1993 Triumph Dayona 1200
Miles: 17,420
Clean Nevada Title
Listed Price: $9,200
In the early 1990s, “literbikes” were more gran turismo than outright sportbike, with 750cc machines representing the premier class for four-stroke performance in World Superbike racing. The Triumph Daytona 1200 was no exception, powered by a honking big 1180cc inline-four engine and six-speed gearbox with gentleman’s express quality and character. To be fair, even its little brother with a 900cc triple was trying to carve its own niche, rather than compete directly against the Japanese sportbikes of the period. The entire range of Triumphs from the reborn company were built around a modular range of engines and frames that allowed to company to easily and affordably produce new models, but this also meant the individual bikes would never be as highly developed and refined as machines produced by the larger, more financially stable Japanese companies. Instead, Triumph produced bikes like the new Daytona, devoid of boy-racer graphics, with more reasonable ergonomics and higher build quality to appeal to a very different sort of rider.
This Hard-to-Find Classic – For the True Rider
If you know, you know. This is one of those bikes that rarely pops up, and when it does, it doesn’t last long. One of 20 to leave the factory in Triumph race yellow, out of a total production run of only 300 Daytona’s that year. Imported in 1993 a rare 1200cc four designed to compete with the likes of the ZX-11, GSX-R1100.
It’s been taken care of properly from nose to tail, valve lash checks to suspension servicing, brakes ect, not abused, and it shows. Starts right up, rides smooth, and still has that raw character you just don’t get with newer machines.
Not in a rush to sell. Looking for someone who will appreciate what it is. $9200 cash/obo.
I was excited to trip over this listing, as I’m a fan of these early Triumph Daytona 1200s although the seller seems to be suffering a bit from “I know what I got.” He is correct that these are very rare, but recent examples have sold for well below his asking price. Still, even at $9,200, this is a pretty rare and surprisingly competent bit of two-wheeled kit, with good build quality, handsome looks, decent ergonomics, and mile-munching performance from that big inline-four engine. Note also that the odometer appears to read in kilometers, indicating that this is likely a grey market import, if that’s a concern for you.
-tad
