Tiger Test Ride(s)

 The Tiger rode like it has never had any fueling problems after I hacked the idle control system last time. Idle control is a common problem on 955i Triumphs and I've spent years trying to get mine back into spec even as finding parts for them gets more difficult. Turns out the solution is to remove it.

Ride #2: 40 minutes locally

Second ride this week and the bike idles rock steady and is as smooth as it has ever been, and the backfiring that had been getting worse is completely gone. Today it started on the button, ran from cold with no issues and took me on a 40 minute ride without a hiccup.

We live in an overcrowded little town now thanks to Southern Ontario swelling in size post COVID, so I took the Tiger through a lot of stop-start traffic to see if I could get it to hiccup, but it wouldn't! Makes me want to move more than ever though.

No problems on the back roads.

Pickup up from stops, no problem. Cornering roll on throttle? Smooth as butter. Idle never wavers and I'd forgotten how much fun to chuck around the Tiger is...

So if you're having never ending headaches with your Triumph 955i idle control system, yank the damned thing! Modulating the idle through varying the vacuum between the intake manifold and the airbox (the servo moves up and down revealing the vacuum passages for the three throttle bodies) serves some purpose (perhaps emissions?), but at this point in the bike's life at over 90k and 22 years in, removing the lot and connecting the intake vacuum lines together offers a viable fix for what may be one of the last of these bikes on the road in Canada. I'd be willing to play Top Trumps with any other 955is on mileage too.

Ride #3: Going Long

The next run was a 275 km run up to Georgian Bay to look at a blue horizon. These days it's also a reason to get out of our increasingly overcrowded and traffic jammy town.

The first 45 minutes are straight lining through farm desert, but the geography starts to get some character once you get into the Niagara Escarpment in the Gray Highlands. I didn't throw the 360 camera on until we got to the less tedious bits.

At just under half a tank the Tiger took me 140 kms and two stops to a fuel stop between Blue Mountain and the big water. It was still showing most of the red on the fuel gauge and took less than 17 litres (it's a 24 litre tank), suggesting that this mod isn't hurting mileage.

After the fill up it was some twisty bits over to Creemore for a bite and then the long haul back through farm desert (with its big, juicy flies) and then lines of traffic to get back to my driveway. Through it all the Tiger was mighty.

Flesherton to Thornbury through Beaver Valley (41kms)

Thornbury Harbour to Creemore Brewery (77 kms)

Thornbury Harbour!

Just past the scenic caves on Blue Mountain.

Creemore for a late lunch.

Steady 100km/hr sections, twisties, as big an altitude change as you can find in Southern Ontario and we never missed a beat. Left at 10am, got home just past 4pm, multiple stops, always started on the button whether cold, hot, or somewhere in between.Temp was mid-teens leaving and mid-twenties returning.

It's been a while since you've heard this on here, but I'm a happy Tiger owner.

1) Bin 2, 3 and 4
2) Remove the top of the servo (1) and leave it plugged in but detached from the airbox.
3) Block off the hole in the bottom of the airbox left by the removed idle control stuff..
4) Plumb the three vacuum lines out of the throttle bodies into each other through a T-junction.

Bob's your uncle! No promises, but it did the trick for me.

Triumph 955i Stalling Issues.... Fixed!?!

 Facebook slapped me in the face with this this morning:

...so I went on a mission.

I pulled the tank (for the millionth time?) and set up the 955i Triumph Tiger so I could try many different things to test if the idle was working. Previously I'd followed the manual, but no longer!

I did the usual checks for vacuum leaks and I continue to suspect the overly complicated and no longer supported idle control system. After trying everything I'd tried before, I decided to go OFF BOOK.

If I can't fix this @*&%ing thing perhaps I can hack it! With the bike in test mode (plugged in and ready to run with all sensors attached), now is the moment to try some alternatives, so I pulled the entire idle control system and tried variations without it.

I plugged the servo back in because I figured leaving it unplugged might piss off the computer. I also removed the end of the servo so it wouldn't interfere with the airbox and then blocked off the airbox with Gorilla Tape.

I'd also done my due diligence by balancing the throttle bodies and making sure everything else was plugged in as normal. I also reflashed the computer through Tuneboy with the South African map I found a few years ago.

 So what happens when you remove the entire (problematic) idle control system in a Triumph 955i engine and simply connect the vacuum tubes out of the throttle body to each other?

