Triumph 955i Daytona

Triumph 955i Daytona

Debugged for Y2K

WITH THE TURN OF THE CENTURY JUST DOWN THE road, it would be a corner-carver's crime to lean into the new millennium aboard anything less than an up-to-the-minute sportbike. So let us introduce you to the Triumph 955i Daytona, the first year-2000 sportbike to arrive at the Cycle World offices. Formerly known as the T595, the Daytona has been treated to both hardware and software updates; you might even go so far as to say it's Y2K-compliant.

When CW first tested the T595 in 1997, it had a few glitches. Namely, the fuel injection suffered from a problematic midrange stumble, and the right-side exhaust header posed a pretty serious cornering-clearance limitation on the racetrack. There was even a frame recall for the first hundred or so units sold in Europe. And while those early teething problems were largely addressed on subsequent models, there’s always room for improvement.

Topping the list of updates is a redone Sagem MC 1000 engine-management system. The rear brake caliper bracket also has been modified to allow full forward rotation of the eccentric axle adjuster, netting a .6-inch decrease in wheelbase for quicker steering response.

Visually, a new Aluminum Silver color option is now offered along with the pre-existing Lightning Yellow and Tornado Red hues. Judging from the number of unsolicited favorable comments we received while out testing, the silver shading certainly suits the Triumph well. A sleek, brushed stainless-steel muffler also has replaced the black, oval-section canister of years past, lending a leaner, cleaner look. The cast-alloy wheels, also previously finished in black, now wear an eye-catching gunmetal coating.

Finally, Triumph applied a bit of marketing savvy in dropping the “T,” dotting an “i” and shuffling the numeric model designation to more clearly represent the Daytona’s 955cc engine displacement.

Viewed from most any angle, the 95 5 i appears squat and mean, its smoothly sculpted contours and array of fairing ducts combining with the silver finish to suggest a propensity for flight. All the more reason to strap this bird onto the CW dynamometer and measure its thrust.

CYCLE WORLD TEST

In the dyno room, we noticed that at high revs the bike’s tachometer read 600 rpm lower than the true engine speed displayed by our electronic instrumentation. While the dyno charts show that the engine revs to its 10,500-rpm redline before the rev-limiter cuts in, the bike’s tach needle stops well shy of the red zone. Even so, it was nice to see that the huge midrange chasm we encountered on the original T595 has been filled in. While the dyno graph still shows a few steps in the lowto midrange, they don’t detract from the bike’s ridability. The meat of the power builds from 6500 rpm to redline, a spread plenty wide enough to keep the engine on the boil while working through the six-speed gearbox.

Roll-on acceleration is very good in the lower gears, although a soft spot at 3000 rpm will leave you hanging for a moment or two in the uppermost gears. But over the next 400 rpm comes a 15-foot-pound rise in torque, with the engine producing more than 60 ft.-lbs. by 4500 rpm.

Under load at low revs, the 120-degree firing order of the Daytona’s three cylinders emits a visceral growl and coarse vibration that’s almost diesel in nature. Amid the 80-mph

flow of Los Angeles freeway traffic, however, the engine is silky-smooth. A mild tingle seeps through the handgrips at these speeds, but imposes no ill effect on the clarity of objects in the rearview mirrors. Even less vibration is felt in the footrests, or through the bodywork when clenching the cutout tank with your knees.

While the 955i’s riding position dictates an attack posture that’s ideal for strafing apexes, it’s a bit too extreme for extended hauls. The seat-to-peg relationship is spacious by sporting standards, but a long reach to the lowmounted clip-ons places a good deal of weight on the rider’s palms, wrists and forearms. The fairing’s mid-height windscreen offsets this to an extent by allowing wind against the upper chest and shoulders to help support the torso.

The saddle, on the other hand, drew complaints from at least one “bony-butted” staffer for being thinly padded. But if you’ve got a little cush in the tush, your mileage may vary. Several testers also noted that the amount of engine heat reaching their inner thighs and calves was excessive, even in the cool, fall weather in which we tested.

But we all checked our complaints at the superslab offramp when exiting onto the twists and turns of our favorite backroads. It’s here that the 955i makes complete and total sense. Thanks to the Triumph’s fully adjustable Showa suspension, a brief stop alongside the road and a few turns of a flatblade screwdriver or coin are all that’s required to dial-in firmer damping. The 955i’s suspension calibration is much improved

over the T595 we tested previously, and offers a wider range of adjustment. Properly set-up, the Daytona takes to flowing curves with the greatest of ease, delivering superb stability coupled with sharp, neutral handling.

