Triumph Daytona 1200

Passed on my 3rd ZZR1100 with a view to kind of ' move on' from biking. This Triumph Daytona 1200 suddenly appeared, a red one. There was no finger waggling over the buy it button, no hesitancy or think about it process.. Just buy it which I did, no haggling.. Looked better in reality than the pics. There nothing else that looks like it, the paint is thick and deep, build quality is awesome, just looking at the kick plates says it all, and the engine finish is superb,and the seat cowl finishes the lines off perfectly.

Firing it up I was aware the engine sound is a tad unrefined, minor issue, because up to now there is nothing else, except maybe warms up quickly in town. Quick off the mark, nice tall 1st gear and pulls all the way exactly like a ZZR1100. I have heard people talk a little about being top heavy, doesn't bother me and is easily a better handling bike at speed than it should be, surprisingly nimble and flickable. The brakes are superb, nice pressure on the lever, responsive to gentle one or two finger pressure. Remarkably comfortable too, I am 6ft and it has a perfect reach to the bars which are slightly wider than a ZZR, which I like.If you see one of these and you are looking for one, and it is looked after, don't hesitate, it's a brilliant bike in all areas, you will not be disappointed. They can only go up in value now, mine cost me 2200..!?!?...

Reliable engine runs well now done 53,000 miles from new.Replaced camchain at 50,000 miles now runs with no rattling.The only thing which is a pain is changing the air filter and taking the air box off . It’s a fun bike to ride I fitted SP exhausts which make it sound great .The bike goes fast and is comfortable to ride ,I’ve fitted straight bars .So the riding position is more upright.

Parts are easy to find still , there is no storage space under the seat you can buy a small rack for the back so there is not a lot of options for storage..

You can buy soft luggage and a tank bag,the bike has 6 gears you can run along at 60 mph at around 4,000 revs in 6th gear.

Been riding this bike now 11 years it has only let me down once when the pick up coil packed up.

Other than that it starts first time every time.

Having ridden all of my life and at 67 years of age, I have been on many different bikes (Japanese, British, Italian, American, Etc.). I currently own an 08 HD Heritage Softail for most of my riding and long trips. I also own two Triumphs. A 98 T595 955cc Daytona (my ex Road Race bike), and a 96 Daytona 1200. I cannot say enough about the British bikes. Although, I am in love with all of my bikes, My 1200 Daytona is uniquely special to me. The bike is extremely well built and perhaps, a bit over engineered. The motor is quite strong with "electric" like power (which is addicting!) I consider the bike a tad to heavy for track day use but for street touring, it is perfect. On back road "twisties" the bike is OK. It is vibration free, and although mine is completely stock, it sounds great! My age is requiring me to raise the bars a bit so I am in process of locating a set of Heli-bars for it. Other than that, I would not change a thing.

There are not many of these bikes around. If you happen to see one in reasonable shape, I strongly urge you to snap it up. I have owned about a dozen modern Triumphs. This includes two Daytona 955's, a Sprint RS, a couple of Rocket 3's, a Daytona Speed 3, and my most recent Triumph acquisition, the Daytona 1200. It is a great bike to add to the collection. As "Mikey" says.... "try it..., you'll like it!

First saw a Daytona 1200 in the Lake Windemere motor museum of all places a couple of years ago and thought it was gorgeous....at the time i had a FZR100O EXUP but decided to sell it the following year and try find a Daytona...Got a good one on ebay eventually that had just been serviced with complete history for under 2 grand.....black and mint condition with 26k on the clock...i can honestly say i will never sell it because i have owned several bikes including the newer Daytona 955i which has no where near the grunt or build quality of its bigger brother...

Everything about it is solid and its better looking in the flesh instead of the other way round which can be said for other bikes when viewing magazines....it pulls like a train but does not feel as buzzy as jap fours which makes it more relaxing to ride...i easily get 40mpg which can go up to nearer 50 if keeping to speed limits which is not easy as power is addictive...only downsides are i had to fit an extension foot on sidestand as i felt it was too short and bike is very top heavy which can be dodgy when reversing it into garage....am now looking for a red one so i have a pair...

I changed up from a crappy year old BMW 1200 RS, full of problems, to my Triumph Daytona 1000 and a few weeks later 1200( crank swap) in jan 1992, when the BMW broke down once more. I happened to be outside the Triumph main dealership and swopped bikes there and then.

Now 21 years and 298000 km latter,the Daytona still makes me smile.It has been a very happy life togaether, my only complain beeing its appetite for rear break pada and tires. An to be honest its in better condition than i am.

Had to lower the footpegs, raise the clip ons.....Its a beautifull cruiser able to eat km after kn with astonishing ease. Been all over Europe,even to Nord Kapp, a long jorney from my residence in Athens Greece. No reliability problems, because beeing an engineer i follow the rule, if its not broke dot touch it. Perphars the carbs are getting a bit old and rattly , but Jap parts were never designed to live more than forthnight. i have adjusted shims twice i think in all, changed cluch plates once, brushes on starter and alternator. oh yes and its on the 3rd set of chain and sprokets. i think it will outlive me by far. Well done Lads over there at Hickney

I have my 1996 1200cc Triumph Daytona since 2000. I bought it new, it was stored in a garage, full of dust in its original packaging, nobody wanted the bike just because of its big size, extreme power and weight !!!

