Here’s the official press release from Triumph GB, announcing the Daytona 675 triple, plus the factory accessory list;

The Daytona 675 stands alone in the hotly contested sports bike arena and while others might compare it to a myriad of motorcycles, it’s very much a statement of how a pure Triumph sports bike should look and, just as importantly, feel. In one single stroke it has redefined just how a middleweight sports bike should perform, packing as it does a large amount of power and torque into a small, nimble package.

In the sports bike market many machines are seen almost as disposable by their owners and treated accordingly. In contrast Triumph’s wish for the 675 Daytona was to create an exciting bike that owners will never tire of looking at, cherishing and above all else, riding. Added to this was a desire not only to build the most exciting and useable sports bike that’s ever left the Hinckley factory, but also to steal the crown for the most beautiful sports bike in the market.

The first three-cylinder middleweight, the Daytona 675 stands apart immediately with its inimitable, spine-tingling sound and feel. Integral to this is the triple’s inherent advantage of masses of bottom-end torque, linked to a heavy mid-range punch that’s topped with a searing burst of peak power.

Alongside the desire for a strong, torquey engine, a key part of the design brief for the brand new 675cc power plant was to make the water-cooled, three-cylinder, 12-valve unit extremely compact and narrow, contributing to the overall slimness of the bike. The stacked six-speed gearbox considerably shortens the engine and is the first from Triumph to feature a truly close ratio set-up for all six speeds, maximising the engine’s power and torque perfectly. Bore and stroke is 74.0mm x 52.3mm and peak power of 125PS is delivered at 12,500rpm, with 72Nm torque at 11,750rpm.

A great deal of work went into refining the Daytona 675’s new engine without removing any of the triple’s innate character and while it may perform like a racing thoroughbred there’s typical Triumph toughness engineered into every part – this motor’s meant to be used, and used hard again and again.

The Daytona 675’s Keihin closed-loop fuel-injection system uses a trio of 44mm throttle bodies and three 12-point multi-spray injectors. Air is drawn from a port between the headlights and passes directly through the headstock to the airbox. An electronically controlled flap in the front of the airbox optimises both acoustics and performance at low, mid and high rpm ranges. The free-flowing exhaust features an underseat silencer and also utilises a secondary valve to boost torque low down. The engine meets stringent Euro-3 emission regulations.

Designed around the Daytona 675’s engine the spars of the fabricated, open-back, aluminium cast frame wrap over the top of the motor, accentuating further the benefits of the narrow three-cylinder design. Rake is set at 23.5°, trail at 86.8mm trail with a wheelbase of 1392mm. The Kayaba 41mm upside down forks are fully adjustable for spring preload and rebound and compression damping, as is the Kayaba piggyback reservoir rear shock. The aluminium swingarm itself is a two-piece casting and measures 574mm from rear wheel spindle to pivot point, greatly improving suspension and rear wheel control. Dry weight is 165kg (363lbs).

The front brakes use a radial master cylinder as well as twin radial four-piston calipers and the fully floating 308mm front discs are matched by a 220mm rear. The new wheels are a lightweight five-spoke design and wear super-sticky Pirelli Dragon Super Corsa Pro tyres. Front tyre size is 120/70 ZR17 while the rear is 180/55 ZR17.

The Daytona 675’s digital instrument console has the usual trip functions as well as displaying average fuel economy. Also featured is a 99-lap memory timer – useful for comparing successive laps on a circuit as well as average and maximum speed for each lap. Gear position and programmable gear change shift light indicators are also included. Stylish twin projector beam front headlights (one for dip and one for main beam) give an excellent spread of light and are matched with a lightweight LED (Light Emitting Diode) rear light unit.

Colour options for the Daytona 675 are Scorched Yellow, Tornado Red and Graphite Grey. A full range of accessories will be available for the 675 Daytona, including carbon fibre front mudguard, infills, heel guards and silencer cover. A non-restrictive Triumph exhaust end-can will be available (for circuit use only) and racing specialists Arrow Exhausts are producing a full titanium system that saves over 6kg in weight and adds 5PS, again for circuit use only.

Also, while the Daytona 675 is very much a premium product with top quality components, exceptional attention to detail and high quality finish, its final retail price has been deliberately pegged at an affordable level.

Very few motorcycles can be seen as mould-breaking but the Daytona 675 is definitely one of them.

