[Author Index]
[Date Index]
[Thread Index]
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
RE: Potential Triumph Owner
- Subject: RE: Potential Triumph Owner
- From: Paul Master <master@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 14:02:21 -0700
This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand
this format, some or all of this message may not be legible.
- ------_=_NextPart_001_01BF03AB.6E2AC190
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
A word of caution, DO NOT demo ride the ST until you are prepared to buy it.
The wait will seem interminable.
I found myself in similar straights earlier this year. Having ridden a
friend's R1100RS, this was now the bike that I wanted, able to tour, and do
the twisties. ALL previous inclinations towards a HD were immediately
snuffed upon that ride.
So I spent the next few months dreaming of the Beemer. I had to go out of
town for a trip, that ultimately got extended to 6.5 weeks. I whiled away
the hours when not in the office by reading every motorcycle magazine I
could lay my hands on, looking especially for writeups on the R1100RS. When
they started doing all the comparo's, I read about the Triumph Sprint ST,
supposedly the best bike ever made by Triumph, and became highly interested.
I went and visited a local BMW/Triumph dealer, reasoning that by selling
both, there would be no particular axe to grind. To make a long story short,
I asked about 10 questions trying to separate the Beemer from the Trumpet,
and I believe 7 or 8 of them came out in the Triumph's favor. They had to do
with things like riding position, pillion comfort, seat comfort, performance
(hp, acceleration, torque), braking, handling, cost, maintenance, warranty,
weight. I can't remember them all, quite frankly. I think the BMW had more
torque, but it doesn't accelerate as well, and perhaps a longer warranty?
(not sure about that one) but I think it is 36/36,000 months/miles for the
BMW, and 24/unlimited for the Triumph. Also, the BMW requires a much
smoother application of throttle. The engine braking is phenomenal, and
coupled with the drive line, really makes on-off throttle transitions highly
noticeable, (read "smashing helmets with a pillion"). And little things,
like a choke (non-existent on the ST, it just burbles to life after about
three revolutions of the engine, required on the BMW), shifting ease ("Vee
vill shift NOW, CLUNK" as my friend with the R1100RS says, and he loves his
bike too). He likens it to a tractor. Speaking of which, when I first heard
the ST idle, I thought it was broken. Talk about a tractor, rattles and
sounds like it was polishing rocks. (But I have come to absolutely LOVE the
sound of an idling Triumph Triple, funny how that works.) You can adjust the
seat height and the handle bars on the BMW, not so the ST. But you also
adjust your body to whatever you ride. My friend played with his adjustments
for weeks before he found what he liked. On the ST, I just like what I found
(though I must admit I did add the Gen-Mar risers. The sales lady owned an
R1100S, which she dearly loves, but for me, the Triumph looked like a better
fit.
She convinced me that talking about them, looking at them, etc wouldn't
really be as ultimately informative as riding them. They had a used '96
R1100RS (I'd call it RS, but that has another meaning these days, at least
on these pages), that was priced the same as a new Sprint ST. And they had
an ST demo bike. So went back to ride them both.
I made a mistake. When asked which one I wanted to ride first, I thought for
a second and said the ST. Huge mistake. As I pulled away from the
dealership, shifting into second gear, I said aloud, to myself "I have GOT
to get me one of these!". This is the line from Independence Day that Will
Smith speaks as he pilots one of the alien fighters back up to the
mothership (AWESOME POWER). From there, the 40 some odd miles of riding,
through extreme twisties to freeway, simply confirmed that thought.
When I got back to the dealer, I didn't even want to ride the BMW. I plonked
down a $500 deposit (refundable) and was told it would take a month or so.
This was fine with me, as I had not even broached the subject with my wife.
The wait seemed to go on forever, but I eventually wound up buying that
bike, the demo, as they could find, but couldn't get a Red one. (No other
dealer was willing to part with the one(s) they had). She offered a black,
but the Red one really did it for me.
I couldn't be happier with my selection. The Blue is very nice, but so is
the Black, they are just not RED. Aside from color choice, I believe you
will exceptionally pleased with a Sprint. Your wish list looks awfully close
to mine at the time. I've had a couple of problems with the bike, a coolant
leak, a fuel leak, but these are sorted or in the process. Even for that, I
absolutely love this thing. It was gone for 17 days awaiting that fuel
elbow, and riding my old Honda (sold the day I picked up Flash again) was
really painful. I never thought of the old Honda as a gem, but after the
Sprint, it handled like a total piece of S**T. Not its fault, just old
technology with different aspirations in life. To have a bike that STOPS,
TURNS, and GOES like the Sprint, without the pain and suffering inflicted by
pure sportsbikes on rides of any real length, well I think I just prescribed
the perfect all-rounder.
