the hillsand Ifoundthehandlingtobenotonly abitslowturning,butalsosubstantially underdampedfor my 78-kilomass, Ijusthad tosuckitup.Itwasn’tthe bike’s faultthatI was ridingit alittletooaggressively,asking itsrudimental KYBforksandshocktodo thingsthatitsintended ownerswouldnever dreamof –meaningthey’dlikewisenotcome tofndthatthereboundonthe rearshock feltsuper-fastandonlyunsettledthebike furtherwhenpitched onitsearandhittinga harshbump. WasI afanofthe handling?Not really.Theproblemisthatin 20 yearsof

doingthis joband ridingtensand tensof newTriumphs, I’ve alwaysbeenblown away by the signatureplushness of everysingle unit.Hell, eventhebrand’sbigadventure bikes feel sublime onthe road, so Icouldn’t quite understand oracceptthatthis machine wasn’t quitetickingthatfundamentalboxin theway Ihopedit would.The cruxofthe problem,in my opinion, wasthat thebike felt underdampedand overly reactiveto input,so when grabbingthebrakes or crackingthe throttle, the suspension units wouldgiveuptoo much travelbecausethey weren’tsuffcientlysupportedfor my liking. Another wayofputting itisthatto aless experiencedriderwhowouldn’t beriding half as harshly,they’d beblessedwitha supple, telling, andperhapsevenconfdence inspiring suspensionset-up.And that’s arguably exactlywhattheyneed, so Ican’t go puttingthebootinon Triumphfor spec’ing abikethat’s actuallybob-on foritsintendedbuyers. That said, would it have beentoo much to ask for alittledampingadjustment? Forall theabove,itdidn’t stop me fromridinglikeanob, scratching my slidersatwilland smilingall thewhile.Inactual fact,thefaster theriding,the betterthebikebehavedbecause the Triumphfeltmoresettledin its stroke. It wasthe slowstuff thatfeltmostawkward,which iswhy, atthefrstopportunity todo so,Iaskedoneofthe

technicianstocrank the rear shock’spreload as far as it wouldgo,adding abit of support tothe rear,whilegiving abit morefront end poisetothe Daytona. Akintothrowinga sheet overamessyroom,itdidn’t quitecure my woes,but it masked abit of the problem and Icertainlyfeltbetter connected withthe front,if nothingelse.

By the halfwaypointinthe ride,I hada pretty good graspofthemachine.Ithad manygreatattributes, the engine being king ofthemall.It’simpossible to sayjusthow muchbetteritfeltthanitsrivals,becauseto play that game youreallyneed to do back-to-backtesting,butneedless to sayit was stonkingandarguablyclass-leading.The torque was prettydamn exciting lowdown, tothe extentthat Ileftthebike’straction controlonatalltimesbecauseon the slippy roads we were riding, the abundance ofpoke thisthingwas bootingthrough its rear tyre meantgrip wasoftenfoundwanting. Luckily for me,assoon as slipwas detected,the TC would calmthings down withoutsomuchas havingto roll thethrottle.

Iwas lovingit, havingbeen wonover wholesale by thecharm ofthetriplethatnot onlypacked apunchatthe bottombut carried alinearandsmoothspread ofpower rightup toits heavenly-sounding revlimiter. Some bikes feel numband go quietwhen you hit the redline,but theDaytonaboomedlike abearwhen youtook libertieswithits engine’stolerancefor revolutions, making me want todo somore,and moreoften –sorry, Triumph.Thetruthisthatthe enginefelt disproportionatelycapable whencompared tothe rest ofthepackage.Entry-levelit most certainly wasnot –orshy ofpopping wheelies, forthat matter. Butforall its

Find it and grindit.

That’s at idyrear.