The launch of the 2024 Triumph Daytona 660 (and the only Daytona to get into production right now) has been quite controversial among the biking enthusiasts. The argument is, “Is this even a Daytona?”

And why? Well, when a company establishes a brand by building one of the best Supersports that money can buy, people are only going to expect that the next one is even better; edgier, sharper, more capable, and perhaps with more power. The problem is, the Daytona 660 is none of that. And that’s not because it is a bad Supersport. The thing is, it isn’t really a Supersport at all!

See, the Daytona 660 is a Trident underneath the Daytona-ish bodywork; the engine is gentler, tuned completely for road riding and not for a racetrack and the same is true for its chassis and suspension as well; a tubular steel perimeter frame (what the Trident has), non-adjustable Showa Separate Function Big Piston front forks, and a preload adjustable Showa monoshock. The same platform as the Trident.

But the Daytona 660 is the sportiest and the most premium motorcycle based on its platform, which also includes the Tiger Sport 660 other than the Trident. The same 660cc inline-3 engine is in its most powerful avatar, producing 95 PS at 11,250 RPM and 69 NM of torque at 8,250 RPM. That’s 14 PS and 5 NM higher than the Trident and the Tiger Sport 660.

The braking setup is also an upgraded one on the new Daytona, with twin 310 mm discs and 4-piston radially-mounted callipers at front and a single 220 mm disc at the back, compared to the 2-piston axial-mounted callipers on twin 310 mm discs on the Trident and the Tiger Sport 660.

In every way, the Daytona 660 is made to appear as the most premium offering on the Trident platform. It also gets three riding modes; Sport, Road, and Rain, while the other two only get Road and Rain.

But What’s in a Name?

Now, Triumph can call it whatever it wants, and I understand the Daytona name would bring in more attention (good or bad) to the new motorcycle. It’s got a full fairing, twin headlight setup, and in a way, it looks like a young kid on its way to becoming an adult. The problem is, unlike a human being, the Daytona 660 isn’t going to grow any more, it’s going to remain as it is - an underdeveloped Supersport. Hence, not a Daytona in essence.

That being said, what Triumph is possibly trying to do is diversify the Daytona brand a bit, just like Kawasaki’s Ninja and Honda’s CBR. And that’s something which the fans of the Daytona 675 won’t like at all, at least for now. However, it is quite possible that Triumph will also come out with a proper Supersport as well doing justice to the Daytona name. But there is no word on that, it is just wishful thinking.

And companies do not think the way customers do, at least not regularly. If the new Daytona 660 sells in good numbers (which means if it sells noticeably more than the Daytona 675 ever did), then Triumph will have a winner in their hands. And who knows, maybe that will encourage Triumph to build a proper Daytona as well. After all, Kawasaki has the Ninja ZX-6R and Honda has brought back the fantastic CBR600RR back into Europe. The Supersports are indeed back!