Triumphrat

TorqueyT

It's time to start planning the year ahead on the bike, and after much thought and consideration I think I'll probably stick with the 900. Another year will probably put on another 10-12k miles, bringing me up to ~38k miles on the clock. I know this is considered a "higher mileage bike", but I reckon with decent care and attention she'll keep purring.

Question is simply - anyone got a rough idea - would I be better spending £1.5k - £2k + tradein and get a newer lower mileage 955 just now or would the upkeep + drop in value on the 900 mount up to more? Obviously in another 12 months time we're all expecting a shiny new cat (which I don't believe for a second will look anything like the spyshots - if it does I might just be adding to the Austrian GDP instead), something I might have to take into consideration.

Any comments?

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TorqueyT

vonbonds

That is a very personal decision. I personally get very attached to any bike I get and only let them go under extreme circumstances. Now other people like to get a new bike every 2-4 years. You just have to look within yourself and figure out what you want to do. If you have no intentions of keeping your bike for an extended period of time then by all means do what is fiscally right with the trade in game.

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Pete's Baltimore RAT Pack

Foxee

Have had similar thoughts about my 900. It's higher mileage than yours, but part of me wonders when the good bit is going to end. So far no signs of the old girl trully aging - the finish on the underside of the engine is beginning to suffer but otherwise everything appears to be going strong. Brakes got a complete overhaul at 40,000, including new discs. Recently put a new C&S kit and tyres on it, and to be fair nothing else really needs doing - although a couple of dash bulbs blew last week. I'm tempted by a decent low mileage wire wheeled 955, but that's only if I come across the right one - in black of course. But if the new Tiger is as MCN have predicted then I will start looking in the near future, as I was hoping to buy a new Tiger in the next three or four years as a keeper rather than a second hand 955.

clive955

Having upgraded from a steamer which really got me into Tigers I bought a second hand 02 955. Last year I put 8000k on her and will keep her now untill she eventually dies, Have spent afew quid getting her as I want her, Corbin, Panniers , Taller Screen, Highway pegs , Crash Bars but have never found anything that will suit me better and if the new Tiger is like MCN Predict than I will not be investing in it.

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Green is Mean

tyrebyter

38k is high mileage? Why? Is it sucking oil? Tranny blown-up? These modern scooters are automotive in nature with liquid cooling, fuel injection and CNC machined parts. How long are they good for? Longer than I'm good for. That doesn't mean stuff won't break; it just means stuff won't wear out like it used to in the golden age of air cooled, oil leaking, "almost machined within tolerance" motorcycles. Keep riding your 900. It has a superior charging system to any of the later models anyway. Not enough power? Drop in a T5 Daytona motor. Want a more modern suspension? You won't get that from a new Tiger anyway. If you just don't like the beast, well OK. That's a reason to launch it.

whoa

I'm curious about this too. 40k doesn't strike me as high at all. But I must say I'm new to Triumph. Of course this depends on the care and feeding. If that factor is unknown, I'd consider it a million mile motor and be prepared for a replacement or rebuild.

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2005 Thruxton
2000 Speed Triple

TorqueyT

40k high mileage? Most unlikely, I know, but it's sort of an urban myth if anything on this side of the pond. It's something that's been discussed at length in the past, with wildly varying views. Could be we're just blinded by relatively cheap new bike prices - certainly compared to some other European countries....

[ This message was edited by: TorqueyT on 2006-01-22 15:52 ]

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TorqueyT

tyrebyter

Two things happen to machines: wear and failure. That's for any machine whether a scooter or a space shuttle. Wear rates on any piece of my old Norton made it a 25k mile machine. Of course, all the failures up to that point obscured the wear rate. I've got 35k on the Speed Triple and 46k on the Tiger. So far I'm not able to measure any meaningful wear in the engine or transmission. A head gasket failed on the S3 (OK, I wanted to look in the engine anyway) and there was a leak at the shifter seal on the Tiger. I'm stunned by how basically good these machines are. How come you guys over there can't build a car this good.

chrisn

With today's manufacturing standards I'd like to think a touring bike like the 955 Tiger is good for at least 100,000 miles if treated with respect. Unfortunatly I can't expect to ever speak from experience as I've just agreed a deal for my third new Tiger in three years. Some might view this as madness, but in the UK we seem to have this crazy notion that a bike with anything over 3000 miles a year is "high mileage"! I regularly see lots of used bikes in dealers showrooms typically say 2002 with 5000 miles on the clock???

So what does this do to the value of bikes riden by the likes of me who put might put 15,000 or more on a machine? You can almost hear the tutting and sharp intake of breath from the dealer as he considers your mint-condition two year old bike with 30,000 miles and expired warranty- a £4k or £5k hit for 24 months riding! This forces buyers into two camps. Either trade-in regularly or run the beast into the ground. A lot depends on what you can afford but I've opted to spread the cost of depreciation in smaller but regular lumps.

IMO modern "high mileage" is no longer linked to durability, and is nothing less than a market related term.

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Chris

iansoady

Or buy one of those "high mileage" bikes used and get the best of both worlds?

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Ian
2004 Tiger 955i
1961 BSA A10 Golden Flash.