Well, it seems to have fixed everything. The bike idles right where the computer sets it, the backfiring problem is gone and the motor fuels smoothly (though this is probably in large part due to that fantastic South African fuel map). Best of all, no more stalling.

That's the work around. I got some silicon tubing from Amazon along with some T connectors (maybe $30 all in?). The last round of Triumph replacement parts cost me north of $200 and when I had to start buying used parts (because Triumph has stopped supporting their own bikes) and getting them shipped over to Canada it cost even more... but this hack is thirty bucks in parts and I also have a pile of unused silicon tubing and T connectors left over. I attached the silicon hoses to the T connector and then into each of the throttle bodies, so it's a closed loop with no chance of leaks.

In the pic you can see the idle control servo (black object above the intakes on the left side). That's what it looks like with the plunger removed. It still moves up and down but has nothing to do with moderating vacuum between the airbox and the throttle bodies which is what has caused me years of headaches.

I'm so jumpy about the motor falling through idle and stalling (it's a perilous place to be when you're on the road on a bike that keeps cutting out), but this hack hasn't just solved the idle problem, it has also resolved all of the other issues. The bike idles steady right where I set it in Tuneboy, but more surprising is that the backfiring that had crept in is completely gone. The bike feels tight, full powered and like it did years ago. My only thought now is that it might hurt the gas mileage, but I'll keep an eye on that as I get some miles under me this summer.

It still starts like normal. I'm occasionally getting a high idle (3-4 thousand RPM), but as I rode it that happened less - like the computer was figuring out the new normal. I'm curious to see if not having that system in affects cold starting but that's not going to be an issue for the next four months, and I don't mind being my own choke if it means a steady idle.

Tiger Success (!) and first ride of 2025

 Last fall I took the fuel injection apart on the 2003 Triumph Tiger 955i. It wasn't fueling properly and was unrideable. I barely got any mileage on it last season, so I replaced every o-ring in the system and got a new fuel pump for it. It also got new throttle and clutch cables last year. If this last hail Mary attempt to resolve the atrocious fuel injection on this old bike didn't work, it was out the door.

The good news is it fuels nicely again for the first time in a year! I've still got to tune it and get the idle right, but it feels fantastic. Look back over the posts in December and earlier to see the details and where to get parts. If you're trying to keep an old Triumph 955i on the road (Triumph doesn't support them with parts any more), try this, it seems to work!

Battery needed a kick, but once charged up it ran like a top.

The clawed hands of winter still twist into the sky.

First chance to try out a new Shark helmet. My first and I'm not disappointed.

Still got snow on the borders.

The Grand River is swollen by the spring runoff - that's the camp ground underwater on the other side.

That grin is involuntary. The first time you lean into a corner after a long winter on four wheels is magical.

Amy knows how it feels...

Nice to have one road worthy. The C14 valve job continues when I have time, but work has picked up and I'm travelling again, so my weekends are seldom my own.

Here is the radiator loosened so I could get to the front cam sensor to change the o-ring. The Murph's Kit came with an oversized one. That was 40 minutes of sweat and swearing before I gave up and stepped away (again). This was a giant time suck at a time when I don't have a lot of... time.

955i Tiger Fuel Injection O-Ring Replacements

I found some o-rings at the local NAPA that come mighty close to the mystery sized ones that Triumph won't tell anyone what spec they are or provide any more, so I rebuilt the fuel injection rail with all new o-rings.

The chubby lower o-rings came from Amazon (I'm cobbling together parts from wherever I can). Sure would be nice if Triumph would release detailed specs on the older Hinckley Triumphs they don't support anymore.

While I was going over things I thought I'd have a look at the throttle sensor. There was some speculation (based on the similar 955i Sprint) that there is an o-ring that disintegrates which causes connection problems, but the Tiger doesn't have one. I know because I took one off one of the spare injector bodies I had and looked.

Will it work? I'm going to give it a go this week and see since it's weirdly warm out and all the snow has melted. What do I expect? It not to work, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

With the Tiger reassembled I figured I'd do the oil change I didn't get around to on the Concours 14 before I parked it for the winter, only to discover oil all over the side of the engine, so the bikes have been swapped and now I'm looking at a deep dive into the GTR1400. It looks like it might be the valve cover and since I haven't done the valves on it yet I'm going for it.

