Triumph T595 Daytona timeline

The Triumph T595 Daytona was the Hinckley firm's move away from their cost-effective 'modular' approach to motorcycle chassis and motor sharing, and also their first foray in the big superbike class. The looks are almost like a fatter Ducati 916: there's that lupine tilt to the headlights and a single-sided swingarm. Motor and chassis are unique. The frame rails are swoopy aluminium, the swingarm held an attractive, exposed three-spoke wheel, while the motor was a threecylinder Sagem fuel-injected 955cc lump. Price new in 1997 was £9649. Despite early road tests of the time, the T595 wasn't a Fireblade beater, it simply did its own thing and was a pleasing, British alternative to anything Japanese or Italian. It did have some issues just after launch. T595s were subject to a frame recall early on, when some allegedly snapped near the headstock. Triumph did a good job of keeping new owners informed and changed the frames under warranty, giving them an accompanying letter to prove it. The fuel-injection/engine management light would often have a mind of its own, often staying on, and the hub chain adjuster could seize. Clutches were heavy, gearboxes notoriously notchy as standard, and some wrecked 4th gears were changed under warranty but the 1998-on direct to the gearbox lever connection improved the feel massively. The truth is that while the early models are perhaps more desirable, the bike improved with age like a fine wine. Changes included uprated camshafts for 1998, that gear-lever update, then a name-change in 1999 to the 955i (to differentiate from the coming TT600) along with suspension changes. The year 2001 saw a major aesthetic revamp and revised cylinder head giving 130bhp. The bike also received further bodywork changes in 2005 before it was pensioned off in 2006.