Triumph Daytona 955i (T595, 1997-2006) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Triumph Daytona 955i, made between 1997 and 2006. In the first couple of years, it was called the Daytona T595, but was renamed in 1999 to 955i so the naming was more clearly in line with the engine capacity.
The Triumph Daytona is a full-sized sport bike — a class of bikes that Triumph hasn’t made for a long time, other than the Speed Triple line, e.g. the Speed Triple 955i with which the Daytona 955i shares an engine.
The engine is a 955cc inline 3-cylinder engine, a “triple”. It has four valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams, liquid cooling, and fuel injection — so it’s a very modern engine. In the Daytona 955i, the engine (from 2002 onward) makes a claimed 147 hp (110 kW) at 10700 rpm, or 74 ft-lb (100 Nm) at 8200 rpm — much more a sport bike tune than on the Speed Triple which makes its torque down low.
Final drive is through a wet clutch, 6-speed transmission, and chain drive.
The Daytona 955i was the last of its line, though Triumph has made other mid-sized Daytona bikes like the Triumph Daytona 675.
This was originally published May 4, 2022, but has since been considerably updated.
This site has links for things like oil and spark plugs from which we earn a commission (which unfortunately nobody can save, not even us). If you appreciate this work, then please use those links. Thanks!
Triumph Daytona 955i Service Intervals
The Triumph Daytona 955i has 6000 mile / 10000 km or annual service intervals. At every service, change the oil and filter, and check the system for leaks and lubrication.
The major service is every 12000 miles / 20000 km, at which point you have to replace the spark plugs and check and adjust the valve clearances.
Triumph also recommends you replace the fork fluid every 24000 miles / 40000 km.
Aside from that, keep the brake fluid and the coolant fresh, and regularly maintain the drive chain.
What you need to service your Triumph Daytona 955i
Aside from general motorcycle maintenance tools, you might find the following useful in maintaining your Triumph Daytona 955i.
| Part | Daytona 955i spec |
|---|---|
| Engine oil | The manual suggests semi or fully synthetic 10W/40 or 15W/50 motorcycle engine oil which meets specification API SH (or higher) and JASO MA, such as Mobil 1 10W-40 (fully synthetic) engine oil. |
| Oil filter | Replace the oil filter every time you change the oil. Use Triumph part number T1218001. You can also use Hiflofiltro HF204RC. |
| Spark plugs | Use NGK spark plugs with code CR9EK. |
| Air filter | Use K&N equivalent part TB-9097. |
| Coolant | The manual recommends any coolant with a 50/50 ethylene glycol and water mix. Later model Triumph manuals recommend HD4X, which you can get from a dealer, or get one of these alternatives, e.g. PEAK OEM European Vehicle Blue. |
| Brake fluid | Use Castrol DOT 4 brake fluid. |
| Brake pads | Front (6-bolt front disc): FA236HH Rear: FA214/2HH |
| Chain maintenance | Maintain the chain of your Daytona with a Motul chain care kit or just Motul chain paste. |
| Grease | Use lithium soap-based grease for external pivot points. |
| Cable maintenance | Use Protect all cable life to keep the cables maintained. |
Maintenance schedule for the Triumph Daytona 955i
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Triumph Daytona 955i.
Generally, for the Daytona (and many Triumph motorcycles):
- There are a list of daily checks to do. Do these along with the maintenance items in the schedule.
- Maintain the chain regularly (see below)
- Follow the service schedule for bigger and sometimes less frequent items, from oil changes to valve services and fork oil replacement.
Daily checks
Do these checks often as well as with each service. Since there are fairings on the Daytona, the most common check for leaks would be seeing if anything is dripping in the underbody onto the floor, so it helps if you can park it somewhere where you can see drips.
| Triumph Daytona 955i — Daily/Pre-ride checks |
|---|
| Fuel system – check for leaks, chafing etc. |
| Cooling system – check for leaks |
| Coolant level – check/adjust |
| Throttle cables – check/adjust |
| Clutch cable – check/adjust (Protect all cable life) |
| Wheels – inspect for damage |
| Tyre wear/tyre damage – check |
| Tyre pressures – check/adjust |
| Lights, instruments, and electrical systems – check |
| Steering – check for free operation |
| Forks – check for leaks/smooth operation |
| Brake pad wear – check |
| Brake calipers – check for fluid leaks and seized pistons |
| Brake fluid levels – check |
| Drive chain slack – check/adjust |
| Fasteners – inspect visually for security |
| Side stand – check operation |
Chain maintenance
Maintain the chain every significant ride, or after a period of commuting or riding in rain / dirty conditions.