My budget won't allow a stable of bikes, so I have, IMHO, THE singular bike
to own.
Hope this helps, but heed the first line of this message!
- -----Original Message-----
From: Don Harville [mailto:rmtt80@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
I am in the process of looking for a new bike. I rode different models
(Honda,
Kawasaki, Suzuki) for about 13 years, but had to sell the last one when I
got
married. Well now it is time to get my next bike and I am trying to decide
what
to buy. Primarily I will be using the bike for commuting (30 miles each
way),
weekend trips through the Texas hill country, and some two-up riding with my
wife on those rare occasions when I can get her on the back. I am in my mid
forties now so I am looking for a bike that is comfortable to ride, but also
has
a big fun factor. I also don't want to get tired of riding it after a few
months, I want a keeper. I have to admit that I like the look of unfaired
bikes
(some, not all). I definitely do not want a full dresser. A Sport tourer is
probably right for me. There are many, many bikes to choose from, but I
don't
want what the masses are riding. So in my hunting around I recently
discovered
the new Triumphs and was very impressed. I really like the look of the
Sprint ST
and what I have read about it. I also like that word "Triumph" written on
the
tank. If I were to buy a sport tourer it would be between a Sprint ST and a
BMW
R1100RS. Can anyone comment on how the 2 bikes compare and give advice on
which
one would be more suitable than the other. Also, I have to admit that I
really
like the look of the Speed Triple, but I don't know how it would fare for my
uses. Does it ride a lot different than the Sprint? Any comments.
Don
- ------_=_NextPart_001_01BF03AB.6E2AC190
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version =
5.5.2448.0">
<TITLE>RE: Potential Triumph Owner</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>A word of caution, DO NOT demo ride the ST until you =
are prepared to buy it. The wait will seem interminable.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>I found myself in similar straights earlier this =
year. Having ridden a friend's R1100RS, this was now the bike that I =
wanted, able to tour, and do the twisties. ALL previous inclinations =
towards a HD were immediately snuffed upon that ride.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>So I spent the next few months dreaming of the =
Beemer. I had to go out of town for a trip, that ultimately got =
extended to 6.5 weeks. I whiled away the hours when not in the office =
by reading every motorcycle magazine I could lay my hands on, looking =
especially for writeups on the R1100RS. When they started doing all the =
comparo's, I read about the Triumph Sprint ST, supposedly the best bike =
ever made by Triumph, and became highly interested.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>I went and visited a local BMW/Triumph dealer, =
reasoning that by selling both, there would be no particular axe to =
grind. To make a long story short, I asked about 10 questions trying to =
separate the Beemer from the Trumpet, and I believe 7 or 8 of them came =
out in the Triumph's favor. They had to do with things like riding =
position, pillion comfort, seat comfort, performance (hp, acceleration, =
torque), braking, handling, cost, maintenance, warranty, weight. I =
can't remember them all, quite frankly. I think the BMW had more =
torque, but it doesn't accelerate as well, and perhaps a longer =
warranty? (not sure about that one) but I think it is 36/36,000 =
months/miles for the BMW, and 24/unlimited for the Triumph. Also, the =
BMW requires a much smoother application of throttle. The engine =
braking is phenomenal, and coupled with the drive line, really makes =
on-off throttle transitions highly noticeable, (read "smashing =
helmets with a pillion"). And little things, like a choke =
(non-existent on the ST, it just burbles to life after about three =
revolutions of the engine, required on the BMW), shifting ease =
("Vee vill shift NOW, CLUNK" as my friend with the R1100RS =
says, and he loves his bike too). He likens it to a tractor. Speaking =
of which, when I first heard the ST idle, I thought it was broken. Talk =
about a tractor, rattles and sounds like it was polishing rocks. (But I =
have come to absolutely LOVE the sound of an idling Triumph Triple, =
funny how that works.) You can adjust the seat height and the handle =
bars on the BMW, not so the ST. But you also adjust your body to =
whatever you ride. My friend played with his adjustments for weeks =
before he found what he liked. On the ST, I just like what I found =
(though I must admit I did add the Gen-Mar risers. The sales lady owned =
an R1100S, which she dearly loves, but for me, the Triumph looked like =
a better fit.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>She convinced me that talking about them, looking at =
them, etc wouldn't really be as ultimately informative as riding them. =
They had a used '96 R1100RS (I'd call it RS, but that has another =
meaning these days, at least on these pages), that was priced the same =
as a new Sprint ST. And they had an ST demo bike. So went back to =
ride them both.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>I made a mistake. When asked which one I wanted to =
