Triumph Daytona 955i

Err, yeah, maybe...the newy could be accused of being a bit close to the FireBlade when seen from direct-into-the-headlight. But no other angle.

Settle with the Daytona for a little while, preferably over a glass of your favourite giggle-juice, and you notice some nice things. Like the weird curve to the top of the fuel tank, or the colour-matched rear wheel hugger, or the fact it says Triumph.

The nervy short-stroke triple noise is there, gone are the odd but harmless clanks from the earlier bike, and there is a seriously demonic induction howl from under the tank when you get up it for the rent. Call it anything you like, but Daytona ownership is not dull.

Tall in the seat, the Dayt has serious performance at pretty well any stage of the rev-counter when compared to its sports bike peers. Not the sharpest crayon in the box at the upper end, but more than ample.

In stock form it tips into corners a little slow - something some careful chassis tuning could fix - but is super stable and has equal-to-best-in-class suspension. Really. As a road or track bike, you would be challenged to find something more user-friendly. Same thing goes for the all-important front brakes. They're four-piston items that have been on the sharp end of sport Triumphs for a while and are equal to anything out there when it comes to power and feel.

A slick addition to the Australian Motorcyle Trader long-term bike I rode recently is the accessory sport saddlebags, which come with sidecover-protectors. Cute, and unique. They're no good with pillions, but if carrying pillions was on your agenda you bought the wrong motorcycle. Get a Sprint ST.