The 2014 Triumph Daytona 250
It's no secret that Triumph has been developing a new single-cylinder machine to target the booming Asian motorcycle market and also capture new riders in developed markets. We pretty sure you seen some spy shots on some Internet forums of a naked single a few months back. Now you can find spy pictures of the fully faired sports model that will be the flagship of Triumph's entry level lightweight motorcycle line-up.Following the pattern established with its 675cc triples, Triumph is developing both a naked 'Street Single' and a faired 'Daytona 250.' Aside from bodywork and riding position, expect the two motorcycles to be identical under the plastic. Technically, both follow the layout of the motorcycle Triumph sees as its main rival: The Honda CBR250R. That means a tubular-steel chassis with a simple, box-section swingarm and an all-new, DOHC, liquid-cooled, 250cc single-cylinder engine for power.
Expect between 25 to 30 horsepower, and a last-minute capacity hike to match Honda's recently announced CBR300R can't be ruled out either. Suspension will be simple and cheap – getting these motorcycles down to Honda CBR250R cost parity will be vital to their success.
The Triumph 250cc project represents more than just another new model for Triumph; it represents the start of a plan that, if successful, will transform the firm. These new singles won't be built in Britain, or even Triumph's facility in Thailand, but in a new factory in Karnataka, India, instead. Once fully online, Triumph expects to produce around 300,000 motorcycles per year at its Indian factory – six times the output of the company's current British and Thai factories combined. While the majority of that extra volume will do directly into the India market, the new Triumph singles are intended to appear in dealers all around the world – so will will see them in Thailand as well...