A brief period spent in the lower portion of the rev range is always a smart practice to build heat in the tires before upping the pace. The relaxed timbre exiting the Triple’s 3into-1 exhaust magically massages the reflexes up to speed, while clean throttle response and sufficient low-end grunt make child’s play of casual corner-carving. Quicken the pace and the 955 remains composed.

The bike feels planted entering and exiting corners, on the gas or on the brakes. After several miles of running the engine hard, putting the positive-shifting transmission, strong brakes and grippy Bridgestone radiais to good use, a roadside inspection confirms that nothing has touched down-the footpegs, headpipes and muffler are totally untouched. This is a marked improvement over the original T595, which scraped its exhaust when it was bent over hard to the right.

Soon, the road crests a mountain and drops into a wide, flat valley. A three-mile stretch of level, straight road provides the 955i with enough breathing room to blast past the CW radar gun at 156 mph. Even at such a high speed, the bike feels solid and trustworthy.

Trust is something that often only comes with time. Perhaps you, or someone you know, gambled on the T595 when it was a brand-new design, only to be heartbroken. As much as owners wanted to love the bike, its early growing pains may have kept that bond from developing. That shouldn’t be a problem with the 955i, which possesses a higher level of maturity, and therefore poses a safer bet. If you find the tripletime exhaust note intoxicating, there’s no better way to motor into the new millennium. U

EDITORS' NOTES

YOU’D THINK THAT BY NOW TRIUMPH would’ve buckled from peer pressure and started racing a Superbike. Aprilia’s already joined the Japanese Big Four on the track, and Ducati’s been giving ’em fits for years. Bimota, Benelli and MV Agusta all look set to return to the racetrack, too. Hell, even Harley-Davidson’s been stumbling like a drunk through the AMA Superbike series. Sure, Triumph will probably have to pour on the HP Sauce and produce a homologation special, but this bike would then make more sense to me.

As it is, I like the 955i’s clean look, love the sounds of the finally fully fettled fuel-injected Triple, and want it to incite my passion the way a Ducati 996 does. But without racing lineage, the Daytona is closer to a Honda VFR800 than any Superbike-except even that’s related to the RC45.

So how ’bout it, Triumph? Shake loose some change, build a racer, hire Carl Fogarty and raise the Union Jack over the paddock in anger once more. What, are you afraid of doing worse than Harley?

-Mark Hoyer, Sports Editor

HAVING RACED AT DAYTONA INTERnational Speedway, I’ve always found it difficult to relate Triumph’s use of the Daytona name with my perception of the hallowed speed bowl. With their steelbackbone frames and rangy wheelbases, those 900 and 1200cc Daytonas of the mid-’90s seemed more closely related to a Daytona beach cruiser than anything circulating the speedway.

Sure, I realize that the marketeers are working the nostalgia angle, reflecting on Triumph’s Daytona 500cc Twin of the late ’60s. But even that quaint little roadster commemorated a win in the famed 200-miler. If Hinckley is to bask in yesterday’s triumphs, decades after the marque’s last major race win, then the bike’s performance best be worthy of carrying the Daytona name.

Fortunately, in the case of the 955i, it is. This is one Triple on which I can envision racing the high banks.

—Don Canet, Road Test Editor

So, YOU’VE GOT 10 LARGE BURNING A hole in your Levis, what to do? If you’re hot for an apex-strafing sportbike, the options may seem endless. Open-classer? Maybe a 750cc repliracer? How about a 600?

Triumph would certainly appreciate your business. It’s top-o’-the-line 955i Daytona has evolved to the point where it offers enough character, performance and style to justify its premium price. (Premium being anything more costly than Honda’s all-new CBR929RR or Yamaha’s revised YZF-R1.)

Actually, opting for a 955i is not unlike buying a Ducati 996. Both are built by exclusive, storied European makers. Both have remained relatively unchanged for more than a couple of seasons. And both cost morz-much more in the case of the Duke-than the latest Japanese roadbumers.

All of which further confuses the buying decision. Of course, it’s nothing that a quick trip to redline on the tantalizing Triple wouldn’t fix.

-Matthew Miles, Managing Editor

TRIUMPH

DAYTONA 955i

$10,999