| Chain maintenance task | Every |
|---|---|
| Drive chain – lubricate (Motul chain paste) | 200 mi (300 km) Or after riding in rain / washing motorcycle |
| Drive chain – wear check | 500 mi (800 km) |
Full maintenance schedule
Below is the full maintenance schedule for the Triumph Daytona 955i.
Do the daily checks (mentioned above) in addition to these.
Notes on the maintenance schedule:
- At the end of the maintenance periods shown, continue in the same pattern (every 1, 2, 3, or 4 intervals)
- Later manuals are structured differently, and don’t have distance intervals for changing the brake fluid or coolant. This is reflected here.
- Items marked [T] need Triumph dealer/mechanic tools or resources.
- The original maintenance schedule mandated many things to be done every year, but the below guidance of what to do every year is from later manuals (it’s much more reasonable).
| mi x 1000 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km x 1000 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | Every |
| [T] Engine ECM — Check for stored DTCs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Engine oil – renew (Mobil 1 10W-40) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Engine oil filter – renew (HF204RC) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Engine and oil cooler – check for leaks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Valve clearances – check/adjust | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Air cleaner – renew (TB-9097) | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Spark plugs – check | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Spark plugs – renew (CR9EK) | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Throttle bodies – balance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Cooling system – check hoses for chafing, cracks or damage. Replace hoses if necessary | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Coolant – renew | 2 years | ||||
| Fuel filter – renew | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Headstock bearings – check/adjust | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Headstock bearings – lubricate | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Fork oil – renew | ✓ | ||||
| Brake fluid – renew (Castrol DOT 4) | 2 years | ||||
| Brake caliper and master cylinder rubber seals – replace | 2 years | ||||
| Brake master cylinders – check for fluid leaks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Drive chain rubbing strip – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Rear wheel bearing – lubricate (Lithium soap-based grease) | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Secondary air injection system – check | ✓ | ✓ | Year | ||
| Fuel and evaporative loss hoses (if fitted) – renew | 4 years |
Chain Maintenance for the Triumph Daytona 955i
The Triumph Daytona 955i, being a high-power sport bike that many also use as a daily rider, has a chain that is likely to see a lot of heavy use. So you need to tend to it regularly.
Triumph recommends you lubricate your Daytona’s chain and check the wear periodically according to the following schedule.
| Item | Every |
|---|---|
| Drive chain – lubricate | 200 miles (300 km) |
| Drive chain – wear check | 500 miles (800 km) |
To check wear of the Triumph Daytona 955i, hang a 10-20 kg (20-40 lb) weight on the chain. Measure the length of 20 links of the straight part of the chain (from the 1st to 21 pin). Make the measurement in a few places to be sure.
If the length of any section of the chain exceeds 321 mm or 12.6 inches, replace the chain as well as the front and rear sprockets.
You also need to regularly check the slack of the chain per the schedule.
How to Check Chain Slack on a Triumph Daytona 955i
For the Triumph 955i, measure slack by measuring the free vertical movement of the centre part of the bottom chain segment.
- You need a ruler (or tape measure) and nitrile gloves or a rag (to avoid getting grease on your hands)
- Put the motorcycle in neutral, on a level service, and onto its side stand.
- Rotate the wheel and find the tightest part of the chain, in the middle.
- Use a finger to lightly push the chain up and down. Measure the deflection, which is the chain slack.
Target chain slack for the Triumph Daytona 955i: 35-40 mm (1.4 – 1.6 in)
Adjust Chain Slack on the Triumph Daytona 955i
The procedure is similar on many motorcycles with a single-sided swing-arm.
You need wrenches and torque wrenches to re-tighten the rear wheel. You also need a medium torque wrench for the rear axle.
- Loosen the adjuster clamp bolt.