Triumph 955i fuel injector O-ring research

Tiger's still not working (see previous post). Here's my best guess: the new fuel pump has caused the old O-rings in the fuel line to leak causing a vacuum leak, so I'm digging for new O-rings, but of course Triumph doesn't sell them anymore and seems to go out of their way to not tell you what size they are. Wouldn't it be nice if a manufacture who don't support their bikes after only 20 years at least open sourced the specs so the aftermarket could pick them up?

Anyway, off to the internet I go to research! Here are the notes:

https://www.thetriumphforum.com/threads/triumph-2003-955i-cutting-out-when-throttle-blipped.27324/page-3

"There is a O ring on the Tps (throttle position sensor) that gets worn and swells causing a voltage delay when closing the throttle causing the incorrect signal to the ECU.

Cure? Simply remove this O ring haha, So i did this last night and took her for a test ride this morning whilst picking up some essentials. BINGO!"

Part 23 = T3600053 | O ring
Part 4 = Throttle potentiometer Part Number: T1290500 - but it doesn't look like it has an O-ring involved in it, so that advice is suspect.

12 = O ring. Rail, Part Number: T360005313 = O Ring, Injector, Upper Part Number: T1245016
14 = O Ring, Injector, Lower Part Number: T1240806

Store: The O-Ring Store https://www.theoringstore.com/store/

Parts: V3.00x008 V75 (upper), and V2.40x009.6 (lower) - those are the dimensions (upper = 3

Suggestions from forums on potential issues: "Don't be surprised if you find that the end of your fuel line is actually cracking at the fitting. I chased O rings for a while and discovered that to be my source instead."

"the union (which is plastic) was the culprit. It was cracked and just giving it a wee jiggle made it worse"https://www.triumphrat.net/threads/955-sprint-fuel-o-ring-rubber-sizes.163915/
Fuel Fitting O-Rings

* Triumph O RING, FUEL PIPE CONNECTOR - T1240181
* Buna-N O-Rings - #9452K19 McMaster-Carr https://www.mcmaster.com/

o SPECS
+ AS568A Dash Number: 010
+ Type: O-Ring
+ O-Ring Type: Standard
+ Width: 1/16"
+ Actual Width: .070"
+ Inside Diameter: 5/16"
+ Actual Inside Diameter: .301"
+ Outside Diameter: 7/16"
+ Actual Outside Diameter: .441"
+ Material: Buna-N
+ Durometer: Hard
+ Durometer Shore: Shore A: 70
+ Temperature Range: -35° to +250°F
+ Color: Black
* Viton O-Rings - #9464K16 McMaster-Carr

o SPECS
+ AS568A Dash Number: 011
+ Typ:e O-Ring
+ System of Measurement: Inch
+ Width: 1/16" (1.5875mm)
+ Inside Diameter: 5/16" (7.938mm)
+ Outside Diameter: 7/16" (11.113mm)
+ Material: Viton
+ Durometer: Hard
+ Durometer Shore: Shore A: 75
+ Temperature Range: -15° to +400°F
+ Color: Black
https://www.theoringstore.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=38145

NAPA cross reference on this O-ring is:
Part Number: BK 7272011
Product Line: Balkamp
Dimensions : 5/16" I.D. x 7/16" O.D. x 1/16" W ( 7.938mm I.D. x 11.113mm O.D. x 1.5875mm W )
Material Type : Buna-N-Nitrile
SAE or Metric : SAE

QUESTION: are the upper and lower O-rings different (I'm assuming so because Triumph gave them different part numbers). - they are different thicknesses.

"The upper o-ring is approximately 15mm outer diameter with a 3.5mm cross-section, while the lower o-ring is about 15mm outer diameter with a 2mm cross-section"

2mm wide lower: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07GJK53QJ/
3.5mm wide upper: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07JWCD86K/
I'll give these a go and see how they do.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/156327987779 - that's high-larious! Forty bucks for an (as in ONE!) 20 year old O-ring! It ain't just the stealerships who cane you for these parts (when they deign to sell them).

https://theinjectorshop.com/en-ca/products/fuel-injectors-rebuild-repair-o-ring-kit-for-triumph-sprint-st-tiger-1050-2007-2009?_pos=1&_sid=00ce905cd&_ss=r

Hmm, do 1050 tigers use the same O-rings/injectors?

