Daytona 955i

[AndyBrad]

I know a few people have the daytona on here. im just wondering what their thoughts are on the bike? Im thinking that maybe next year i may want to swap my speed four for something with a fairing (yes i know :( ) i love the speed four. It does everything i need of it but the motorway windblast is giving me headaches now. (although its ok at 80) The bike is just the right size for me and the seat is mega. Just that im finding it a bit revvy for tramming up and down a motorway at the moment. However it does come into its own in the twisties.


Basically ive been looking at some folks sprint 1050's thinking oooh thats nice and i cant afford one so wondering if the daytona will be a nice alternative that i can still take through the twisties. the other alternative im thinking is an old tt600 as i love this bike so much but i just fancy a better engine.... hmmm. just thinking out loud.

[Dicky Ticker]

Try a Sprint 955i ---even less money than a Daytona.Seen some very low mileage ones about for £2800-3500 with 6-10,000 miles on them which is nothing for that engine,not even run in and more comfortable to ride.

[Skip]

My mate has a Sprint 955i with nearly 70,000 miles on it - burns a bit of oil but it runs sweet - nice bike to ride and goes like stink.

[AndyBrad]

im a tart and dont like the look of the old sprint. else i would be getting an old tourno i think. year or so to wait yet so just looking for thoughts really

[mister c]

After all of the **** I went through with mine, I have to admit that now it's fixed I love it to bits. (I never thought I would hear myself saying that :)) It's fast, powerful, handles quite well & not too thirsty, I get just on 50mpg & that engine note....... Oh my god, it just sounds awesome :)

Couple of downers. I think that the suspension is a little harsh, that could be me though after a saggy SV lol. & I'm not a fan of clip ons, but I replaced mine with a comfort kit & it seems ok.

[AndyBrad]

my concerns are

im short 5ft5 really
im lightweight and not very strong.

so basically im concerned about the weight and slow speed manouverability mainly. And the fcy that i could be buying a money pit (anything i own is a money pit btw )

[mister c]

I'm 5'9" & I can just touch the ground with both feet, they are quite a tall bike, but fairly well balanced. As for buying a money pit, no comment. Lol. She seems fine now though

[AndyBrad]

I'm 5'9" & I can just touch the ground with both feet, they are quite a tall bike, but fairly well balanced. As for buying a money pit, no comment. Lol. She seems fine now though

too tall for me then!

[dizzyblonde]

I'd say so pygmy !!

[Bluefish]

Yeah you Dwarf, Sprints are for real men, how about a curvy sv ;) seriously it don't matter how tall you are it's all about inside leg measurement, i'm 30 inches and can touch the floor with both feet on the sprint, on an sv that's flat footing it with both feet.

[dizzyblonde]

I've a 29 inside leg, and struggle on DTs sprint...TBH Trumpets are the only bikes I have trouble touching the floor on with my feet. Raptor is knee height, and so is the SV for me....


....Andy, yer a shortar$e :lol:

[-Ralph-]

Awesome bike, had no trouble with mine other than a speedo magnet, and lots of Trumpets do that I believe.

If you are thinking about a later model, which you will be if you are comparing with a 1050 Sprint, then they are tuned very differently and make 147 BHP, and they are a very different animal to either Sprint or a Tiger, of which I have ridden them all. To put it bluntly, they are much more of an animal!

The gearbox is clunky, the engine sounds a bit rough at tickover compared to the Sprint or the Tiger, and the whole experience is more guttural, but I like that, adds character. Lazy overtakes from 3000 revs are no problem, but get it revving and it howls like a rabid dog, gets all frantic, and launches you at the horizon.

Brakes are awesome compared to an SV, but get better as they warm up, which when slowing down over 10 seconds or so, can cause the the bike to start braking harder as they warm up, without you adding any pressure at the lever and can be disconcerting until you get used to it.

Suspension is on the firm side as standard (it is a sports bike after all), but everything is fully adjustable and if you wind back the compression and a bit of rebound before a long journey, it turns nice and supple just like a Sprint. The only thing stopping it being capable of full on sports tourer stuff, is the riding position, but you can sit on the seat all day without getting a sore rrrsss. I recently did a 1000 mile weekend on it, and it was a damn sight easier than doing it on an SV, miles just disappear under your wheels.

It is a big long bike, but that suits me, I couldn't ride a modern japanese crotch rocket. I never understand folk that say they can't ride a bike because it is is too tall, doesn't matter once your moving, and you'll soon get used to sliding a butt cheek off the seat each time you want to stop. You see plenty of short guys riding big adventure bikes (The_Lone_Wolf for instance) and plenty women on ordinary sports bikes, and they manage fine.

[Lozzo]

Awesome bike, had no trouble with mine

<snipped the rest of it>

As above, I'll echo Ralph's musings.