Colour Options;

Graphite Tornado Red Scorched Yellow

Triumph Accessories;

Full Titanium Race Exhaust System*

Union Flag Custom Paint Cockpit

- developed in partnership with Arrow

Paddock Stand Bobbins

Aftermarket Silencer* (*off road use only)

Aero Screen

Carbon Fibre Front Mudguard

Seat Cowl

Carbon Fibre Rear Hugger

Gel Seat - Rider

Carbon Fibre Cockpit Infill Panels

Gel Seat - Pillion

Carbon Fibre Heel Guards

Tank Bag - 15 litres

Carbon Fibre Silencer Cover

Tank Bag – 20 litres (exp to 30)

Carbon Fibre Lower Chain Guard

Throwover Panniers

Carbon Fibre Heat Shield

All Weather Bike Cover

Carbon Fibre Tank Pad

Alarm/Immobiliser

Carbon Fibre Upper Chain Guard

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)

Here’s news from BMW, who are backing a charity ride to Africa, dedicated to the memory of campaigner Simon Milward;

African charity ride begins

Craig Carey-Clinch and David French will depart the UK tomorrow – Thursday 10 November – on a motorcycling adventure and memorial charity ride to Africa. Their aim is to raise awareness for healthcare charities in developing countries through Riders for Health and a new programme, Motorcycle Outreach.

Public affairs director of the Motorcycle Industry Association, Craig Carey-Clinch, and founder of the Irish Motorcyclists Action Group, David French will ride through Africa on BMW F650 GS Dakar machines. Their ride is dedicated to the memory of Simon Milward – a well-known motorcycle humanitarian who died in West Africa earlier this year.

“We are really keen to get on the road now,” said Carey-Clinch. “We will have a police escort out of London and our only concern now is bad weather at sea. Our trip is well organised and it has been great to have a company like BMW Motorrad on board at an early stage because they have helped us with a lot of the preparation details.

“Over the past few weeks we have been busy in our full time jobs and getting the final details arranged. But we have already put over 1,000 miles on each of the bikes by doing practice runs from London to areas of England.”

Coincidentally, Charley Boorman, Simon Pavey and Matt Hall will be riding the same model of BMW motorcycle – the F650 GS Dakar – in the arduous 2006 Dakar Rally starting on 31 December 2005. The competitors will cover over 5,200-miles over 16 days and ride over some of the toughest off-road terrain imaginable.

Craig and David’s 42-day, over 7,000-miles ride will be mostly on tarmac and take the duo across the Sahara Desert to the Riders for Health Headquarters in Gambia, West Africa and back to London again.

“When we arrive in Gambia we will be spending time with Riders for Health to learn more about what they are doing there, take photographs and write a story. Our main aim is to promote the awareness of Riders for Health and the Motorcycle Outreach programmes through the media coverage we have obtained.”

Riders for Health is a charity organisation that has worked for 15 years on the problem of delivery systems for healthcare in Africa. It works with ministries of health, UN agencies and focuses on using motorcycles to save lives in Africa.

At the time of his death in March 2005, Simon Milward was nearing the end of an around the world ride in support of projects aimed towards using motorcycles for the delivery of primary healthcare services in remote areas of developing countries. In partnership with Riders for Health, he had established a motorcycle based healthcare logistics project in Flores, Indonesia, and Motorcycle Outreach represents the continuation of his work.

To keep up to date on the Milward Memorial Motorcycle Ride, visit www.worldofbmw.com or www.motorcycleoutreach.org

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)

Chris Blais and Kellon Walch have been selected to compete in the 2006 Dakar Rally. They will spearhead America’s only factory supported Dakar Rally team as part of the Red Bull/Repsol KTM U.S. Dakar Team.

Chris Blais, the likable Apple Valley resident will be contesting the Baja 1000 and then making a return to Dakar. The 23 year-old rider rode a smart and consistent race and placed 9th overall in last years’ Dakar and finished Top Rookie.

Kellon Walch, the youngest member of the team made history last year as he was the only American to win a stage in the Dakar Rally. Hailing from Las Vegas, the 21 year-old will also contest the Baja 1000 solo.

“We’ll be competing on bikes that are very similar to the Dakar rally bikes. The seat time that we will log will put us in great position to get a good result in Dakar. This years’ Baja 1000 is very tough. I’m sure it will take everything I have just to make it to the finish.”

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)

Chris Blais and Kellon Walch have been selected to compete in the 2006 Dakar Rally. They will spearhead America’s only factory supported Dakar Rally team as part of the Red Bull/Repsol KTM U.S. Dakar Team.

Chris Blais, the likable Apple Valley resident will be contesting the Baja 1000 and then making a return to Dakar. The 23 year-old rider rode a smart and consistent race and placed 9th overall in last years’ Dakar and finished Top Rookie.

Kellon Walch, the youngest member of the team made history last year as he was the only American to win a stage in the Dakar Rally. Hailing from Las Vegas, the 21 year-old will also contest the Baja 1000 solo.

“We’ll be competing on bikes that are very similar to the Dakar rally bikes. The seat time that we will log will put us in great position to get a good result in Dakar. This years’ Baja 1000 is very tough. I’m sure it will take everything I have just to make it to the finish.”

