Originally Posted by octane

For those of you doubting the performance of the Triumphs, the bikes have improved exponentially over the past few years. I wouldn't sleep on the 675. It's true that the 600TT and the Daytona 600 fell short of the japanese bikes in performance comparisons - and some of the earlier bikes had minor gremlins, but this is a whole new bike. Triumph recognized the fact that they couldn't build a better inline 4 than the japanese and be competitive in the same price bracket. So they went back to what they know best - triples. The 675 looks similar to the Daytona 600 and 650 of the past few years, but it's a completely different bike. The plastic is similar, the chassis and components all rethought and/or redesigned, and the motor is a 100% fresh design.

You can nitpick all you want. You can make obvious statements about Triumph needing 675cc to compete with a japanese 600. You'd be right. The Daytona 675 wasn't built to homologize (sp?!) the model for AMA competition - which is why the japanese companies build their repli-racer models to the specs they do. Triumph has no intention of a factory AMA racing effort, so why were they limiting themselves before? Kawasaki also realized they could make a far better streetbike by stepping outside the rules - that's where the 636 came from.

Like I said before, I haven't had an opportunity to ride a 675 yet, but if the bike is as good in real life as it is on paper - and lives up to the hype - it's going to be a bad mofo. I've ridden some of the other new Triumph models and have been impressed. In fact, if I had the means to buy a brand new bike, it would probably be a Speed Triple.

That's not to say I don't appreciate the simplicity and, like Del said, the fact that parts and service is so readily available for the japanese fours. But I do think it's cool that Triumph stepped up and designed a sport bike on a clean sheet of paper with complete disregard for what the 'standard formula' is.

And I've got to add one last bit. Why is there always somebody waiting to tell the new guy he's going to fall? The noob has enough to worry about. Know the risks. Know there's always the possibility of being hurt. But don't wait for it. I've been riding on the street for ten years and have never hit the pavement. I'm not ignorant or naive enough to think I never will, but if every time I got on the bike I was wondering if this would be the time I fell I'd be a neurotic bitch by now. Now, if I just jinxed myself and go down tomorrow I'll buy everyone on this thread a beer!