SECOND OPINION It’ s the early experiences that get you into motorbikes, and I was a bit earlier than most, perched on the petrol tank of my late brother Andrew’ s 1967 Triumph Daytona at three years old. Our mother, Patricia, often recalled looking for her toddler one day, only to hear the roar of a motorcycle echoing up the driveway, this after a few spirited laps around the block. There I was, wedged between Andrew’ s knees and in his words“ grinning like a Cheshire cat.” So it all began, and I’ ve had plenty of big smiles on Triumphs since, including my current ride and longstanding benchmark for middleweight triple magic, the 675. That’ s a sharp, uncompromising supersport bike that demands total commitment in the saddle – so when the chance came up to ride Triumph’ s new Daytona 660 I grabbed it with both hands, keen to see how much of the excitement carried across. I’ m pleased to say the magic is all there and in this package it’ s easier to get at than ever. The 660 takes the howling triple soul of its slightly higher-capacity sibling and refines it into something much more accessible. Think a wild child on their best behaviour but still ready with a wicked grin. There’ s a more relaxed and mostly comfortable all-day riding position, giving added scope to stretch the bike’ s legs without next-morning regrets – yet it’ s remarkably eager the moment the throttle is rolled on. Power feeds smoothly through a crisp six-
50 KIWI RIDER