I had a 2004 all black SE model and did just under 10K miles on it. I loved it but found it a bit too bulky for the commute I was doing so sold it in favour of an SV650K5. I never had any problems at all with mine - I'd just ride it and maintain it, that's all.

It's still one of the prettiest bikes I have ever owned, and definitely the best sounding with the genuine high level Triumph carbon race can.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/5752336296_54aa58ec30_b.jpg

[-Ralph-]

Awesome bike, had no trouble with mine other than a speedo magnet, and lots of Trumpets do that I believe.

I spoke a bit too soon. Had to adjust the chain for the first time yesterday and found the mechanism was jammed solid. I'm going to need to whip the wheel and wheel carrier off and strip down the rear hub.

I've also got a jammed rebound adjuster on one of my forks.

Neither of these are really the bikes fault. The previous owner had it for 4 years and did 3600 miles, almost all of those in the first two years, and it sat in a garage unused for two years. This is probably the first time the chain has ever needed adjusted. Things are seizing up through lack of use. A very low mileage bike is not always a good thing, though I'd rather have low mileage bike that's seized up, than a high mileage bike that's worn out. Same work required, but with less parts to buy.

[Lozzo]

Ralph - this video may help with the strip-down - I know it's a VFR, but the principle is the same. A mate posted this elsewhere the other day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4sCQTwwOuc

[-Ralph-]

Thanks Lozzo :)

[AndyBrad]

cheers for the help guys.

yea you dont see why people complain about the size of bike? come and park it at mine! have to push it up the curb, up the pavement, 90 deg round the back of next doors, though their yard (sloped and past the washing) then through a gate (just fit) and into mine. I have to then turn it round in the morning and do it all again. Its a right pain! so having a bike i cant handle easily isnt a good idea imo.

Anyhoo. looking good but it is sounding like its a bit too big for me :(

[missyburd]

cheers for the help guys.

yea you dont see why people complain about the size of bike? come and park it at mine! have to push it up the curb, up the pavement, 90 deg round the back of next doors, though their yard (sloped and past the washing) then through a gate (just fit) and into mine. I have to then turn it round in the morning and do it all again. Its a right pain! so having a bike i cant handle easily isnt a good idea imo.

Wouldn't you rather you had that than our drive though? :-P

Would it be a complete waste of a bike to lower it at all or is it not feasible and too much of a pain in the ar5e?

[AndyBrad]

you can lower bikes with varying results afaik but im concerned about the overall size really. guess i need to get one tested.


nice hol btw missyc?

[dizzyblonde]

cheers for the help guys.

yea you dont see why people complain about the size of bike? come and park it at mine! have to push it up the curb, up the pavement, 90 deg round the back of next doors, though their yard (sloped and past the washing) then through a gate (just fit) and into mine. I have to then turn it round in the morning and do it all again. Its a right pain! so having a bike i cant handle easily isnt a good idea imo.

Anyhoo. looking good but it is sounding like its a bit too big for me :(

No different to getting the bus or any of mine through three gates, a 90 degree turn and into a shed at the bottom of a garden. To be reversed out of shed and turned round in garden to get it out before going back through three gates and a 90 degree turn round a gable end of last house on block. Thats down the path of last house on block, round gable end, down path, through gate, into next garden, through gate, into ours.......I don't care, less likely to get pinched ;)

[AndyBrad]

No different to getting the bus or any of mine through three gates, a 90 degree turn and into a shed at the bottom of a garden. To be reversed out of shed and turned round in garden to get it out before going back through three gates and a 90 degree turn round a gable end of last house on block. Thats down the path of last house on block, round gable end, down path, through gate, into next garden, through gate, into ours.......I don't care, less likely to get pinched ;)


do you shift the bus round?

You it at mine with the bus. do it woithout scraping anything and ill give ya a tank of petrol!

[dizzyblonde]

No but Pete does, I wouldn't dare! I'm forever knocking bits of brick off the gable end with Suzys end can....he doesn't touch anything, and has never scraped anything. remeber if he loses his balance its game over for him and the bike, leg won't hold him. Raptors cow horn bars are wider than the bus, and its top heavy.

I do know my mate had a Triumph trophy that he used to get up 13 steps to his house. I kid you not. To get in, he'd ride up the drive of last house, get a scaffold board and wheel it down their steps. To get it out, he'd wheel it down a scaffold board down another set of steps...............anything is possible! He lived in an under dwelling and the only way in was steps. Then he'd park it in the living room.

[missyburd]

you can lower bikes with varying results afaik but im concerned about the overall size really. guess i need to get one tested.


nice hol btw missyc?

As far as I was aware, the weight of the bike when shifting about isn't the issue so much as how you shift it around using your body. But then getting an ER6 through a few gates would be substantially easier than a Goldwing so can go with you on that one :-P

[-Ralph-]

Will you buy me a tank of fuel if I can do it whilst standing on the pegs on my XT? Worth bringing it up to the Leeds office for that is! ;-)

Only needs a bit of a slope to leave me on toe down with rrrsss cheek off the saddle, and half way up a curb, I've got no change of touching anything with my feet but fresh air.