It is a fine example of the late British industry, with a modern contemporary design, still nowadays.

Few of these bikes are now on the road, I always find enthusiastic comments from the side cars on the road and oldtimers Triumph followers whenever I go.

The Daytona is a pure racer,it is fast, realible, steady, has power when you call for it, a pleasure to drive on the road, and the foremost topic: it is not japanese, it is english; it has a special flavour and in some way it represents the history of the british motorcycle industry: people recognize it when look at it on the road.

And it engine sound is remarkable, specially the typical valves noise.

Few points against the design: it is heavy for the daily use in town, it used to be heat in summer on the city and a better back brake would be welcome, but that´s all; the quality of materials and construction is almost perfect, a great bike to use and preserve for a lifetime, easy for maintenance, parts are now discontinued and rather expensive but could still be found in UK suppliers.

It is going to be a classic in the near future; a last advice: if you find one in good conditions, do not let it pass, just buy it !!!!

2011 I spent UK1200 pounds on a 50,000 mile, 1995 Daytona 1200. After small trips for 1st year I travelled on it for 2 months From England to France, Spain, Italy, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and back through Germany, Holland, Belgium. A total of 7,500 miles. Quite comfortable, perfect on the motorways, cruises at 120mph with lots of low end power/torque, fun on the bends and hills and a great conversation starter at the side of the road.

Problems arose with the immobiliser and the Battery, both just worn out and were removed/replaced en-route.

For the price you get a real bargain and she handles the Eastern European roads (patch upon patch and pot holes) with ease. Used fabric bags for touring, unable to find any hard cases for security but I rarely left the bike unnatended, and if I did just leave it in a town by a coffee-shop.

Awesome bike for the price. Now approaching 65000 miles I am hearing problems with valves and it might be time for a new Head, I don't know the previous owners neglected the valve clearances but its been shimmed twice in the last year.

I think I will spend a little money and have it done because I like the bike so much!

Bought my 1200SE to ride from LA to New York in 2006. Fell for it in a big way and will never sell it. Whenever I have an MOT or Tire change it always pulls complements and a common phrase, "sadly, they don't make um like this anymore!"

It's big, fast, British and you don't see many about these days. Yeah, it's old technology, but solid and very well built. Find one, buy it and cherish it!

In 1993, I traded my 92 Soft tail custom on the "new" Triumph Daytona 1200 on the basis of a test ride on the 1200 Trophy. I suggested to the dealer that I would like a bit more poke. He produced a brochure describing the upcoming new, 147 HP Daytona to be released in Australia "soon" . I was taken by the bright yellow paint and promising performance details. Besides, it looked great! After three months wait and the boredom of a BMW loan bike the Daytona finally arrived. I was not dissappointed at all. I still own this bike and have only once been tempted to part with it (on a Rocket 111) but resisted the temptation. In slow traffic, particularly in Summer, the Daytona can run hot, but commuting was not what the designers had in mind! BUT this high temperature situation led to the malfunction of the coils which are located right above the head with only a minimal amount of insulation provided. A faulty / non factory replacements provided by the dealership led to some heated discussions and finally a factory coil. This solved the problem. I have had to replace a coil twice, the first after about 5 years and again after about another 6 years. Be aware that the coil problem manifests itself almost like a fuel problem in that it doesn't just cease to work. It feels and sounds just like blocked jet. I have had to replace the rear disc and the fronts are getting close to limits of wear now (not bad for over 15 years hard use!) The brakes do have to work hard as this is a comparitively heavy bike. I am 6'2" and this thing fits me like a glove. Handling is pretty good but I would class it as a very fast tourer but, owing to the hippy nature of the rear high density plastic panels (no cheap fibreglass here!) throw over bags will wear the paint on the contact areas. I do not like the weight distribution anomalies resulting from rear rack use, although they are available for the Daytona. The panel work is of high density material which is flexible to a degree as is the paint, this allows minor bumps and indiscetions to be painless. I have never dropped this bike but BE AWARE the sidestand is a shocker and will let the bike fall over if you do not make sure it is on the flat. hard and level. There is no centre stand. The speedo can be a bit "cluttered" as there are a lot of numbers and it can be difficult to get a glance indication. A minor sweep of the needle can cover 10 klmh. I have recently installed a custom 4 into one pipe with removeable baffle, removed the airbox, rejetted and fitted foam pod filters and dyno tuned. This has resulted in significant performance gains and it sounds great!! like two Ducatis going hard. On board the inlet sounds are magnificent and stir the soul!! These machines are really collectable as they mark the new Triumph's first foray into real performance motorcycles. They did it well, with the companies growing reputation on the line they could not afford a lemon so took every precaution to ensure a reliable, attractive package. Would I sell mine...no, I love it !

Beautiful motorcycle right to the last screw almost Rolls Royce quality, solid, built to last. Mine is twelve years old and it still looks new and goes like a rocket. Very collectable and at the moment under priced but will go up rapidly.