Triumph Daytona 600?

[Calkins]

Hello all!  Glad to be here, and looking forward to start down the road racing path!

I grew up in the drag racing (four wheeled) environment, and never really had motor bikes on my wish list.  I married young, made my babies, and divorced soon after.  This is when my best friend blew my mind with a copy of "On Any Sunday" on VHS.  It has been all down hill from there!  I was 25 at the time, I think, and within a month, I owned three motor bikes!  Flat track soon became a huge passion of mine (and still is), and I even owned a TT500 flat tracker at one point.  As fate would have it, I sold the bike one week prior to my first race.  So, as you can see, I am still alive!!!

Flash forward a few years, and I met my friend, and current CCS member, Ralph Longus.  I have only (personally) known him for a few years now, but the man is the poster child for everything cool in the world!  Just two weeks ago, Ralph, our friend Jim, and yours truly returned from the Bonneville Salt Flats.  Ralph was able to get his 150mph license on his street ridden Buell 1125R.  In the past few months, I have been picking his mind about this road racing stuff.  Boy, is he a salesmen or what!!??  Now I have to do this deal too!

So, here I am, all 33 years of me, Triumph lover and all (I have the ink to prove it!).  I am looking for a 2004 Triumph Daytona 600 to get started on.  Sure, I would love a 675, I just do not have that budget yet.  Is there any of the follow forum members that have raced a TT600, Daytona 600, or Daytona 650 in the past or even currently?  I have been looking across the interweb for anything track bike related for these scooters, without much luck.  I am planning on running some track days in street trim at first, then slowly convert it to full on track bike.

[dpelt73]

I work at a triumph dealer and the Daytona 600's and speed fours were in an era when triumphs throttle bodies and fueling was not very good. Anytime they come in we have running problems with them. If you can find one that's in good shape, plan on getting it tuned properly first. Look into an sv650 if you're on a budget. And good luck!

[Calkins]

I am only looking to buy a Triumph.  But, my buddy who is going to do this deal too, only wants a SV650.  He used to take his TL1000R to track bikes when he was younger.  We both decided that the 600 class bikes are where we need to start out at, for now.

[Zaph]

If you buy a Daytona 600, you might spend more money than a 675 just getting it to perform decently at the track.  The 675 was such a significantly better bike.  What can we do to talk you out of that 600?  The suspension sucks and it is generally considered the worst 600 made in that generation.  Triumph was a failure at sportbikes until they finally came out with the 675 in 2006.

You can find a track only 675 1st generation for pretty cheap if you look around.  2nd gen is more robust if you can find one priced right.

(All IMHO)

[schwags13]

If you buy a Daytona 600, you might spend more money than a 675 just getting it to perform decently at the track.  The 675 was such a significantly better bike.  What can we do to talk you out of that 600?  The suspension sucks and it is generally considered the worst 600 made in that generation.  Triumph was a failure at sportbikes until they finally came out with the 675 in 2006.

You can find a track only 675 1st generation for pretty cheap if you look around.  2nd gen is more robust if you can find one priced right.

(All IMHO)

I'd echo zaph. Go to www.triumph675.net There's plenty of track/race ready bikes for sale that show up. Happy hunting and welcome to the addiction!

[Calkins]

Believe me, I want to be on a 675, bad.  The initial bike purchase is what kills me.  There are a few D600s in my area that are $2000-$2500.  That gets me off my cruiser and onto a sport bike.  That extra grand or two for an early D675 takes the rest of my funds for gear and such.  I haven't bought a bike yet, and won't until late winter or spring.  So, I have time to shop.

[Zaph]

Fair enough, with that kind of a budget.  You can't even get a Ninja 300 for that kind of money.  If that were my budget though, I would be all over a 2003-2005 SV650.

[Calkins]

I have an update, or rather a late update.  Last weekend my daughters and I picked up a new project.  It was a Craig's List find, a 599cc 2006 Triumph Speed Four for $1375.  The seller and the previous owner could not get it to run properly.  It had water and mud in the spark plug tubes, rusty and sooted up spark plugs, cracked vacuum lines, and two plugged fuel injectors.  The seller decided he needed to replace hard parts instead of doing a tune...


So, I now have a cheap track day bike for next year.  I am still looking for a 2000 Triumph TT600 to go with the S4.

[britx303]

Well it is just club racing so . Now go have fun on it