Triumph Tiger 955i Scrambler from FullMoto…
In 2001, Triumph introduced the Tiger 955i, an adventure-style bike powered by the great engine of the early Hinckley Triumph years, the liquid-cooled 955cc triple. The three-cylinder engine, which also powered the Daytona superbike, earned a reputation for top-end power, twin-like torque, and unprecedented reliability. Then there was the sound:
“The raucous belch rising to a crescendo wail is so wonderful and amusing that it’s impossible not to smile, if not giggle — even after a year of ownership.” –Canyon Chasers
Putting such a furious powerplant in the Tiger made it one hell of an animal indeed:
“Giving a claimed 104bhp @ 9500rpm…makes it among the quickest and fruitiest of the so-called monster trail motorcycles – great on road, but it’s no off-roader.” –MCN
Yes, the Tiger 955i, while a rocket ship on the road, wasn’t really intended to leave the paved world behind — a far cry from Ted Simon’s legendary 1973 Tiger 100 “Transworld Trumpet,” which helped set the world of adventure motorcycling in motion.
That’s where our new friend Miguel Angel of Spain’s FULLMOTO comes in. Miguel grew up in Spain’s Jerez de la Frontera — what he calls “one of the cathedrals of motorcycling worldwide” — so “dirty hands” and the “smell of gasoline” have been part of his life since the very beginning.
The “Triumph Tiger Scrambler” you see here is Miguel’s personal creation, built specifically to his personal needs, taste, and style — a bike that recapture the adventurous essence of the Tiger series:
“This one in particular is a solution to my vision of having a motorcycle that would allow me to have eternal reliability, significant power for long distances and stretches of road but without compromising its off-road use, adapting exactly to my needs, both functional and aesthetic.”
In some ways, the bike is intended to blend the style and off-road functionality of the company’s Scrambler 1200 with the power, reliability, and character of the 955i engine. The bike is nearly unrecognizable as a Tiger, though the brutish 955i gives clue to the bike’s DNA. Despite the radical transformation from fairing-clad adventure bike to scrambler, most all of the parts are authentic Triumph components from other models.
One of the most interesting modifications? The bike actually has two connected fuel tanks for extended range, with the main one coming from a Triumph Legend TT — the company’s triple-cylinder cruiser. The total capacity is 19 liters or 5 gallons!
“This ensures a very high autonomy for those long trips and stretches that cross uninhabited areas.”
The rear subframe was completely redesigned, and the bike is now running high fenders, scrambler-style side cover number plates, a heavy-duty bashplate, flatter custom seat with rear toolkit, exhaust with a high exit, Barkbusters handguards, single front LED headlight with gravel guard, and countless other modifications tailored specifically to Miguel’s ergonomics and needs.
The engine was left mostly stock for maximum reliability, but the bike weighs just 180 kilos now — less than 400 pounds, about 80 lbs lighter than the original. That’s a lot of thrust in a fairly light package, and best of all, Miguel rides the hell out of the bike…
“It is not a museum piece or a display case, so after almost four years since the completion of the construction and the beginning of its adventures, it continues and will continue to conquer horizons, eating up kilometres and adding adventures, I hope for many more years.”
While many custom bikes are a delight for the eye, it’s great to see a full-blown, real-world custom that’s ridden so often. Affectionately referred to as “La Taiguer” — a phonetic translation into Miguel’s native Spanish — this is an authentic adventure machine, true to the spirit of the legendary “Transworld Trumpet” of yesteryear. Bravo, Miguel!
Below is our extensive interview with Miguel, along with more images from his two-wheeled adventures. You can follow along at @rondan_gdeleaniz and learn more about his clothing apparel FULLMOTO.
Triumph Tiger Scrambler: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My city is Jerez de la Frontera, one of the cathedrals of motorcycling worldwide, and that is why I have lived in the world of motorcycling from a very young age, with dirty hands and the smell of gasoline permeating my clothes and my surroundings.
Over the years I have been advancing through stages, and obviously the beginning was with small displacement motorcycles where we dismantled and reassembled them a thousand times with constant variations to obtain better performance. But also, in my case, the design of the vehicle was fundamental. Therefore, the work that I have always done on my motorcycles, since the beginning, has had a component of customization beyond the function, also in the form.
Mopeds, sports motorcycles, circuit and competition motorcycles, to end up discovering Cafe Racer motorcycles and culminating in an evolution to the Scrambler, with which I manage to have a proportion of everything that I like in the world of motorcycles.
I make a living with design; I consider myself creative above any other denomination. To the point that this bike is a continuation of the clothing line adapted to the world of motorcycles called FULLMOTO, which expresses many of the things that I feel are experienced in this world.