2007 Tiger 1050 parts:
O Ring, Injector, Upper T1245016 (same as 955i part)
O Ring, Injector, Lower T1245006 not - damn it!

Hey, Tim. Try using AI to solve this problem! Here's Perplexity.ai (on 'pro' mode!)

Adamantly and repeatedly incorrect. So much for HAL 9000 fixing the Tiger. I'll give those Amazon parts a try and let you know the results.

NAPA details: https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/PSH71169 Part #: PSH 71169
.301 ID X .070 W (7.645mm ID X 1.778mm) why only show the inside diameter?

Deja vu: https://tkmotorcyclediaries.blogspot.com/2023/10/finding-your-way-around-oems-giving-up.html

Based on that the 15mm outside diameter 3.5 and 2mm thickness is a pretty close guess.
Why doesn't NAPA provide full dimensions: https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/ELR429060? I'm going to run over to our local with the two O-rings and see if they'll help me match them up, but the site could be more helpful.

https://www.triumphrat.net/threads/fuel-line-union-o-rings.978549/

O-rings for the fuel fittings to the tank (they are stainless steel on mine): "they are A010 and if you are in the USA you can get a kit from Harbor Freight with a bunch of them for $10.  There is also a metric size I found that was a little thicker which might give you more confidence but require some petroleum jelly to get the fitting in. Don't be surprise d if you find that the end of your fuel line is actually cracking at the fitting. I chased O rings for a while and discovered that to be my source instead."

Going for (yet another) fueling fix on the 955i Triumph Tiger

 It's a tricky thing finding the parts you need on a bike no longer supported by its manufacturer, but I keep getting lucky with quality aftermarket providers, in this case Quantum Fuel Systems out of California.

Ordering was easy, transport was astonishingly quick and transparent and I had the kit on hand less than 48 hours after I ordered it. I haven't had many better shipping experiences.

I went with Quantum because they had a full kit including hardware and a fuel filter (because none of that is available through the dealer). No instructions came with the kit but the pump, filter and strainer (all included in the kit) are an easy fit, especially when you've got the original sitting in front of you to work from. The whole thing took about half and hour from removing the plate it's attached to on the tank through to having it back together again.

This is where the fuel pump plate bolts to the tank.

The original pump (mounted in front), fuel filter (behind) and strainer off to the right.

Disassembly was straightforward. One of the nice things about an immersed system like this is that rust can't get at it.

The new bits installed, very straightforward.

You can see the difference in colour with the strainer. The old one was stiff as well as discoloured. With all new parts I'm hoping this magically restores the Tiger to regular fueling duties. I've seen some other comments suggesting that this is the silver bullet when it comes to old Triumph 955i fueling headaches.

It's all back in the tank again now. I'll get the bike back together and if the snow holds off take it for a spin, hopefully with a sense of resolution.

Update

Got it back together again and the new fueling bits have solved the starting problems (it fires on the button again) and it idles steadily again - a bit high even (but I'd been messing with the fuel maps to try and bump up idle speeds). I've since reinstalled the stock map and it starts and idles well.. But as with everything fueling related on this thing, one solution has caused another problem.

Previously the throttle worked fine but it wouldn't start or idle. Now it starts and idles but if you touch the throttle is stalls. My first thought is that this might be because the new throttle cable wasn't adjusted right, so I loosened it off and gave it the required slack the manual suggests. It still stalls when you touch the throttle.

The next thought was perhaps the new fuel pump and filters have messed with the throttle body synchronization (this bike is notoriously finicky about this). So, I took the fuel tank off (again - can't count how many times now) and rebalanced everything yesterday. We've got our first snows of the year now so I can't take it for a spin, but I'm hoping to have it all back together (again) this week and see if I've got a working Tiger.

If you want a sense of how perilous fueling is on 955i Triumphs, Classic Bike Magazine (my go to for genuinely helpful advice on keeping old bikes running since Practical Sportsbikes closed down and got folded into CB who now support a much wider range of machines) had a piece on the 955i Speed Triple (one of my all time favourite bikes). Page two had the enlightening piece to the right.

Fueling on these old Triumphs is a known headache. I've sold on bikes I've become frustrated with before and the problem hangs in my mind. Rather perversely, I need to figure out what's wrong with the Tiger before I sell it rather than just selling it on in this state. Not knowing what the problem is will drive me nuts. On the upside, if I become one of the 'very few people with experience of the Segem fuel injection', I'd be able to pick up a 955i Speed Triple that isn't working for a song.

