Triumph Daytona 1200
Two years after its reappearance on the motorcycling scene, Triumph produced its fastest and most powerful bike yet: the four-cylinder Daytona 1200, whose tuned version of the British firm's modular engine produced 145hp,enough for a top speed of 160mph.
Performance and Style
Although named after the Daytona speedway in Florida, a circuit where the old Triumph marque scored famous victories in the 1960s, the 1200 was not a true race-replica. Instead, it was a big, fairly heavy machine intended to combine high performance and aggressive styling with reasonable practicality.
Top Specifications
The Daytona was created by tuning the water-cooled, 16-valve engine from the Trophy 1200 sports-tourer ,then bolting it into a chassis that used the top-specification components available within Triumph's unique modular format. Thus the newcomer wore sophisticated suspension and brakes, but shared much -including its steel spine frame, wheels and numerous engine parts with most others in Triumph's eight-hike range. The souped-up motor was powerful, although it had lost a little mid-range performance, and encouraged frequent use of the six-speed gearbox. Like the other Triumphs, the Daytona was a tall bike , less nimble than many Japanese sportsters, But its rigid frame and excellent Japanese suspension provided very good handling. The Daytona was practical, too, thanks to features such as its protective fairing, bright twin headlights, comfortable seat and generous fuel range.
1996