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)

Turbo Connection turns a Triumph Rocket III and a Harley-Davidson V-Rod into true boulevard badasses
Written by Roland Brown , Brian J. Nelson, article taken from motorcyclistonline.com

Triumph’s Rocket III mega-cruiser is supposed to be electronically limited to 140 mph, but it sure doesn’t seem that way right now. As I glance down at the speedo and watch the needle blow past the 140-mph mark and into the off-the-scale white zone beyond, the open-pipe, turbocharged triple just keeps howling and accelerating as I tuck behind its flyscreen to keep from being blown off the thing.

Moments later I have to slow for traffic, and my chance to feel the Triumph bashing up against its rev limiter in top gear—as it was about to do—is gone, and gone for good. Daytona’s streets are clogged with bikes and police, and I don’t need to be reminded that the last time I rode a turbo-bike here it cost me $250 after being speed-trapped at just over 100 mph. And the world’s first Rocket III turbo has the horsepower to be a whole lot more expensive than the Bonneville I was riding then.

The Hinckley-built triple is seriously fast in stock form and has sold quite well since its introduction two years ago. But some were disappointed its massive, 2294cc triple was tuned more for flexibility than balls-out performance. The Rocket makes a respectable 132 rear-wheel horsepower and a whopping 141 pound-feet of torque, but it isn’t half as scary as it looks. Some might say it looks a bit tame.

Bolting on a turbo from Turbo Connection changes all that. Running just 8 psi of boost on standard pump gas, this Rocket III routes 202.8 horses to its rear tire along with 215 pound-feet of torque. Turbo Connection boss Brian Olson can’t help grinning when he talks about the bike, which was like a Hinckley factory gift to someone specializing in turbocharged Triumphs. “It’s just a beautiful turbo motor,” says the man from Rapid City, South Dakota. “As well as its size and three-cylinder smoothness, it has low compression, just 8.7:1, which is what you want [when turbocharging], and a strong bottom end. It even has twin plugs per cylinder, which helps combustion. As soon as I saw it I knew it would be ideal [for a turbo].”

Olson should know. He’s a 33-year-old motorcyclist and engineer who began turbocharging cars in the late 1980s, progressed to 200-horsepower turbo snowmobiles and then concentrated on Triumph triples after founding Turbo Connection in 1992. His blown Speed Triples and Sprint STs have been producing a Hayabusa-beating 160 bhp for years, but the Rocket III offers a dramatically different level of performance.

Olson says developing the Rocket kit was relatively straightforward. The turbo is from New York-based iBoost, formerly Aerocharger. The unit differs from many turbos because it’s a variable-vane unit, meaning boost is controlled not by a wastegate but by adjusting the position of the turbo’s vanes. For more boost they’re closed up; for less they’re opened slightly to allow more exhaust gas to escape straight into the exhaust.

The compact iBoost turbo unit lives below and behind the Rocket’s gargantuan inline triple. Even with a relatively conservative 8 psi of boost, it turns the volume all the way up to 203 horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque.

Olson fitted the compact turbo beneath the huge engine, where it’s barely visible at first glance. His kit includes everything needed to get the bike running with “about a day’s work for a typical owner,” according to Olson. Besides the unit itself there’s a special aluminum airbox, a stainless steel exhaust system and a boost computer to monitor the fuel-injection system.

The Triumph’s burly bottom end, lightly stressed in stock form, is more than capable of handling the extra performance, Olson says. His only strengthening mod is to fit stiffer clutch springs, included in the kit. Even so, lever action is surprisingly light as I climb aboard and press the starter button, setting the motor alight with a slightly high idle and a deep and very loud burble from the slash-cut silencer.

If my first impression is of how docile and normal the turbo-Rocket feels as I maneuver it from a parking lot out onto the street, the second is exactly the opposite—because this bike is just crazy fast.

From a walking pace in first gear, a crack of the throttle has the front wheel leaping into the air in a way no long-wheelbase, 803-pound motorcycle has a right to. This bike is way quicker off the mark than the standard Rocket, itself one of the world’s hardest-launching street-legal motorcycles.

Equally impressive, the engine doesn’t suffer from turbo-lag. The iBoost’s design, doubtless helped by Olson’s plumbing experience, has virtually eliminated lag. Boost is always available to send the bike rocketing forward at the touch of the throttle. That awesome, 200-plus peak horsepower is produced at 5500 rpm, with maximum torque arriving at just 3750. Those numbers come at higher points on the scale than the standard Rocket’s peak numbers, but the blown bike’s curve is far higher along the chart from just off idle all the way to the 6500-rpm rev limit.

