Hello, I'm Laszlo from Hungary. I just registered to this site as I try to get as many info on the 955 Triple as I can. I just sold my '05 R1 , because it was too sporty for my riding style as I like the longer tours. My previous bikes, a GPZ500, and a ZX-7R was fine for that, the latter with slightly less comfort, but it's suspension, riding position was the finest for me. So, I'm looking for my next bike, and found a new-old, 2004 955i in the ads which wasn't registered yet, it has only 15 kms on it's clock. But there's a but: because it is from a bankrupt dealership through a few hands it wasn't stored in a sane manner, it even sat outside for months. It's plastics look very old, it has the oem fluids (oil, brake, coolant), 2003 oem Bridgestones (the rear looks like someone had some fun with a light burnout), the forks have rusty spots and the headlights too, engine's black finish is matte, the front brake master cyl not so smooth. The asking price is about approx. 4000 euros.
Should I go for it?
I read so much good from it, a friend of mine who rode the 955 and a later 1050 Triple is nagging me with, telling me to forget my other thoughts as next bike: VFR800 the last gear driven, or a ZRX 11/12 , maybe a ZX-9R . My preference is to have a good suspension, so the S3's fully adjustable seems much better than the VFR can give, and the engine character too, and the good useability to carry a passenger, and of course to have as much fun as I can in the twisties. (funny thing that I lost the chicken strips from the ZX at the first opportunity after I got it: I felt like I arrived home on that bike , but on the R1 I couldn't do the same in 5 years, just on the racetrack and never felt it like my extension)
What I think I don't need is the excess speed that -even an older- a sportbike can give.
It looks like that the 955i Triple is more comfy than the newer models, the question is how good the suspension is, and what problems can arise from a badly stored, weathered example.
Sorry for the long 'introduction'.
