One to know – Triumph’s T595 Daytona

Bertie Simmonds, editor of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine takes a look at those bikes that deserve some time in the limelight again.

This was the Hinckley firm’s move away from the costeffective ‘modular’ approach to motorcycle chassis and motor sharing and also the company’s first (and yet to be repeated) march into the big superbike class. The looks are of the time (1996/1997); you’re not quite sure if the T595 (called the 955i from 1999) is trying to look like a fatter Ducati 916.

There’s that lupine tilt to the headlights and a single-sided swingarm, but in its defence I think this strange mix has given it a style all its own.

Motor and chassis were unique for the time. The frame rails are swoopy aluminium and were the subject of a frame recall early on just after launch, when some allegedly snapped near the headstock. The factory actually did a very good job of keeping new owners informed and changed the frames under warranty, giving them an accompanying letter to prove that the work had been done. The swingarm held an attractive, exposed three-spoke wheel while the motor was a threecylinder 955cc lump with Sagem fuel-injection.

Hit that electric starter and you may find a worrying lag before you’re rewarded with a slightly agricultural triple cacophony. Chuck a leg over it and hit the open road and you’ll soon become addicted to the sound and grunt that only a triple can provide. Despite early road tests of the time, the T595 wasn’t a Fire-Blade beater and it was soon shuffled down the order as newer Jap four-cylinder litre sportsters came in, but it did things in its own, unique way.

Any model can be a good find. Okay, if you want to collect and make some money, you’ll want the very first model: remember to check for history and that frame swap. If you just want a good road bike, the final models are the most sorted, even if they may not be sure-fire classics.

Price-wise even the first models are still often seen around £1500 and moving towards the newer versions you can pick them up for as little as £3000-£3500. Be wary… some people are cottoning on and low-mile original T595s are now heading up into the £4k bracket.