Triumph Tiger 955I

It’s neither little nor light, but the Tiger felt the smallest here, with agile handling, easy power and easy steering. With 104bhp and solid power at any revs, the re-tuned Daytona engine is silky and responsive. Hill loved it.

With just 92mm of trail, its geometry is more like a sports bike’s. Triumph says it makes the Tiger ” agile and enjoyable through the most demanding corners, yet ensures stability at speed and when heavily loaded ” . But with panniers fitted, it weaved alarmingly at over 100mph and was also the least assured in cross-winds. More rear rebound damping helped.

The 955’s main problem is that its soggy suspension outweighs the theoretical agility conferred by its geometry. It pogoed alarmingly when the brakes were released into a turn and was especially difficult to get through S-bends.

The Japanese brakes are light with instant bite, but less powerful than BMW’s. The Triumph’s most irritating weakness was a fuel gauge that was so erratic it was next to useless. The odometer and clock were hard to read in bright conditions. And the tail light fell off after being rattled over desert corrugations.

Triumph offers a wide range of extras, including panniers (£600), a top box (£330) and heated grips (£110).