You knew this was coming shortly after Triumph agreed to enlist its three-cylinder engine into the Moto2 cause, but maybe we didn’t expect it quite so quickly. The Daytona Moto2 765 Limited Edition, says Triumph, is “the ultimate edition of Triumph’s legendary multiple Supersport Championship-winning Daytona,” and “the the closest you can get to a genuine Moto2 factory ride for the road.”
Actually this bike is pretty special, given that Triumph has mostly eschewed racing for decades. Moto2 seems to have rekindled some kind of fire. The new Moto2-derived 765cc Triple has the most power and torque of any 765 it’s built so far, says Triumph: 128 horsepower at 12,250 rpm and 59 pound-feet of torque at 9,750 rpm.
“The engine features a number of components and performance upgrades derived directly from the Moto2 engine development program,” says Triumph, “including titanium inlet valves, stronger pistons, MotoGP -spec DLC coated gudgeon pins, new cam profiles, new intake trumpets, modified con rods, intake port, crank and barrels, and an increased compression ratio. With a red line raised to 13,250 rpm, the engine revs 600 rpm higher than the brilliant Street Triple RS.”
Limited Edition, because Triumph says it will produce 765 of these for the U.S. and Canada, and 765 for Europe, Asia and the rest of the world. A billet aluminum top triple clamp will display your order of entry with a laser-etched number, along with the logo marking this one as the first-ever official Moto2 Dorna Sports-licensed motorcycle.
It’s the high-techest Daytona, too, with a full-color TFT screen (complete with official co-branded Moto2 start-up screen, five riding modes including Track, and Triumph’s Shift Assist up and down quickshifter.
Also for the first time ever on a Daytona, riders can take advantage of five new riding modes enabled via ride-by-wire – Rain, Road, Rider Configurable, Sport and Track – all of which adjust the throttle map, Traction Control and ABS settings to suit the ride.
Lashed up to the aluminum frame Triumph says was the basis for the Moto2 development program, are the latest in Pavlovian salivation componentry: Brembo Stylema brakes, premium Öhlins suspension and Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tires.
New, lightweight, full-carbon fiber bodywork has Triumph claiming the LE is the most dynamic, agile and precise-handling Daytona ever, imbued with “incredible road and track capability.” Designed to take no prisoners, nor passengers.
A new Arrow titanium race can is said to send up a nice howl, and the alloy frame and swingarm are clear anodized.
Salivate away. We should have more information next Tuesday when Ryan Adams returns from yet another European vacation/British GP/Triumph junket.
One of the most famous wins in Triumph’s racing history, the 1966 Daytona 200, saw Buddy Elmore spectacularly race from 46 th on the grid all the way to first place, taking the checkered flag aboard a prototype Triumph T100 Tiger – a dramatic victory that inspired the first Triumph ‘Daytona’ model designation.
Returning to the Triumph lineup in the early 1990s, the Daytona reinforced its legendary position as the most successful name in Triumph’s celebrated racing heritage with the triple-powered 675 winning at the Isle of Man TT, the British, German, French and World Supersport Championships, and again at the world-famous Daytona 200, claiming a dominant victory in 2014. With Peter Hickman’s stunning Supersport victory at this year’s Isle of Man TT, the Triumph Daytona continues to make its case as the best middleweight sportbike in the world.