And it certainly feels that way. From almost any engine speed, hard acceleration results in a riot of blurred scenery and frantic gear-changing to avoid running out of revs. The roar from the slash-cut pipe makes it feel even faster. The drainpipe-like, 90mm-diameter tailpipe comes standard with the kit, but Olson offers a quieter unit if requested.

This black bike’s flyscreen and stepped Corbin seat aren’t included in the kit, but I was glad of the way they kept me aboard as the Rocket demolished every vehicle it encountered on the straight roads in and around Daytona. Having the aerodynamics of a small building doesn’t matter when you’ve got this much power at the end of the cable.

Olson left the Triumph’s chassis standard, which isn’t a problem. The Rocket stays plenty stable under ultra-hard acceleration, even while cranked over on the few fast corners I find. Thankfully, the bike’s triple-disc brakes aren’t fazed by all that speed and weight. And the fat rear Metzeler does a pretty good job of putting power to the ground. Rubber and fuel costs would be considerable if this bike was used as its maker intends. But at least the kit’s $5395 price is reasonable.

My test ride was relatively short, which is probably just as well given this bike’s performance and my previous dealings with the Florida Highway Patrol. But the memory of the Turbo Rocket will linger long.

DUCATI used the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show, held at Birmingham’s NEC, to launch their three new models to the UK, the Ducati Monster S2R1000, the Paul Smart 1000 Limited Edition and the Sport 1000.
And popular British manufacturers Triumph launched the eagerly awaited Daytona 675 Triple, the Rocket III Classic and the new Scrambler, a modern take on a classic bike.

Several big names in the world of biking have visited the show so far including current World Superbike champion Troy Corser and former champion James Toseland.

Visitors to the show, which is held in association with the Sun newspaper, can also enjoy a selection of new interactive features including the opportunity to test out a host of new bikes for free.

And this weekend, the MCN Race Paddock will host the Eurosport Moto GP weekend live from Valencia.

The International Motorcycle and Scooter Show is on at Birmingham’s NEC until Sunday, November 6. For more information on the show visit www.motorcycleshow.co.uk. Tickets are available on the door priced at £15 for adults, £5 for children and OAPs and £35 for a family ticket.

The A5012 Via Gellia road also had a starring role at the show as part of a stand highlighting the dangers of speeding.

A giant poster of the road, which runs from Newhaven to Cromford, was used by the Midlands Safety Camera Partnership’s stand as part of a reconstruction of a crash scene. The stand also featured a crashed bike and torn leathers.

The road was chosen because of the number of accidents that have happened there involving motorcycles.

Rebecca Hampson, of Derbyshire Safety Camera Partnership, part of the Midlands Safety Camera Partnership, said: “We’re pleased to be able to use a Derbyshire road to highlight the dangers of speeding at such a well-known international event.

“Many bikers who visit the show will recognise the Via Gellia and we hope that our stand will make them think about their speed the next time they use the road, and other roads across the country.”

Written by Louise Bellicoso louise.bellicoso@buxtonadvertiser.co.uk for Buxton Today

DUCATI used the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show, held at Birmingham’s NEC, to launch their three new models to the UK, the Ducati Monster S2R1000, the Paul Smart 1000 Limited Edition and the Sport 1000.
And popular British manufacturers Triumph launched the eagerly awaited Daytona 675 Triple, the Rocket III Classic and the new Scrambler, a modern take on a classic bike.

Several big names in the world of biking have visited the show so far including current World Superbike champion Troy Corser and former champion James Toseland.

Visitors to the show, which is held in association with the Sun newspaper, can also enjoy a selection of new interactive features including the opportunity to test out a host of new bikes for free.

And this weekend, the MCN Race Paddock will host the Eurosport Moto GP weekend live from Valencia.

The International Motorcycle and Scooter Show is on at Birmingham’s NEC until Sunday, November 6. For more information on the show visit www.motorcycleshow.co.uk. Tickets are available on the door priced at £15 for adults, £5 for children and OAPs and £35 for a family ticket.

The A5012 Via Gellia road also had a starring role at the show as part of a stand highlighting the dangers of speeding.

A giant poster of the road, which runs from Newhaven to Cromford, was used by the Midlands Safety Camera Partnership’s stand as part of a reconstruction of a crash scene. The stand also featured a crashed bike and torn leathers.

The road was chosen because of the number of accidents that have happened there involving motorcycles.

Rebecca Hampson, of Derbyshire Safety Camera Partnership, part of the Midlands Safety Camera Partnership, said: “We’re pleased to be able to use a Derbyshire road to highlight the dangers of speeding at such a well-known international event.

“Many bikers who visit the show will recognise the Via Gellia and we hope that our stand will make them think about their speed the next time they use the road, and other roads across the country.”

Written by Louise Bellicoso louise.bellicoso@buxtonadvertiser.co.uk for Buxton Today