ride first, I thought for a second and said the ST. Huge mistake. As I =
pulled away from the dealership, shifting into second gear, I said =
aloud, to myself "I have GOT to get me one of these!". This =
is the line from Independence Day that Will Smith speaks as he pilots =
one of the alien fighters back up to the mothership (AWESOME POWER). =
>From there, the 40 some odd miles of riding, through extreme twisties =
to freeway, simply confirmed that thought. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>When I got back to the dealer, I didn't even want to =
ride the BMW. I plonked down a $500 deposit (refundable) and was told =
it would take a month or so. This was fine with me, as I had not even =
broached the subject with my wife. The wait seemed to go on forever, =
but I eventually wound up buying that bike, the demo, as they could =
find, but couldn't get a Red one. (No other dealer was willing to part =
with the one(s) they had). She offered a black, but the Red one really =
did it for me.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>I couldn't be happier with my selection. The Blue is =
very nice, but so is the Black, they are just not RED. Aside from color =
choice, I believe you will exceptionally pleased with a Sprint. Your =
wish list looks awfully close to mine at the time. I've had a couple of =
problems with the bike, a coolant leak, a fuel leak, but these are =
sorted or in the process. Even for that, I absolutely love this thing. =
It was gone for 17 days awaiting that fuel elbow, and riding my old =
Honda (sold the day I picked up Flash again) was really painful. I =
never thought of the old Honda as a gem, but after the Sprint, it =
handled like a total piece of S**T. Not its fault, just old technology =
with different aspirations in life. To have a bike that STOPS, TURNS, =
and GOES like the Sprint, without the pain and suffering inflicted by =
pure sportsbikes on rides of any real length, well I think I just =
prescribed the perfect all-rounder. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>My budget won't allow a stable of bikes, so I have, =
IMHO, THE singular bike to own.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>Hope this helps, but heed the first line of this =
message! </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>From: Don Harville [<A =
HREF=3D"mailto:rmtt80@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx";>mailto:rmtt80@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=
</A>]</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>I am in the process of looking for a new bike. I rode =
different models (Honda,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>Kawasaki, Suzuki) for about 13 years, but had to =
sell the last one when I got</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>married. Well now it is time to get my next bike and =
I am trying to decide what</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>to buy. Primarily I will be using the bike for =
commuting (30 miles each way),</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>weekend trips through the Texas hill country, and =
some two-up riding with my</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>wife on those rare occasions when I can get her on =
the back. I am in my mid</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>forties now so I am looking for a bike that is =
comfortable to ride, but also has</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>a big fun factor. I also don't want to get tired of =
riding it after a few</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>months, I want a keeper. I have to admit that I like =
the look of unfaired bikes</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>(some, not all). I definitely do not want a full =
dresser. A Sport tourer is</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>probably right for me. There are many, many bikes to =
choose from, but I don't</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>want what the masses are riding. So in my hunting =
around I recently discovered</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>the new Triumphs and was very impressed. I really =
like the look of the Sprint ST</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>and what I have read about it. I also like that word =
"Triumph" written on the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>tank. If I were to buy a sport tourer it would be =
between a Sprint ST and a BMW</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>R1100RS. Can anyone comment on how the 2 bikes =
compare and give advice on which</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>one would be more suitable than the other. Also, I =
have to admit that I really</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>like the look of the Speed Triple, but I don't know =
how it would fare for my</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>uses. Does it ride a lot different than the Sprint? =
Any comments.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>Don</FONT>
</P>
</BODY>
</HTML>
- ------_=_NextPart_001_01BF03AB.6E2AC190--
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The ST Mailing list is sponsored by the Unofficial ST Website
http://www.TriumphNet.com/st for ST and Mailing List info
=-=-=-= Next Message =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=