Triumphrat

splint

Hi everyone, its my first post on this site. I've always had a thing for Triumph bikes but I've never owned one as I've always been into the off-road scene. Now I'm looking at getting a roadie and a Triumph is on the top of my list but I cant find out why there is no current model of the 955. Could someone please shed some light on this for me? Thanks.

2bugeyez

2006 is the last year that bike was made. The only Daytona now is the 675

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triumphite

Also, a lot of used ones out there. Great bike. I had one.

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Croak

Theories abound regarding the demise of the D955, but the most widely accepted are:

1. The Big D just wasn't specifications competitive with the Japanese liter bikes. Reviews of the bike weren't always kind, most citing the weight and lack of raw horsepower, the two hot-button issues with liter bike buyers. Sales were soft at best.

2. Triumph moved to the 1050 for the S3, Sprint and Tiger (all of which had been selling well even in 955 guise). Due to the size of Triumph's operations and limited R&D resources, they were married to the 1050 for awhile. Most of the R&D during that period went to develop the Rocket III triple, 675 triple, and Thunderbird twins, all bikes that had better sales potential than the D955.

The 1050 was bad for the Daytona as the longer stroke on the 1050 wouldn't allow it to be "Daytona-ized" and still result in a reliable, warrantable engine. "Daytona-ized" means higher spec internals, different cam profile, and a higher rev limit, but still using the basic motor as the rest of the model range. 130-ish is about all the reliable power you can get out of the 1050. That's fine for a streetfighter or sport tourer, but would have been an instant flop in the pure sportbike segment, even back in 2005.

It would have been very expensive to keep producing 149bhp 955 engines (which still weren't "hot" enough to keep up with the Japanese or Italians). It would have been even more expensive to design an all-new Daytona specific 1000cc+ motor, to put in a bike that had historically low sales numbers.

Now for some good news. The R&D efforts on the 675 have paid off and quite a bit of that could find its way into a larger displacement version. The Rocket 3 is probably seeing its last generation so no need for R&D there, and the Thunderbird is finished and will probably use the same basic tech for years to come.

That means R&D on a new liter-plus triple is almost certain (and almost certainly well advanced by now). So, there's a good chance that the 1050 will be retired soon, and that there's an all-new liter+ motor in the works that will work well as the basic Sprint/S3/Tiger motor and work well in upgraded form for a big Daytona.

The new Daytona would be in some VERY tough company, competing against the new S1000RR and RSV4, along with the highly competent usual suspects like the GSX-R, ZX1000 and CB1000RR. But (and this is a big but), the D675 has earned Triumph a lot more credibility in the sportbike market, and it's taught Triumph some invaluable lessons as well. I think they can make a competitive big Daytona now.

But will they? It's still a pretty small slice of the market (compared to middleweights, cruisers, tourers and adventure-styled bikes).

Catenaccio

The 955i Daytona is a great bike! I tagged along with a 675 and a 955i while riding my CBRXX, both Daytonas were exceptional over-the-road bikes! If you can find a good used 955i, snap it up!

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Brooksie

God bless you for bringing this up. The Daytona 955 has a long history, some good, some not so good. My personal history with the 2005 955i I had was nothing but positive. There was a fuel pump issue which can happen with them, but the dealer and Triumph were top shelf in getting it taken care of. The best road bike I've ever had. Great at touring and better at sport riding than the Sprint, which I consider to be more the heir to the 955 Daytona than the D675. I have a D675 now and love it for the fun factor, and coming from the off-road scene you may appreciate this type of bike even more the the big one. There are some 955's out there for sale, but I will wait for Triumph to come up with a liter class bike or put modern suspension on the Sprint before I enter that game again. If you want to get a Triumph and don't care what size the engine is to having fun with, get a 675 triple in some model, Daytona or Street. You'll love it.

XPADREX

Most of the people I know who have a Daytona (or had one) loved it.

Sometimes, this is the problem with the "bike scene"- bench racing absed merely upon secifications and dyno runs don't tell the whole story- that a mtorocycle is often far more than the sum of its parts and a spec sheet.

Most people either can't, won't, or aren't allowed to ride a motorcycle of any power to its full potential- so frankly, some of the best motorcycles throughout history have been the ones that satisfy in the RPM ranges and speeds that most people ride it.

I'm not aware of any laws the Daytona couldn't break- and still remained a comfortable favorite for those who own(ed) 'em.

Brooksie

Well put. As you can see by my profile, I'm hoping Triumph recovers from the down turn and starts selling liter bikes again in the racing fashion. While Triumph doesn't have the deep pockets BMW has to throw at a new model, I really believe they can shake up the class and make a ROAD going 900 something bore race rep that would be more than competitive in the market. I realize the market for larger bikes is dwindling (so we are told) but why are other companies getting in? I think if Triumph keeps it simple and provides a good solid package and maybe an ABS option, it could be a good as the FireBlade CBR1000rr. I am patient. I have watched the value of my 2007 D675 go to hell waiting for the upgrade. I'll ride the D675 until the wheels come off before I trade it for $4,000.00 or less. Please Triumph, give us sport riders some hope. It only makes sense to offer a big bike for us to move up to.Good deals going on Aprillia RSV1000R's right now if you can't wait and want Euro under 15k.