[daytona]

I spoke a bit too soon. Had to adjust the chain for the first time yesterday and found the mechanism was jammed solid. I'm going to need to whip the wheel and wheel carrier off and strip down the rear hub.

I've also got a jammed rebound adjuster on one of my forks.

Neither of these are really the bikes fault. The previous owner had it for 4 years and did 3600 miles, almost all of those in the first two years, and it sat in a garage unused for two years. This is probably the first time the chain has ever needed adjusted. Things are seizing up through lack of use. A very low mileage bike is not always a good thing, though I'd rather have low mileage bike that's seized up, than a high mileage bike that's worn out. Same work required, but with less parts to buy.

Ralph a word of warning, if the eccentric adjuster is dry i would strip your rear linkages as if anything like mine the bearings will be getting dry as well.
my bike has an 07 plate with 6k miles on and i have just done it last month.
leave it too long and it will cost about £120 to replace the bearings.

[Spanner Man]

I spoke a bit too soon. Had to adjust the chain for the first time yesterday and found the mechanism was jammed solid. I'm going to need to whip the wheel and wheel carrier off and strip down the rear hub.



Just in case you haven't stripped one of these before.

Make sure you grind the 'stake' off the 46mm nut on the nearside properly, before undoing it. I've seen a fair few single siders where this hasn't been done. It don't half make a mess of the threads on the axle.
You might find that the problem is caused by the caliper hanger being seized to the hub. Don't bash it too hard, & heat it a little first.

Also, replace the nut with a new one.


Cheers.

[daytona]

spannerman i do not think you need to grind the stake off. just get a small driver under thestake and drive out of the slot.
the nut comes off no problem and can be re-used with no probs just re-stake it
i have dome this on 3 single siders with no ill effects

[Rai86]

cheers for the help guys.

yea you dont see why people complain about the size of bike? come and park it at mine! have to push it up the curb, up the pavement, 90 deg round the back of next doors, though their yard (sloped and past the washing) then through a gate (just fit) and into mine. I have to then turn it round in the morning and do it all again. Its a right pain! so having a bike i cant handle easily isnt a good idea imo.

Anyhoo. looking good but it is sounding like its a bit too big for me :(


I think you will be fine height wise, i have used my friends one for long trips and commuting and i am shorter and weaker than you for sure. If thats the only reason for not getting one - i seriously think you would be fine with it.

THey are great bikes to ride, IMO

[-Ralph-]

Thanks guys. Bit of a design fault IMO. It wasn't the caliper hanger, that was well covered in anti seize compound, it was the rotating hub itself that was seized. The swingarm has a drain hole in the underside, this is above the level of the hub, so spray off the road has been spraying upwards through the drainhole then running down the inside of the swingarm and causing fur and general corrosion around the hub, hence it was seized solid and the eccentric adjuster can't turn it. I had difficulty removing the hub from the swingarm, then when I did I had to take an abrasive paper and WD40 to the inside of the recess and the outside of the hub to clean it up. It's all back together now, with lots of grease, and working nicely.

Thanks for the tip on the stake nut, it was obvious from looking at it what needed to happen with it to avoid thread damage. I just used a screwdriver to relieve the stake and then used the same nut and re-staked it afterwards, but the nut was very stiff to turn coming off, to the extent that I checked twice that the stake was clear of the threads, and putting it back on I took it off again twice and inspected the threads as I thought they were cross threading, such was the resistance, but on close inspection I could see the threads had just been flattened off a touch and the nut was indeed straight, so I just used a bit of force to tighten it up again. It would seem somebody has had it off in the past and not realised it was a staked nut and done exactly what Spannerman was trying to warn me not to do!! So too late, the damage was already done, another idiot got there before me! ggrrrrr

[daytona]

Ralph
they take a hell of an effort to get them to move, they are toqued to 146N/M at the factory so to vercome that takes some doing.
i use a length of tube over the breaker bar and have someone stand on the back brake an dhold the front one.

as i said earlier check your linkage bearings befor its too late

[-Ralph-]

Ralph
they take a hell of an effort to get them to move, they are toqued to 146N/M at the factory so to vercome that takes some doing.
i use a length of tube over the breaker bar and have someone stand on the back brake an dhold the front one.

as i said earlier check your linkage bearings befor its too late

Will do, thanks.

It wasn't difficult to move due to the torque, it's unscrewing down the threads once the nut was loose I had a bit of resistance with, because the threads are already knackered.

[yorkie_chris]

I reckon you'd be right with it andy, they feel heavier to me than the s4 but not that much, and they sound ace. Nuff said!


elevenarife

:smt082