Speed Triple 955 (1999 - 2005) review
Triumph's softly tuned naked roadster is more about cruising than out and out road-attack
The poor old Speed Triple. In this company it looks dated, not just the silhouette but it’s non-LED rear light, analogue dash and right-way up forks. Like an aged pop star still trying to be cool; this company could be a step too far for the Triumph.
That said, this one’s in mint nick and with just 9,000 miles on the clock it’s hiding its age well.
Straight away the Speed Triple’s riding position feels right and the lack of fuss infront of you leaves you to focus on the road ahead. The Tuono’s clocks resemble the sort of sight I imagine a 747 captain would see on his readouts as a bird strikes one of the engines, while I can’t get away from the fact the Z1000’s clocks look like they’ve been lifted off my washing machine. The Speed Triple, whether it intended to or not, has a refreshing lack of data being fired at you from the speedo unit, just revs and speed.
But it’s not short on feedback from the front-end. It feels light and agile, much more compact than the Z1000 and less rigid than the Tuono. Direction changes are where you can really feel what the front end’s up to on any bike, and while the Tuono changes the moment you think about it and the Z1000 has a slightly lazy reaction, the Triple feels precise without being over-eager.
The poor old Speed Triple. In this company it looks dated, not just the silhouette but it’s non-LED rear light, analogue dash and right-way up forks. Like an aged pop star still trying to be cool; this company could be a step too far for the Triumph.
That said, this one’s in mint nick and with just 9,000 miles on the clock it’s hiding its age well.
Straight away the Speed Triple’s riding position feels right and the lack of fuss infront of you leaves you to focus on the road ahead. The Tuono’s clocks resemble the sort of sight I imagine a 747 captain would see on his readouts as a bird strikes one of the engines, while I can’t get away from the fact the Z1000’s clocks look like they’ve been lifted off my washing machine. The Speed Triple, whether it intended to or not, has a refreshing lack of data being fired at you from the speedo unit, just revs and speed.
But it’s not short on feedback from the front-end. It feels light and agile, much more compact than the Z1000 and less rigid than the Tuono. Direction changes are where you can really feel what the front end’s up to on any bike, and while the Tuono changes the moment you think about it and the Z1000 has a slightly lazy reaction, the Triple feels precise without being over-eager.
