TRIUMPH TIGER 955I (2001 - 2006) Review

Rides lovely for a tall bike.. very comfortable for me and my height, shorter folk would struggle.. brakes could do with improvement as its the only area that feels stressed but then again you can push it a little too fast at times.

Engine is a peach and still very powerful for a bike of this type.

My bike is kept outdoors all year under a framed bike canopy... spray it with scotoiler corrosion protector each winter and no problems. still looks in fantastic condition despite being 18 yrs old.. tank bubbling as most do so will be investing in tank cover soon.

do all my own servicing.. easy to do.

Clock useless as owners know.. Came fully loaded with hard luggage which is great kit. Find Metzeler tourance suit the bike perfectly.

Brakes leave lot be desired 2up at speed braided hoses help

Quick enough for all your needs

Servicing is cheap has chips if do yourself and so simple to work on oil filter change 30min job...cooling system flush and fill bit tricky and sometimes pain to bleed but hey oh it's once every few yrs for antifreeze....chain adjustment 10min job

Could do with better clock

A little front dive under heavy braking with front brake, but this bike is so much fun to ride and I've come hot into unexpected hairpin turns going downhill with a rider on the back and the bike responded beautifully when I slowed abruptly and downshifted into the turn. Seriously no complaints at all.

Like everyone I love everything about this engine with the exception of getting into it to make valve adjustments. Sounds, feels, rides amazing. Super reliable.

41k miles and going strong? Excellent. Stator gave out like they do. Would like it if the tank didn't bubble, but really a small issue on an otherwise fantastic quality bike.

As with most people, the stator and the dash displays are really the only downside here. Clock is virtually unusable, tach and speedo can be hard to see, but there are upgrades for this. My fuel gauge is no longer working.

Smooth, luxury feel to the ride. Very quiet with plenty of pull. Breaks are strong and dependable. It's a tall bike, height is adjusted by un-doinga few bolts on swing arm and calliper, then using 2 large Allen key's to rotate the center of each side of rear axel. Beware lowering to much will make the chain slack which will drag and damage your chain guard. In the end I cut the chain to better fit my ergonomics.

Awesome sound, feel, pull, durability and reliability.

Never broken down but did have to ditch it going around a narrow tight bend causing significant damage to the bike, hip & ego. Fortunately there is an abundance of replacement parts available cheap. Engine guard was a lifesaver, just had to replace a mirror, indicator, gear lever, glue some faring and windshield, replace rear caliper & exhaust. Good as new.

Self service is cheap but time consuming, plugs, filters, liquids the usual costs. You pretty much have to strip the top of the bike bear to access air filter and plugs.

Plenty of kit out there to fit this bike. I prefer soft luggage, but large panniers can touch the exhaust and melt. There doesn't seem to be a soft luggage rack option but it's easy enough if you don't mind adapting, to knock something up yourself.

Great for road touring, and with a tank that will take me 400+ kms with ease i am cautious taking it on gravel - its rides well in gravel too, but as I do mostly solo riding, picking 'the girlie' up on my own would be a handful

Perhaps the main reason to own this machine - the Triple is a beaut, lots of pickup and power at any point on the spectrum, with delightful exhaust notes

No issues at all - runs like a charm. I do most basic maintenance, have a local bike mechanic for tougher stuff and also have access to Triumph dealership, but really not had major issues. Drawback is the need to remove large tank to get to air filter, plugs etc

When I started looking at the 955, I came across an article, Best used Bikes for under $5000, and there it was - with everyone moving on to the newer Tiger models, these were being left behind at very reasonable prices, and that proved true in my case

Heated grips, centre stand, touring panniers all standard. And mine came with crash bars and fender extenders I needed a better/ taller windshield, Instrument panel virtually unreadable after dark, but I'm rarely out then

Pillions knees are a bit too bent so 3-4 hours at a stretch is about the max without a break

Great engine. Dead reliable. Nothing gone wrong in 65,000 miles

Clutch cable broke..........at 64,000 miles. That's it. Oh, and cheap plastic chainguard broke so I made one out of aluminium sheet

Do all my own servicing so oil, filter and tyres is about it. Tends to go through batteries for some reason

Crash bars are a must, and heated grips if not already fitted

It is very smooth, comfy and the brakes easily match the performance. Ok, this is not an R1 with Moto GP type brakes, but for a big adventure bike it's superb. The brakes are progressive, no grab or lurching, no eye popping stops, but I have never had cause to worry even under heavy braking or hard acceleration on wet roads. In all conditions it has proved sure footed and you ride it with confidence. For a big, heavy bike of this class it is top class, thus 5 out of 5.

I can only add to what every other Triumph triple owner says - it's the best motorcycle engine out there. I've owned singles, twins, triples & fours and nothing beats this engine. It is smooth, oodles of torque & power, great acceleration with a smile-inducing growl, good engine braking with that characteristic pop and crackle. It's a peach. Sounds like a bag of nails at cold start, but once it's going it's great.

