Re: MCN Report

[Mark Ressa <mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>The MCN spec page shows that they were testing the ST with Bridgestone 
BT56 tires. According to a catalog I have handy BT56s are a race compound 
version of the BT57s that are standard equipment on US spec bikes. MCN 
complains about the front tire being too worn out to give a good minimum 
brake distance during that portion of the test. I have to wonder, why are 
they comparing an ST with an extra 42 pounds of luggage and worn out race 
compound tires against the VFR?<<

>>What humors me, though, is that MCN tries to hide its opinions under a 
barrage of "facts". Take that reported 89 hp the Sprint produced-- MCN is 
the one and only report that I've seen giving the Sprint fewer than 100 
rwhp. I'm relatively certain that they could, if asked, produce a dyno 
printout certifying their results, but I wonder whether they waited to do 
the test until the valves had tightened up or something? Surely Triumph 
wouldn't have been so foolish as to give them an untuned bike to test.<<

I didn't read the MCN report but about a month or so ago, I was up at the
Look-Out (i.e., infamous local hangout at the end of Ortega Highway in So.
Cal.) and was approached by Will Tate. He said they were testing a Sprint
ST for MCN and that, (1) they had crashed the ST they were using for the
test and, (2)  they hadn't completed their braking tests before the crash.
We also chatted about their horsepower results and I mentioned something
must have been wrong with their equipment or the bike they were testing. I
told him I had recently rode a friend's new VFR and there was no way the
VFR had a 12% power advantage over the ST to say nothing of the results
other magazines had obtained with the ST.

He then asked whether he could use my bike so they could complete their
brake testing. He said they'd give me a new front tire for my troubles.
Gee, they crashed their other test bike, they want to beat the hell out of
mine, wear down the brakes and they're willing to give me a new front tire?
It took me about a nanosecond to "thank" him for his offer and that I'd
have to get back to him.

So yes, the VFR is a fine bike and if the truth be known the ST has
probably won an equal number of comparison tests with the VFR, ST2, ST4,
R1100S (i.e., based on what I've seen), but the MCN test is probably
suspect and can be discounted.

MR

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