955 review
Why do you buy a bike like the Triumph Tiger 955 to copy Charlie and Ewan. Fancy a big trailie to take to the furthest of places.
I borrowed my friends 2005 Triumph Tiger 955 fitted with heated grips, crash bars, top box, side panniers and centre stand.
I tried it mainly on commuting to work so through slow moving traffic and onto motorway and A roads.
On motor ways it shows the best out of the three, Comfortable with a high seating position, good view of the traffic in front and around.
On A roads the engine has a good pull from low down and shows no problems with the fuel injection at all throttle ranges.
When on slow town roads. It is the most demanding as the seat height is high for me. Each stop has to be planned for putting feet down on tip toes. Making use of the back brake and feeding the clutch helps to slow at traffic lights. The high suspension travel aids a smooth ride gliding over any uneven roads or holes.
The gearbox does feel very clunky at first and some times stiff down changing but quite quickly you can be used to the gears, find neutral and forget comparing this to other models. The clock is tucked away low and slightly hard to read. The kmh displayed on the clock are light in colour so can be difficult to read when driving on the continent unless you fit a sat nav and use the kmh. The centre stand is not easy to use but a usefull fitting.
There are positives which I feel out weigh the disadvantages. The bike is fitted with heated grips which come in use with this cold weather (April 2013) The engine note sounds great and pops with the occasional over run of the exhaust. I managed 44mpg with varied high speed travel. The side panniers can store more than your sandwiches.
