The supersports segment has seemed all but dead for a while now. The Yamaha R6 is only a track bike, you can’t buy a Honda CBR600RR in Europe, and Triumph's Daytona Moto2 was a limited-run affair that bowed out some time ago. But Triumph’s previous supersports bike, the Daytona 675, looks set to gain a spiritual successor of sorts, and it’s coming from China.
CFMoto recently revealed a disguised motorcycle at the Zhuzhou International Circuit-hosted CFMoto day, dubbed 675SR. And yes, it involves an inline-triple-powered supersports bike displacing 675cc.
Triumph is thought to be bringing back the Daytona name, but it’ll be for a 660cc-based machine based around the guts of the Trident 660, and it’ll be a more relaxed affair than the old Daytona, with the aim of pinching Honda CBR650R sales.
So, could the CFMoto 675SR be more of a Daytona than the new Daytona? We’ll have to wait and see, but it sounds awfully promising. Details are thin on the ground, but CFMoto has at least said it’ll make 74lb ft of torque per litre, which works out at around 50lb ft - just shy of what the old Daytona 675 managed.
CFMoto does buy-in engine designs - it has multiple bikes powered by a unit derived from the Kawasaki ER-6’s - but this looks to be a fresh one. Patents uncovered earlier this year suggested the parallel twin from the CFMoto 450SR has been expanded with additional capacity and an extra cylinder to create the new lump.
Miss the old Triumph Dayona 675 (above)? CFMoto has something right up your street
The only other thing we have to go on is CFMoto’s description of the bike, noting a “monstrous delivery to the rear wheel” which is “accompanied by other first-class features when it comes to brakes, chassis, equipment, design and all aspects needed for a thrilling ride on the road and a sharp tool for the track.”
Development is presumably at a fairly advanced stage, given that the bike was seen lapping Zhuzhou circuit at the event. Watch this space.