I do look after my bikes, but the finish is excellent and it is easier to keep clean than my Bonnie. I never leave wet road grime on the bike & always spray it off quickly. A weekly good wash down and lots of WD40 do the trick & it looks like new with no signs of deterioration after 16k miles. I ride daily in all weathers and need a reliable, comfy bike. It has been faultless.

I service it myself, no problems.

Heated grips, clock (rather small and not illuminated), windshield, panniers, both side and main stands, fuel gauge, temp guage, hand protectors, etc. I had to change the original screen for an aftermarket one with a deflector and after some experimentation it is now spot on and I can cruise at 80mph in comfort. Plenty of equipment. Negative points - the speedo/rev clock light are useless at night & I literally have to guess my speed from the needle level, you just can't see the figures! It's difficult to give it 3/5 because the rest is so good, so it's 4/5.

i can easily do 200 miles at least before i need to stop. the bike is suited to a taller rider the seat height is adjustable i have a 32" inside leg and i use the middle setting of the seat position and i can still touch the ground. my son or wife ride on the back and say the rear seat is good also. brakes are good also no problems they both work well

the triple is superb it has lots of torque for 6th gear overtakes at 50-60mph and it has lots of power if you use higher revs it will keep up with most sports bikes. it pulls well through the rev range no real flat spots. i have fitted the triumph tor exhaust (genuine triumph off road exhaust) and it pulls a bit better in the midrange and sounds a bit meatier but not too noisy.

only issues i have had is a little of the engine paint bubbling which is easily sorted with a bit of sand paper and a tin of gloss black bike has done 30k miles so that doesnt seem too bad

i service the bike myself the oil and filter are cheap and easy to change, tyres are a normal size so there are plenty of choice and deals to be had

panniers and topbox, center stand, fuel gauge, clock, heated grips all as standard, the clock is hard to read, i run michelin annakee2 tyres and i have ran metzler tourance tyres both were fine no issues

Bike at its best driving out of corners. Outstanding all rounder- recent 325 mile Welsh trip included dual carriageways, single track mountain roads covered in grit, fast twisty B roads. She proved more than capable of staying ahead of Z1, 1200 Dorsaduro, Pan 1300. Very comfortable to ride for 2 hours between stops.

Top gear 20 mph through villages/around town- 90mph cruising- effortless pull out of corners. For long journeys or a scratch with mates, this is the best engine I've come across in 35 years motorcycling.

Build quality appears outstanding. My bike is 10 years old with no corrosion evident. Top quality stainless steel has been used for the whole exhaust system and engine bolts. I have done 2500 miles to date, totally reliable nothing failed.

I serviced it myself at 18000 miles- oil and filter, re-charged K&N air filter, fork oil, coolant and brake fluid. Valves checked all within tolerance.

Best feature- heated grips. Worst- fuel gauge misleading when less than half a tank remains.

Absolute peach of smoothness, torque from low down and pulls like a Formula 1 driver !!!

A little underbraked, so I have backed it into quite a few corners over time, but never had any major not-enough-stopping moments. Ride quality is soft so it would weave a little on long curves but otherwise handling was a good as the much firmer Tiger Sport and comfort was great. A little vibration tingle from the bars, fixed by fitting foam grips.

Best road bike engine I have come across (and I've owned a lot, as well as working for a bike dealer in my youth) in terms of power/torque balance, and well matched to the gear ratios.

Build and finish quality was great and I had no mechanical issues at all.

If you elect to do without the Triumph diagnostic, you can easily service it yourself for minimal $.

First time I rode it on the dirt (after the fun of my previous BMW 650 Dakar) and I decided I'd better stick to the tar. But after fitting Michelin Anakee tyres, the dirt handling was transformed and I could confidently negotiate gravel roads with ease. (The Tiger Sport has taken me back to tar only riding).

Ride and handling are better than my first two - firmer and steadier, and the fork dive is greatly reduced.

I loved my BMW twins for the low end torque, but the Tiger is not far behind at low RPMs and has great kick in the mid range and higher. The six speed was stupid in my opinion because a close ratio is certainly not needed with this engine and just adds work. Love the shriek and also enjoy the popping and burbling when you engine brake.

Build quality seems better than my first two - no bent fasteners or other little oddities. Had to replace the plastic fuel fittings in the tank. Have owned 14 BMWs over the years and cannot recall EVER buying a BMW part for $10.

Servicing is not difficult with a manual and the tips available on Triumphrat. The 6k interval is nice and seems more than adequate.

Bags are a must for me, and these are nice. I'd rather have a lower pipe and a full size bag on the right side though. Windscreen is not much good and I may look to add a Triumph tall if they're still available or perhaps a Cee Baileys.