Doing this after the Tiger, now *that* would be perverse!

Tiger, or not to Tiger, that is the question: Triumph 955i Winter To Do List

 Problems

Yes, I'm swearing at it.

• The idle control problem has returned (stalling)
• This is happening with no errors in the computer (all sensors working then?)
• Fuelly smell (leak? mixture too rich, but with no errors?)
• Poor starting is new (takes many attempts - might be a wiring issue?)
• Triumph not supporting the bike any more with parts or service
• Not a popular model/make, even finding used parts a challenge
• I'm told that this wasn't a bike built to last (with the two above points this is problematic)
• New throttle cable may not be adjusted correctly

Recent Attempts to fix

• new throttle and clutch cables
• balanced throttle bodies and checked valve clearances in the summer
• cleaned the relays under the seat and it started easier (but still not on the button as it used to)

Winter Targets

• 
  recheck all the possible points of failure
• valves
• check throttle position sensor
• check fuel pump (but then do what? Fuel Pump Factory pump replacement - but where to find the filter? Quantum Fuel Systems kit comes with one.
• throttle bodies balanced
• throttle cable adjusted
• replace all fuel o-rings and check for seal
• clean all wiring connectors
• double check all connectors for tightness/connection
• torque set everything with easy reach
• follow the book and keep it tight to spec (don't do any of it from memory)
• Only change the oil (less than a 1000k on it since last change) if everything else is promising (saving myself $120+ in the process)

Goal

• Resolve starting issues
• Resolve fueling issues
• Stabilize the bike and sell it (?)
• What might change my mind:
• understanding the ongoing fueling headaches
• understanding whether they are fixable with the resources I have
• determining if ongoing ownership is worth the hassle
• If viable, consider the 2001 low mileage bike
• Upgrade the headlamps to LED
• Ride the bike to the usual 5k+ kms next summer or
• Sell it for what I purchased it for 8+ years ago

If the Tiger problems are diagnosable (ie: it's not of an age that it's simply falling to pieces) and solvable with the resources I've got, aim at 100k by end of 2025. If it's too 'disposable' and unsupported, move it on to someone with the time and patience to deal with it.

$1900 in Windsor. $1500 for the bike and another $300
to get a van to go get it? If the Tiger warrants long term
ownership then this move makes sense. It has <30k on it!

What do I hope? I can find the time to make it viable and ride it until it's the last one on the
road in Canada. If that happens picking up the parts bike from Windsor makes sense. Perhaps I could park it in the shed and only go to it when I need parts.

The alternative is to let the bike I've put the most miles on and have owned the longest go. My already limited brand loyalty has been stretched to breaking by the lack of support from Triumph. The Tiger replaced a 22 year old Kawasaki 1000GTR/C10 that I had no trouble finding parts and even service for. In between I had a '97 Fireblade that Honda was happy to support, but not so for Triumphs that were built up to only a few years ago.

I'd like to spend my riding years riding more than spannering. The C14/1400GTR has been dependable and with my various adjustments on it I'm still finding that I'm learning about it, though its road focus means I can't trail ride like I do on the Tiger. With the Tiger gone my accidental Kawasaki fixation (I don't go looking for them, they seem to appear when I need them to), I'm tempted to see if a KLR650 would do the dual sporting I'm missing on the Concours. It would certainly be more off road friendly than the heavier, fragile, unsupported Tiger.

Other options could be a Royal Enfield Himalayan, Tenere 700 or CRF 300 Honda (though they aren't good with bigger riders, which I am). The KLRs are plentiful, not overly expensive and well understood as the model has been going forever. I've also got a Kawasaki dealer 10 minutes from the house (as opposed to the 2+ hours for Triumph).

The long bomb would be going in a completely different direction and getting something like a Moto Guzzi V85TT, though that puts me back into potentially fragile, poorly supported European manufacturer territory (they sure are pretty though). If I'm looking for a bike to put miles, it probably isn't that one. Perhaps when I'm riding less one will find a spot in the garage.

This winter will answer this existential question:

Tiger, or not to Tiger? That is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous mileage,

Or to take arms against a sea of manufacturer unsupported troubles

And by opposing end them.