2008 Triumph Daytona 675 | Conformity Killer

Sick bike…but what is it?” While you might immediately recognize the distinctive lines of this bike as a Triumph Daytona 675, believe it or not, the aforementioned phrase is often the first thing Chad Fowler hears when onlookers see his trick triple at shows across the country. When Fowler approached his best friend Jonathon Martin, owner of Myrtle West, with the idea of building something different, little did he know that the shop would create a bike so atypical that many aren’t even sure what they’re looking at.

“It’s funny, I thought most people knew what a Triumph Daytona was, but many have no idea, some get it confused with a Honda because of the under-seat pipe,” Martin said.

There may be some bewilderment as to the identity of this unique beast, but there’s certainly no confusing the fact this Triumph is simply badass. 

“When Chad asked for something unique he thought we might build him a literbike or maybe even a V-twin sportbike, but when I told him I wanted to construct a Triumph he almost didn’t believe me,” Martin said.

But believe he did, as Myrtle West found a damaged ’08 Daytona and quickly rescued it from the grave. Instead of just repairing the damage and building upward from there, the team stripped the English-built sportbike down to its core.

“The bike was torn down and the frame and many other parts were sent off for paint and powder coat. Doing so adds another dimension to the build and even greater detail overall,” Martin said.

Much of the bike was damaged, even the exterior of the motor was roached, but it eventually found salvation through elbow grease and paintwork. Instead of polishing it back into line, Myrtle West revived, painted and cleared the case covers and even the seldom-seen valve cover (we checked for ourselves and it is, in fact, painted). After the heart was fixed, the soul was addressed,and a 10-inch over 330mm tire found its way into place.

“A wide-tire Triumph is just plain different, so we had Ryan Smalls design a custom arm that looked best at 10-over with a 330 tire,” Martin said. The Triumph is just unique enough from the typical Japanese bikes that it made construction tricky at first, but Ryan eventually killed it with the finished piece,” he added.

The long-arm was blanketed with satin-black paint to match the rest of the scheme and treated to custom striping and ball-end machine work to add to the old-school appeal. Much like the bodywork paint which is OG fresh, the painted arm stands as further proof that flat black can be a hellacious hue when done well.

“We wanted a throw-back design with flat paint, panels, pin-striping and a little machine work, but when our welder, Ryan Smalls and our painter, Jimmy Jackson, returned with the current design, it was perfect,” Martin said. “Flat black can be hard since it can quickly become too much, but the panels and other details break it up nicely,” he added.

Proper paint and a detailed motor lead to a nice stance and wild wheels. The rollers are none other than Myrtle West “Nasty” multi-piece wheels in a distinctive 18x3.5” front and 18x10.5” rear. Unlike more common one-piece designs, these hoops are made up of multiple pieces for an intricate look only a wheel of this stature can reflect. The multi-spokers set the rest of the sinister details into motion and the 18” front hoop is a nice touch not often seen in the sea of seventeen’s.

“We had to design a new hub for the front wheel that matched our in-house wheels since the stock Triumph unit is unlike anything else on the market, we also had to modify the fender since the taller front wheel didn’t work with the stock one,” Martin said

The front forks were dissembled, painted and then slid into Myrtle West chrome triple trees to achieve the slammed stance. Out back, custom Myrtle West lowering links did the trick and again proved that this Hinckley-built Brit marches to its own beat.

“There were lots of small details that are unique to Triumphs, like different bolts, fasteners and unique ways it (Triumph) went about building its bikes,” Martin said.

The exhaust note was also changed. “A factory Triumph Race exhaust was used, but we polished it for a unique look and a Dynojet PCV was used for the fueling–this bike sounds killer and it rips, I was surprised,” Martin said.

Furthering the notion that quality is in the details, Myrtle West ceramic coated the factory headers and painted or chromed dozens of small finishing pieces like the switch covers, levers, rearsets, bar ends, gas cap, block-offs and other deal-sealing additions.

What certainly isn’t hard to miss is the custom nitrous bracket and chrome bottle for those evenings the owner really wants to lay it down.

“We nicknamed the bike ‘Oh Boy’ because we’re known to get wild when we go out and at some point during every night, usually before it hits the fan, somebody yells those two words,” Martin said. “The first time we rode this Triumph and realized how mean it was and how well it handled, somebody yelled ‘Oh Boy,’ because it gets crazy with a quickness,” Martin added.

Truer words have never been spoken because from the throw-back paint and wild multi-piece wheels to the slammed stance with it’s custom 10-over swingarm and 330 wheel this Triumph screams “original.” Sometimes it takes a wild bunch to shake things up and this Myrtle West creation is proof that when British engineering meets American ingenuity it makes for one wicked ride.

2008 Triumph Daytona 675 Front End: 18” Myrtle West “Nasty” wheel, chrome triple trees ,stainless steel brake line, Avon tire
Rear End: 18” Myrtle West “Nasty” wheel, 10”-over 330 swingarm, stainless steel brake line, lowering links, Metezler 330 tire, Vortex sprockets
Motor: Polished Triumph Race exhaust, Dynojet PCV, K&N air filter, ceramic coated headers, chrome Myrtle West nitrous bracket and bottle
Paint: Jimmy Jackson and Ryan Smalls
Accessories: Puig smoked windscreen, Myrtle West mirror block-offs, bar-ends, billet grips, spikes and reservoir caps, painted gas cap and rearsets, painted fork legs and lowers, chrome OEM levers, pillion pegs, caliper and rotor, painted and clear-coated valve- and engine-covers, smoked headlights and taillight
Owner: Chad Fowler
Builder: Myrtle West Cycles