A Triumph to make Italy tremble – but not Japan

TRIUMPH publicly unveiled to the world this morning the long-awaited successor to its 955i triple – and immediately told riders looking for something to humble a GSX-R1000 to look elsewhere.

The revised Daytona 955i – which MCN exclusively revealed in print today – is more powerful, faster, lighter, and sharper looking than the bike it replaces and shares its name with, but Triumph says it is not targeting the newest Japanese superbikes like the GSX-R or the R1. Instead, it says it is aiming the sleek triple at the jugular of more exclusive bikes like Aprilia’s RSV Mille and Ducati’s 996S.

And with a pricetag of around £8800 when it hits the shops in May, the 147bhp Triumph doesn’t just beat those bikes in terms of power and weight, it comes in thousands of pounds cheaper too.

The 189kg RSV is priced at around the £10,000 mark, while the Ducati is expected to be around £11,000 and 190kg when it is launched next month. The Triumph’s numbers of 188kg and an extra 20bhp over either bike suggest it will be more than a match in terms of sheer pace for the Italian twins.

The 19bhp extra over the old Daytona comes courtesy of a redesigned engine which features new crankcases and cylinder heads, revised fuel-injection system with bigger throttle bodies, and bigger valves. A reworked exhaust system not only helps the engine breathe more easily, sources say it also sounds fruitier than old bike. The bike is also 10kg lighter than the old Daytona, with sportier chassis geometry and better suspension.

Triumph spokesman Ross Clifford said: ” We are not trying to suggest this bike is a GSX-R beater. We are not aiming for that market at all. There are riders who want something a little different in their machines and their only option at the minute are things like the RSV and the 996. The new Daytona can match those bikes, but at much better value. This is a premium product, but not at a premium price. ”