The bike has that essence and bears its logo for that reason, and because the latest version of the bike with more curious details, mainly in paint, was made for the presentation of the FULLMOTO brand in the best biker-style clothing store in Spain, Irons Cafe Racer.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
It is based on a Tiger 995i, and from there parts have been combined, all official Triumph parts, from different models. In short, it is an authentic Triumph, as that was precisely my intention, that it would be an authentic Triumph and without a doubt my Triumph.
• Why was this bike built?
I have had several projects throughout my life, most of them for personal enjoyment, but some I have worked on for other people. I am attached to my creations and therefore, I understand them as an extension of myself, part of me and I do not like to part with them.
This one in particular is a solution to my vision of having a motorcycle that would allow me to have eternal reliability, significant power for long distances and stretches of road but without compromising its off-road use, adapting exactly to my needs, both functional and aesthetic. I am passionate about Triumph scramblers and their classic look, so it was important to represent this concept in my version.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
Without a doubt, the Scrambler concept that the Triumph brand has been defending throughout its history until today. It is a concept that conveys much more than a design concept, it is a lifestyle.
With all this history that the brand carries and defends even today, I took a clear reference that would be the largest and most versatile motorcycle concept that they achieved with the Scrambler 1200. It shares some parts with this beautiful state-of-the-art machine, but in my case, I wanted to have an engine much more adapted to long trips at a slow pace — the three-cylinder provides reliability, low maintenance and plenty of power.
In my opinion, I have been able to create a new concept in the middle of the Trail world and the classic Scrambler world, with crossed characteristics that were ideal for my use.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
All the concepts I have mentioned must be brought to reality, and obviously adapting an engine derived from a sport bikes to a completely different system of fuel tank, air channeling to carburettors, and fitting all this into a chassis that is not a central beam, is a real challenge.
The air box has been modified and replaced by a power filter system. The fuel tank (derived from a classic Legend) was adapted to a system with two connected tanks distributed across different points of the bike. This ensures a very high autonomy for those long trips and stretches that cross uninhabited areas.
It is obvious that all kinds of elements have been modified and replaced to allow me to find the ergonomics I needed for my way of riding and the activity that the bike was going to have to support.
Another important point designed and replaced is the entire rear area of the chassis, to achieve what I was looking for. This area is inspired by the traditional system of the classic Triumph Scramblers.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
The most correct and, I think, logical name for this bike is Triumph Tiger Scrambler, due to its heritage both in the donor base and in the concept that Triumph had of that Tiger series in its beginnings, which has been distorted over time and which is recovered in this bike.
Among friends, it is affectionately called more directly “La Taiguer” — a phonetic translation into Spanish of the word “Tiger.”
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
These are rudimentary figures, but we would be around 180 kg of dry weight. About 110 hp of power.
The rest of the data are improvements without numbers but noticeable in the use of the machine derived from the weight loss and the improvement of the engine’s air consumption.
The number of teeth on the drive kit has been modified to give it greater thrust at low speeds and to behave more energetically off road.
We have not wanted to squeeze much more out of it so as not to lose one of the pillars of the project, reliability.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
It has been a huge challenge because it involves changing the concept of the bike to a different style and with a multitude of elements that, although designed for a purpose, have had to be replaced or adapted, always in harmony with what was there and what I wanted to achieve.
In many ways it has been a milestone in terms of engineering and design.
I am very happy with the result, and it is important to highlight that this bike was created to be used and to perform at a high level of demand; it is not a museum piece or a display case, so after almost four years since the completion of the construction and the beginning of its adventures, it continues and will continue to conquer horizons, eating up kilometres and adding adventures, I hope for many more years.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
Well, in this case, I got a much better result than I really expected. I had an impulse and bought a Tiger because of its excellent state of preservation and at that time I didn’t think about the challenges that remained for me to solve, but having been able to achieve it is my greatest reward in that journey that was to build it. But I have to honestly say that it has been far surpassed by the result in terms of performance once it was finished and highly tested after so many adventures.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
There are always people who help you at certain times and in this case, I want to make special mention of my friends Guele and Sergio for always accompanying me and feeding my passion for the world of motors, to my wife Asmara for her understanding and support during so many hours of dedication outside of work hours on my machines, for so many parts accumulated around the house, and for not wanting to force me not to do what I like.
The rest are specific, directed interventions that are always needed in certain jobs where you do not have the appropriate tool or skill to carry out some point of the process.
Follow the Builder
Instagram: @rondan_gdeleaniz
Company: fullmotocompany.com | @fullmotocompany
Amazing built!!