Triumph's stunning Daytona 675 has been awarded Australian Motorcycle News' 2006 Motorcycle of the Year (MOTY).

The esteemed publication announced the winner at last week's Sydney Motorcycle Show, and here's what AMCN editor Mick Matheson had to say about the 675: "Triumph has built a bike that not only tackles the Supersport class head-on, with excellent handling and good looks, it has done it with a bike that has several points of difference that help it stand out.

"The 675's three-cylinder engine is a gem, and its state of tune, with additional midrange power, is much more suited to real-world riding than the bikes it competes against. And it is slightly cheaper than its direct rivals, too."

"We knew from past 600-class models that Triumph could build a great Sportsbike chassis. All it needed was the right engine, and by reverting to the what it knows best - the three-cylinder powerplant - Triumph came up with an extraordinarily good Supersport machine. With its 675cc capacity, you can look at it as a rule breaker or rule maker, but either way it works extremely well."

The Daytona 675 outscored Suzuki's GSX-R1000 and Benelli's TNT in the final MOTY adjudication, becoming the first Triumph to win the prestigious 17-year-old award.

The MOTY award follows on from the Daytona 675 also winning Two Wheels Bike of the Year, which was announced at a gala presentation during the Melbourne Motorcycle Expo on October 5.

Further, the Daytona 675 is expected to figure prominently in this year's International Bike of the Year award, which is voted on by 15 magazines around the globe, including Australian Motorcycle News (AMCN). The winner will be announced in the next issue of AMCN, which goes on sale on November 29.

The $14,890 (plus ORC) Daytona 675 is available in Tornado Red, Graphite Grey or Scorched Yellow.

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