Triumph Daytona 660 Review: A Good First Big Bike? | RideTo

Outgrown your 125 and wondering what comes next? In this Triumph Daytona 660 review, Laura, who has ridden across 39 countries, spent several days and around 400 miles on the 2026 bike, from rush hour traffic to the South Downs and the Cotswolds.

Her verdict? It's far friendlier for beginners than it looks.

Key specs

• Price: from £8,995
• Power: 94bhp (95PS) from a 660cc triple, with a 12,650rpm redline
• A2 compatible: an official restriction kit is available through authorised Triumph dealers
• Weight and seat height: 201kg wet, 810mm seat
• Rider aids: Triumph Shift Assist quickshifter (up and down) as standard, plus Road, Rain and Sport modes with switchable traction control
• Ownership: two-year unlimited-mileage warranty, and a service every 10,000 miles or 12 months

Why the Daytona 660 suits riders stepping up

Laura’s first impression is that Triumph has got the proportions right. It looks sporty without looking ridiculously aggressive, and it’s big enough to feel like a proper upgrade from a 125 or a 400 without being a massive bike. It comes in cosmic yellow, aluminium silver and sapphire black.

The 660cc triple makes 94hp (95PS) at 11,250rpm, and it sounds as good as a triple should. For 2026, Triumph Shift Assist is standard, so you get a clutchless quickshifter up and down the box plus an auto-blipper that rev-matches on downshifts. Laura says it’s one of those features you won’t want to give back.

On paper it weighs 201kg, which sounds like a lot coming off a 125, but she says it doesn’t feel that heavy once you’re moving. Comfort is where it surprised her most. She rode around 100 miles to the Cotswolds with no wrist or core pain and still had 100 miles home. She usually rides adventure bikes, and the Daytona has her wanting to ride more sports bikes. It handled rush hour, motorways and country lanes, and she calls it forgiving. If you’re moving up from a 125 or a 400, she thinks this is the bike for you.

Seat height is 810mm (31.9in). Laura is 5ft 4in with a 32in inseam, and her toes just about touched, with one heel down at a time. If you’re shorter, sit on one before you commit. It isn’t a tourer, but Triumph’s tail packs and tank bags mean it can handle longer trips as well as commutes.

Other reviewers broadly agree. Auto Trader rates the triple as more characterful and powerful than the parallel twins in rivals like the Yamaha R7 and Suzuki GSX-8R, and Infomoto praises the balance between comfort and sportiness. A fair counterpoint is that some reviewers see it as better suited to a second bike, because 94hp is a lot for a new rider. The smooth power delivery, Rain mode and switchable traction control make it more manageable than the figure suggests, but be honest with yourself about where you are as a rider.

Is the Triumph Daytona 660 good for A2 riders?

Yes, and it’s a big part of the appeal. With a dealer-fitted conversion kit, the Daytona drops from 94hp to 47hp, which keeps it within the A2 licence limit. You can ride A2 bikes from 19, and the kit can be removed again later, so the same bike can be your first and second big bike. One reviewer who rode both versions back to back found the restricted bike felt less compromised than you’d expect, because the torque character stays similar.

What Triumph skimped on

Laura spent days with the bike, so she found the small stuff. None of it is a dealbreaker, but it’s worth knowing about:

• The side stand catches on the foot peg and gets stuck on the top of her boot when she puts it down.
• The mirrors have no click stop, so folding them in means finding the right position again. She says it can add 30 seconds to a minute, and calls it the unicorn position.
• The turning circle isn’t huge, but on very tight roads, in London for example, expect a two or three point turn rather than one sweep.
• The indicator switch could do with more positive feedback.
• The dash is quick to start up and easy to switch between road, rain and sport. It’s also a half TFT, half LCD setup that other reviewers call a little primitive, and phone connectivity is an optional extra.

From ten feet away it looks like a supersport. Up close you can see where Triumph saved money, but Laura thinks that’s a fair trade at this price.

Daytona 660 price and rivals in 2026

The 2026 Daytona 660 costs £8,995, around £400 more than the 2025 model. For that you get fully adjustable Showa front suspension, which Laura notes lets you tailor the bike as you gain experience, plus Triumph Shift Assist as standard and a new Sapphire Black colour. Triumph also quotes a 10,000-mile service interval and a two-year unlimited-mileage warranty.

It sits alongside the Suzuki GSX-8R, Kawasaki Ninja 650 and Honda CBR650R. The Daytona is lighter than the Honda (201kg against 209kg), while the Suzuki has more torque (78Nm against 69Nm). The Yamaha R7 and Aprilia RS660 are more focused, which is why Laura puts them in a slightly different category. Her take on where the Daytona fits is that it gives you the sports bike experience without being so focused that you can’t enjoy it on the road.

So, should you buy one?

If you’ve ever been tempted by a sports bike but felt intimidated, the Daytona 660 is one of the friendliest ways in. It has approachable power, a standard quickshifter, comfort for 100 miles in one go, and is A2 compliant with a dealer-fit conversion kit for riders who aren’t ready for the full 94hp.

Whatever you opt to ride, make sure you’ve completed the right training and carry the right licence for your ride. If an A2 licence is your next step, you can find A2 licence training near you with RideTo and see how the Daytona fits your plans. Even better, opt for full licence training to get onto the Daytona 660 unrestricted.