New Triumph Daytona 660 vs Kawasaki Ninja 650 — Spec check

The 600cc class was once the middleweight segment when sportbikes such as the Yamaha R6, CBR 600 RR, Kawasaki ZX-6R and others ruled the segment. Now, with most of them gone, the 600 to 650cc class has become a good stepping point for most who want a sensible motorcycle to use for daily commutes and long rides.

Sport tourers have also become common and the most popular in the segment is the Kawasaki Ninja 650, which offers all the sportbike looks but with an easy riding posture. Now, threat comes in the way of a name that was a potent track-focused motorcycle — the Daytona, but the 660.

Triumph Daytona 660 vs Kawasaki Ninja 650 — Design and features

The Triumph Daytona name returns with the 660 platform which consists of the Trident and the Tiger Sport 660. The Daytona 660 is a fully-faired motorcycle with clip-ons but offers a slightly relaxed seating position. The Daytona 660 is a sport tourer, suspended on USD forks, a monoshock at the rear, 17-inch wheels, a TFT dash, disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS and more.

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 also follows the overall approach of the Daytona of being a sport tourer but gets a slightly more aggressive design borrowed from its larger Ninja siblings. The Ninja 650 gets telescopic forks, a monoshock at the rear, 17-inch wheels, TFT dash with phone connectivity, and more. In terms of equipment and features, the Daytona is better equipped.

Triumph Daytona 660 vs Kawasaki Ninja 650 — Engine specifications

Both motorcycles have multi-cylinder engines. The Daytona 660 uses an in-line triple while the Ninja uses an in-line twin. The Triumph Daytona has the displacement and horsepower advantage over the Ninja 650, while the Japanese machine has a marginal weight advantage over the Daytona.