- Use the C spanner (in the tool kit) to turn the rear hub / eccentric adjuster to get the correct chain tension. You turn it anti-clockwise to tighten, or clockwise to loosen.
- Get it to the tighter end of the chain slack range 35 mm or 1.4 inches.
- When you get the target chain slack, tighten the clamp bolt to 55 Nm / 75 lb-ft (quite tight).
- Check chain slack one last time, and re-adjust if necessary.
Wheels and Tires (Tyres)
The Daytona 955i shipped originally with a range of sport / sport touring tires. But it has quite standard wheel sizes so can take a range of tire sizes, too.
The manual for the Daytona says you can use a 180-profile or 190-profile tire (it runs a 17 x 6.0 inch rear rim, and a 17 x 3.5 inch fron trim). Interestingly, the manual suggests different front tire pressures depending on the profile of the rear tire you use. (See page 111 of the manual)
| Wheel | Rim size | Tire size | Tire pressure (cold) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | 17 x 3.5 in | 120/70 ZR 17 | If running 180 rear: 2.35 bar / 34 psi If running 190 rear: 2.50 bar / 36 psi |
| Rear | 17 x 6.0 in | 180/55 ZR 17 or 190/50 ZR 17 | 2.90 bar / 42 psi |
Naturally, adjust tire pressures based on your riding style, road conditions, and other personal situation / preferences.
About the Triumph Daytona 955i
The Triumph Daytona 955i is the last in the line of big-engined superbikes that Triumph made back in the day, before focusing on naked bikes and design-led roadsters.
Decades after its retirement, the Daytona 955i is such an unusual bike that most people wouldn’t associate it with Triumph’s branding, and confuse it with a Japanese or another European brand that makes sportbikes.
But the Daytona 955i has a loyal legion of followers for its high specs, excellent build quality, and striking good looks that have stood the test of time.
The core of the Daytona 955i still remains unique — there are no other full sportbikes with three-cylinder engines. The 955 cc triple is thoroughly modern, with dual overhead cams and twelve valves, plus fuel injection. Though many owners do say that the engine tends to consume more oil than more modern engines.
Triumph made some changes from 2002 to the Triumph Daytona 955i. These changes included a more sophisticated ECU for better fuel injection control, smoother transmission, and a more modern visual style (which a lot of people didn’t like as it made the newer bike look more “generic”).
Triumph also made some internal changes to the Daytona 955i. They changed the cylinder head, reducing the valve angle from 39 to 24 degrees, and bumped up compression from 11.2:1 to a sporty 12.0:1:. Triumph also enlarged the throttle bodies. The result was more power, though at higher RPM.
Here’s how the power specs compare:
| Daytona 955i generations | Gen 1 | Gen 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Years | 1997-2001 | 2002-2006 |
| Compression ratio | 11.2:1 | 12.0:1 |
| Peak power | 130 hp / 94.8kW @ 9900 rpm | 147 hp / 110 kW @ 10700 rpm |
| Peak torque | 74 ft-lb / 100 Nm @ 7600 rpm | 74 lb-ft / 100 Nm @ 8200 rpm |
| Visual features | “Rounder” | More “Angular” |
From 2022, Triumph has gone in the opposite direction, releasing the semi-faired Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR, a semi-faired version of the Speed Triple 1200 RS with clip-ons and some track-oriented features. Will a full fairing version also be released? We’ll just wait and see.
If buying a Daytona, make sure you check the following things in particular:
- Fuel tank — if you live in Europe or the US where ethanol has been blended into fuel for a long time, check to make sure there’s no warping or bubbling around the tank.
- Starter clutch — make sure the bike fires up quickly with no spinning starter.
- Leaks — start it up, ride it around, and check for leaks around the engine. Could just be a seal, but you don’t want it to be a problem you don’t know about.
Other than that, check the usual things on a sportbike — good chain/sprockets, suspension not leaking, and no evidence of crash damage — and you’re good to go with a modern classic.
Reference — Manual for the Triumph Daytona 955i
Below are screenshots as references for the maintenance schedule for the Triumph Daytona 955i.
The manual is shared between the Speed Triple and the Daytona of the same vintage (though the Daytona was made for two years prior).
You can download most manuals for Triumph motorcycles from here, though for old models they tend to stop printing them.
