Triumph has nailed it – the Daytona 660 LAMS is far and away the best sportsturned-commuter machine I have ever ridden . Not that I ’ m any great source of expertise , but two years of amateurish unistudent pondering on test bikes have given me a fairly good base on what I like in a bike ... and this bike is it . First impression of the bike is that it ’ s sexy . Damn sexy . As someone who ’ s always had a hankering for Ducati ’ s Panigale line of sports bikes , you can see clear echoes in the swept , curvy fairings , with only the generous smatterings of Triumph logos serving to remind you that the design ’ s origins are Hinckley , England , not southern Europe . Just as well though , because Triumph ’ s distinctive triple cylinder engine is where the bike gains much of its kudos . Smoother than a two cylinder , but possessing more of that low speed oomph than a four cylinder , it ’ s the best of both worlds . Playing to these strengths , the smart people at Triumph have managed to create three accessible engine maps that I don ’ t immediately set and forget , consisting of ‘ Road ’, ‘ Sport ’, and ‘ Rain ’. The modes shift between three specific sets of assist levels ( barely noticeable ), and throttle response ( heaven on earth ). A bike primarily used to filter through west Auckland traffic loves the effortlessly smooth response ‘ Road ’ gives at low speeds ; no more awkward clutch fingering past too-close cars . A bike that gets taken out on a weekend for a whip around on country roads loves the jerky zest for life ‘ Sport ’ gives off the throttle . ‘ Rain ’ seems to do almost nothing , bar perhaps smoothing out the throttle response even more from ‘ Road ’, but I plonked it on during Auckland ’ s two-day monsoons anyway , just to be safe . You can even switch between them mid-ride . I know , cool . The clutch is the smoothest I have ever used , aided by the Triumph ’ s ‘ slip-assist ’, whatever that