Triumph Tiger 955i
TRIUMPH TIGER 955i
For the urban adventurer in all of us
ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT WORKING AT CYCLE WORLD IS you gain insight into prevailing motorcycling trends every time you pull into the parking lot. This morning looked pretty much like any other: Mark Hoyer's weary Toyota pickup strained under the weight of his latest acquisition, an equally weary Norton Commando. Jimmy Lewis' sano Funmover bike-hauler held an even more sano pair of BBR mini-crossers. Don Canet and Matthew Miles hobbled out of their respective Dodge Dakotas, each sporting a cast on an appendage. The usual stuff.
What was unusual this day was the odd assortment of bikes the rest of the staff had ridden to work. Parked in a neat row were a BMW F65OGS Dakar, Cagiva Gran Canyon and the focus of this story, the 2001 Triumph Tiger 955i. There wasn't a cruiser, sport bike or standard anywhere in sight.
Why? Because never mind the name, there's nothing better than an adventure-tourer for commuting. Consider the advantages: First and foremost is an upright seating position that is not only comfortable, but which gives the rider an unparalleled view in traffic-and it's only getting better now that petrol costs $2 per gallon, and people are leaving their gas-guzzling SUVs at home. Next is the long-travel suspension, which soaks up potholes and freeway expansion joints as though they didn’t exist. Then there’s the torque-rich power delivery, which lets you dart down freeway entrance ramps and squirt between cars with nary a shift. And last are the hard saddlebags (a $1000 option on the Tiger), into which you can stuff your briefcase, lunchbox and, for those unfortunate souls who have to “dress” for work, a change of clothes. Maybe they ought to call ’em “adventure-commuters?”
But enough generalities, let’s get down to specifics. The big news on the 2001 Tiger is its new engine, which has much in common with the 2002 Daytona 955i tested elsewhere in this issue. The old 885cc motor was a strong runner, but the new 955cc lump moves the Tiger to the head of its class. Rear-wheel horsepower is a credible 83 at the 9500-rpm redline, but more impressive is the plateau-like torque curve, with more than 50 foot-pounds on tap from 3500 to 8500 revs, and a peak of 58 ft.-lbs. at 5000 rpm. That’s 9 bhp and 7 ft.-lbs. more than the last Tiger we tested (CW, April, 2000).
Now more than ever, the engine is the star of the show. Thanks to the added displacement, the liquid-cooled, dohc inline-Triple emits an even deeper growl down low that grows progressively fiercer as the revs rise. Turn the throttle and the engine responds immediately, without any of the hiccups or flat spots that plague some other fuel-injected bikes, Triumphs included. The only part of the engine that needs improvement is the gearbox, because our testbike’s shift lever sometimes failed to return after an upshift, this in spite of a revised claw-type gear-change mechanism.
While I’m nitpicking, I’ll point out that our testbike’s lowfuel light didn’t illuminate until the needle on the fuel gauge had dropped below the red zone, and as a result the bike once ran out of gas. Fortunately, this occurred on a Thursday morning, when every motocrosser and his brother was headed to Glen Helen for open practice. Relief was as close as the nearest pickup truck.
While I was topping off the Triumph’s tank from a 5-gallon jerrycan, my newfound friend remarked how much bigger it was than the dirtbike in the back of his truck. And that size remains the Tiger’s primary shortcoming as an adventure-tourer. With a dry weight of 516 pounds sans saddlebags-and a full-up wet weight of 574 pounds with its 6.4gallon fuel tank full and its bags empty-this is one motorcycle you do not want to ride in a sandwash! Not only is it heavy, it’s top-heavy, feeling as though you’ve got a bowling ball in your tankbag. Steering is anything but neutral, the kickedout front end causing the bike to flop into comers and push the front end. Dialing up max shockspring preload via the underseat adjuster greatly improves matters.
Of course, you really can’t blame Triumph for spec’ing the suspension thusly, because if they set it up like we did ours, the Tiger would seldom pass the showroom sit test. In stock trim, and with the adjustable seat in the lowest of its three positions, putting both feet flat on the floor is no problem even for shortlegged folks. Cranked up like ours, it becomes much more of a challenge, enough perhaps to deter some would-be buyers. And that would be a shame, because with a list price of $10,799, the Tiger undercuts its primary competition, the BMW RI 150GS, by $3700. That’s enough cash to buy Hoyer’s Norton and Toyota!
In the end, the Tiger remains what it has always been, a superb motor housed in a slightly confused motorcycle. An adventure-tourer it’s not, but it is a lot of fun, and it’s one heck of a commuter! -Brian Catterson
