I rode the 885 Tiger last year in a test ride and was quite taken with in. Almost bought it, but a deal on a Sprint ST came up which I couldn't resist. Still have a desire for a big trallie big and the Tiger, and am considering changing the Sprint ST for the new 955i Tiger. Very interested to hear what the new 955i version is like. I've read that Triumph have done some changes to quieten the engine down and cure it of some of the rattles in the Tiger 955i. Whats the views/opinions from those that own one ?
I don't own one but I've been up test-riding it twice. It's very quiet but somehow has a very sexy audio tone, at least to my ear. Not much mechanical noise at all. And it's bloody smooth and very fun to ride. Lots of power. You'd better go ride one and report back. Baldy
Had my Tigger 955i for 2 months so far. Latest opinions are: Torque, torque and more torque Smooth Quiet (relocated starter and starter clutch now disengages) Footpegs down on every corner Brilliant suspenders for the shite UK roads Loads of carrying capacity Excellent pillion seat (from recent backseat reports) Centre stand fell off when the mounting bolt disappeared. Dropped it on the LHS when I left the disk lock on (DOH!) Gear lever now in MUCH better position Needs the crash bars from Jack Lilleys Replaced the clutch lever with one from a T595 (adjustable) with a little modification of the hand guard Scottoiler is a MUST ! 3,500 miles and counting Bloody marvellous bike. GET ONE ! Patman
So the remaining question is how well it will hold up over the long-term. When I read about how much trouble Dag Jensen has had with his (olde) Tiger in his world travels, I shuddered. Http://RocinantesTravels.com/pan-am/conclusion/conclusion.htm But I read one of his earlier installments and somehow he got saltwater in the engine due to improper shipping. Ack. That might do it for any engine. Once upon a time I ran across a site that did an expose' on a Triumph 955 engine with 100,000 miles and the internals showed no wear. But I can't find it on the web anymore. Baldy
Mmmmmm - all sounds good so far for the 955i. Its top in the ratings for my next bike I think. Another test ride is in order plus an operation to extend the legs to make me 6ft. What's the story regards luggage. I know GIVI does an adapter to allow you to fit a top box, but is there a kit to allow you to fit panniers ?
Triumph have put out, in cahoots with Givi, a full on pannier system. The problem is not one of them does an after market system specifically for the Tiger after 2000. It's either the Genuine system or nout. I reckon the cost is too mcuh and I'm worried about damaging those cute little panniers off road. So I set about getting a custom made set. Here goes, for a fraction of the price I had made, two extensions on either side which attached to existing holes and fixtures. One fixing point was the Rear Footpegs, another being the mid seat bolt hole, which is there for that purpose and the other, after a small incision on the rear seat frame. It takes about 5mins pers side to put on and/or take off. I got some fixing mushroom lugs and a locking clip from Givi. If you want pictures I can organise it. Also I bought a top plate to fix to the existing rack, atop is a Givi pannier. The total cost in Australian dollars is around AUS$1400 $1000 short of the Triumph quote.
What to do about wind protection? I've heard it's one of the downsides to the Tiger (as it is with the GS). Baldy
Have a 955i for 2 months now, traded in my '99 ZX-6R fot it. Fitted a GIVI topbox and took it to Germany to get proper rided-in. So far done 5500KM with it and sufferd from 2 problems and have 1 improvement action planned. Problems: - Oil leak at front sprocket (it's English isn't it?) - non starter as a result of a defect (all control lights OK, engine turned but no sparks) Improvement to be made: - bigger or smaller screen, the standard makes a hell of a noise. For the rest it's a fine bike, a ride it to work every day (600KM a week) and taking it to the Pyreneeën (F) for a 3000KM ride next month.
The standard screen creates a huge amount of buffet from the trailing (top) edge. This hits me squarly in the middle of the visor and the wind roar, noise and movement make it bloody unconomfortable. Thus that had been removed. This leave me with the buffet off the top of the front fairing in the chest, which is no problem up to 100mph then it starts to become a bit of a pain, especially after 100 odd miles. I am looking out for a double bubble type screen as these actually leave a smooth airflow off the top of the screen instead of an unstable vortex of buffeting air. Patman
Looking through my Essential Superbike on the Tiger, I see that ERMAX make a high screen for the bike.
A friend has a 955i with the sportscreen mounted. Definatly better than the original, if you are as short as me (180cm or 6ft). The weather protection is of course not improved but it is nice and more silent to sit in the wind. Looks better too. More like the beautyful "pre-99" Tiger i ride.. The new Tiger is much easier to ride and do wheelies with than my old one, not only because of the more power but also the lower centre of gravity..
If this works you´ll see one picture with the sportscreened Tiger 955i together with a Honda AfricaTwin and my Tiger..
I have a 2001 955i Tiger and as of about a month ago, GIVI does make a tubular rack system for their excellent panniers. Ask for the PL 725 rack. As with all their stuff, the fit is great and absolutely solid.
I just did 1075mi in 21hrs with the tall OEM windscreen from Triumph and thought it was a great improvement over stock. I'm not one of those people looking for a windless experience on a bike so I don't mind the noise. Buffeting with my HJC Sy-Max helmet was minimal to none. I'm 6'0" tall and have the bars in a middle position for a nearly "armchair" seating position. I'm going to add Stealth edging soon and will report back if anyone is interested.
I've not ridden the 955i Tiger yet. I did take a number of test rides on the olde "steamer" tiger and I was quite taken with it. Last year I was actively looking for a used one, favorably priced, located within a 100 mile radius of Columbus, Ohio. The local Triumph dealer let me know that he had a 99 Tiger (the 885 model) in yellow at a good price - it was a trade-in with less than 1800 miles. Previously I'd done a back-to-back test ride of the new BMW R1150GS and the 885 Tiger. I liked them both about the same, but the Tiger was much less expensive. I bought the used yellow 99 Tiger. I've been very happy with it. I added a center stand, Thunderbike crash bars, the 3-bag set of matching hard bags, a Powerbronze windshield, and Throttle-meister bar-ends for cruise control. This bike is now a quite capable touring bike with the ability to handle dirt/gravel roads with ease - but not too much mud please I also have a 93 BMW R100GS/PD, a Cagiva E650 Elefant, and a 88 KLR650. Each is a different bike with a different feel. It's great to find good used bikes at a good price. Ride Safely, Rob Tayloe <robsmoto@yahoo.com>
>Looking through my Essential Superbike on the Tiger, I see that ERMAX make a high screen for the bike< OK "earmax dot com" does not work. How about some links for screens for the Tiger. I like the look of the sportscreen. I presently have the stock and the wind noise on HJC-10 is just above a ROOR. Anothere 300+ bucks for a helmet (which may or may not cure the problem) is a little high. I will also welcome links for any Tiger related items. Thanks Rob Z. '01 Tiger (Borg)
Ermax is a funky French company with a beautiful but not-very-functional website at http://www.ermax.fr/Index.htm The image below makes the screen look umm, a little bit French, kinda like their cars. Couple other Tiger sites you might like: http://www.ombomb.com/resources/955iTiger/955i.html http://pages.cthome.net/bmantel/
Baldy, Thanks for the links. O'h dam forgot I took spanish not French in school. Well thats OK don't know Spanish either. Liked the other links. Greatly enjoyed the Wasp story. Rob Z.