Triumphrat

rickster

Anyone know of a source for oversize and/or higher comrpession pistons for the 955i? My searches have been fruitless. I'd like to lay hands on a 1050 crank, etc., but that's probably way out of the budget.

__________________
"The older I get, the faster I was".

bradtx

rickster, I read somewhere that JE makes pistons for the 955...no firsthand experiance tho'.

Brad

frankentona955

They don't have anything listed for Triumph on their site.

bradtx

rickster, frankentona's right, nothing at JE. To try and atone for posting something based on hearsay I searched and I couldn't find any aftermarket piston for a 955, not even one for a turbo application.

Brad

PS I tried Wisco, JE, JP, Arias and some place in China (I think).

rickster

Yep! Brad, I ended up against the same wall. As much as I like this bike, if I had any idea of how poorly the aftermarket supports it I probably wouldn't have bought it. I really wanted to take it apart this winter and blueprint it; maybe lighten the crank, mill the head, clean up the ports, coat everything, etc. It just seems like a waste of time, $$, etc. though, if I can't even get pistons for it; I had already given up on finding cams. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that a gasket set for it costs $400!!! Thanks for looking, though!

__________________
"The older I get, the faster I was".

triumphtimes

I think if you check a top end gasket is around the couple hundred mark. At least that's what I found a few years ago when I considered rebuilding the RS original motor. Cheaper to leave it stock or if needed replace the entire thing, a shame to waste so much potential. The Tona was always a very underrated and poorly supported bike and now that it no longer exists, it will soon be a lost cause to maintain them.

__________________
Note to self: never allow yourself to be goodpastered, lancastered or nyed.

BombFactory

I understand the frustration with the lack of aftermarket parts, but I don't see anything unusual with this. It sounds like a lot of you think that there should be as large of an aftermarket for 955i's as there is for small block Chevy V8's. Using that engine as an example, many available aftermarket parts didn't start coming out, or were at least available to the public, until 15 years after the engine came out—and those parts were expensive and small in variety. If you wanted a custom camshaft, you'd have to have a grinder weld a stock one up and re-grind it to another spec. 955i's haven't been around long, nor are anymore, so I could see why companies aren't dumping money into designing aftermarket parts that a very select few consumers would buy—just economics as I see it.

As for pistons, Arias builds custom pistons to order. Their site has the specific paperwork to fill out, and their customer support will help you out. Also, you need to call these companies when searching for parts for something as odd as a Triumph 955i, as many websites only list the most popular items. As for over-boring the cylinders, I'm not sure how much you could get away with before hitting the minimum liner thickness. Milling the head is an easier option that will bump compression a little. Not sure how much you could mill though... maybe .020"

__________________
The Resurrection: ’02 CE Speedtona w/GSXR Forks
Project Straight-Line: The TT600 Drag Bike
The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it. - Karl Marx

triumphtimes

Bomb, I don't think it is a matter of expecting the same aftemarket treatment as an R1 or other Jap bike as much as it is disappointment that even getting stock parts is so friggin expensive. A rebuild of the top end stock is silly stupid money and if one can locate an entire motor that will be much cheaper than replacing consumable parts with stock new ones. If there was any aftermarket support this may not be the case. Now I don't know what aftermarket parts are for the Jap bikes, but I'd venture to guess it is considerably cheaper than Triumph parts if one shops around. I fully understand that any company would be losing money by supporting such a poorly supported bike, but I feel Triumph is at fault here for not offering stock parts at a reasonable/affordable price to their loyal customers. Seriously, two years ago 3 liners, 3 sets of rings and a friggin head gasket was over 800.00 for an 00 RS motor. That motor now sits unused in my basement. I found an 01 Daytona motor with 12k on it for 500.00 and another 140.00 for shipping. Had I priced valves, springs and pistons in a rebuild I'd be willing to guess parts alone for a complete top end would be somewhere around 1500.00 I can afford it and can do the work myself, but I am not about to take it up the backside to support OEM greed. I suppose it is the price one pays for not following the masses and buying Japanese. I imagine Ducati, MV, and other smaller bike companies are just as bad if not worse, but Triumph has always had the outward appearance/appeal of VALUE along with being a quality and somewhat exclusive manufacturer until one tries to buy parts for their bikes; then they become just highly exclusive. I don't think it is asking to much to be able to keep and maintain a cheap bike for a reasonable cost instead of throwing it away and starting over. If there was some sort of aftermarket support, prices would be reasonable just like in the car market. End of rant.

TT

__________________
Note to self: never allow yourself to be goodpastered, lancastered or nyed.

BombFactory

TT,

I could not agree more about what you've said. My previous comment was regarding modified aftermarket parts more than anything (e.g. higher domed pistons). I do feel that in any case Triumph is not doing a good job at all of supporting those who purchase their bikes. I have come to the same wall when pricing engine rebuilds, and it’s plain stupid for a motorcycle company to do what Triumph has. It's as if they charge the prices of a company whose parts last forever, and can forever be rebuilt, yet sustain the new-age capitalist status quo of "Throw away what's broken." Will children born today ever even see an appliance repair shop in their lives?

Another flaw on Triumph's part is that the ONLY thing that drives a modified aftermarket is racing... period. If there are any modified performance parts out there, they were invented for (or modified to use for), and tested on race tracks. So a performance aftermarket for a bike and manufacturer that has no foot in the racing door will never come around--sadly.

On another note, you would think other parts manufacturers would be trying to build parts for Triumph bikes in hopes of selling the parts for cheaper than OEM. Maybe Triumph just won't give them the licensing?

I actually went as far as to mail a letter to Triumph USA regarding the ridiculous speedometer sensor issue many of us have experienced. It was a well thought out letter that pretty much told Triumph that they have a good following who would like to continue to repair their Triumphs at a reasonable price. I informed him of the fact that instead of buying a small magnetic ring for the speedo sensor, we must buy the whole shebang for $130-$160. And of course, what was I thinking Triumph's response would be? It was a letter from the director of consumer affairs (USA) informing me that: that part is actually cheap! He told me that they cannot sell the individual magnet, because they buy the units from a manufacturer that gives them a better deal for the whole unit rather than individual parts. Oh, but he did thank me and all of you for our support!... Get out the wallets/purses, but thanks so much for not buying “those other brands.”

Now the end of my rant.

__________________
The Resurrection: ’02 CE Speedtona w/GSXR Forks
Project Straight-Line: The TT600 Drag Bike
The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it. - Karl Marx

triumphtimes

100% agreement BF