| | Review | | Triumph Tiger 955i
A beguiling mount that will astonish sports bike riders with its ability to step into bends at 'grin-making' speed and hold a line straight past them.
The Hinckley triples are renowned for their smoothness, reliability and mid-range grunt which is a good thing given that the gearbox on the Tiger is a rather notchy bag of cogs. But that said, I have never missed a gear or found a false neutral: it just feels inconsistent in its action.
I've done 6000 miles on mine and averaged around 50mpg; I've had 130 mph out of her, on the autobahns of course, but be prepared to wince when you slap on the anchors because this bike is heavy with a high centre of gravity and so fork-dive is a bit of rollercoaster ride for the unwary. But that said, you do get used it and the Tiger will stop briskly enough if you need it to.
This bike isn't for short riders: I'm 5'9" with an inside leg of 29" and can only just get the balls of my feet down. Don't even think about buying this bike if you are smaller than me: you'll only drop it which I've done twice now :-(
Servicing is pricey, you won't get any change out of £500 when the 12k and 24k services come up. Valve checking is what causes the problem here and don't even think about doing it yourself because it's beyond the DIYer.
Tyres last 8k back 12k front so I'm told and overall reliability is excellent, although I did need a new steering head bearing at 12000 miles which was a disappointment because my previous bike, a Kawasaki ZR7, didn't go wrong at all in the six years I owned it.
The only criticism I'd make is the wind blast which is intolerable unless you either ditch the screen or replace it with something that's been shaped in a wind tunnel. The standard screen kicks up so much turbulence that head vibration causes blurred vision (and I mean not being able to see straight at all) at any speed above 70mph. Yes, the screen keeps your arms and chest out of the action but what were Triumph thinking when they screwed this piece of plastic to the fairing?
At any rate, with a third party screen high speed cruising is a doddle and I've been able to complete 300 mile day trips without complaint from my 50 year-old body.
Overall, this is a great bike with a degree of street presence. Yes it looks weird but that's its charm and, well, the name on the tank is just such a crowd pleaser. I have had many old codgers (hang on a minute, am I not one too!) come and chat to me, when I'm parked up, about Triumph's heyday. But the truth is that Triumph's heyday is now; for me, owning a Tiger is to know once again that we 'Brits' can still create machines that conjure up passion, pride and a sense of enjoyment.
What more could we born-again bikers want I ask myself.
Steve Walker
| | | Submitted by | | SteveW on 27/06/2008 | | | This ad has been viewed 21398 times | | | Write a review for Triumph Tiger | | | See more reviews for Triumph Tiger |
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