Rules are made to be broken, so that’s exactly what Triumph did when they set about creating the Daytona 1200. Triumph were still pretty much a fledgling company in the early 90s, their range appealed more to my dad than it did me, maybe that’s why they ripped up the gentleman’s agreement that had restricted UK bound bikes to 125bhp.
By rights the Daytona 1200 should be a legend, prices for remaining bikes should be going up on a weekly basis and those with more money than sense would buy them to hang from the wall.
On that last point you might struggle, that’s because it weighs more than any ‘sports’ bike should. It’s bulk reminds me of a Honda VF1000R, it’s a huge bike. Enough of the history lesson, let’s get back to the here and now.
This bike is another example of a survivor bike. It’s now burning 23 candles on its cake, other than a few marks to the paint it’s actually in fine fettle. Could you imagine how a 23 year old ZZR-1100 might look now? This was a nine grand bike when it was new, anyone who moans that new bikes these days are too expensive should consider this fact. What I really like about this bike is the fact it’s only had two owners, the first chap owned it for exactly 20 years. Since it changed hands it’s been used on the road for a few years and then left to rest again.
What’s next for this lump of British beef? Well who knows. It could be yours! It’s up for sale, asking price is £1,995. Get in touch for more details.
