Triumph 955i

Triumph 955i

By the numbers

TRIUMPH'S 955i FOR 2002 WAS TOUTED AS OFFERING NOT only major power gains on its predecessor, but a big enough performance boost to he truly competitive in the liter-class. Brian Catterson's report (last issue) from the bike's Portuguese press launch seemed to support Triumph’s claims. While the Caiman’s seat-of-thepants impression didn’t suggest any record-breaking performance, he positioned the revised 955i along the same lines as Kawasaki’s ZX-9R, a solid middle-of-the-road member of the liter-bike fraternity.

Upon the 955i’s arrival at the CW offices, we set about gathering some numbers. The new bike weighed-in 10 pounds under the previous-generation 955i, but at 455 pounds without fuel, the Triumph is 21 pounds heavier than the ZX-9R. The 955i shares an identical wheelbase and seat height with Suzuki’s GSX-R1000, but packs 48 pounds more girth than the class featherweight.

A 20-horse gain on the dyno didn’t disappoint, with 125 rear-wheel horsepower at 10,600 rpm and 64 foot-pounds of torque at 7800 rpm. This puts the 955i hot on the heels of its four-cylinder classmates. Comparing dyno graphs with last year’s 955i shows a loss of power between 3000 and 5000 rpm as the price of the peak gains. Worth it.

A visit to Carlsbad Raceway provided a glimpse into what the 955i’s improved power-to-weight ratio has to offer in measured acceleration. A best pass through the quarter-mile of 10.68 seconds at 129.90 mph showed improvement over the 10.85-sec./127-mph clocking of the old 955i, but that’s not a threat to its Japanese rivals. The ZX-9R, for instance, goes 10.39/137. Launching the 955i was easier than most, though, reflected in the 2.8-second 0-to-60-mph time, matching the quicker yet wheelieprone class leaders.

Top speed was the last order of business, with a 161 -mph run, 5 mph better than last year’s 955i. Like the 169-mph ZX-9R, the 955i is a rock-steady platform at high speed.

So, a thumbnail sketch of Britain’s best? Lighter, quicker and faster than last year’s bike, the Daytona is still no world-beater. But it is a viable alternative and a welcome addition to the class.

Don Canet