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Tyres,Chains Fuel Gauge,Hard Luggage



Any info on tyres for ST ?
Original Bridgestone BT57 's seemed OK but not having used anything else I
wouldn't know any better . Recent Motorcycle News review of tyres for sport
tourers , specifically honda vfr800 and sprint st ,came out in favour of
Avon Azarro II for both bikes but no mention of behaviour in the wet and
tyre life . I have no doubt the two test riders were riding the bikes more
aggressively than the average "tourer" so question validity of their
assessments , Bridgestone BT020's , the replacement for BT57, came out as
being the most unsuitable for the Triumph . Enquiring from tyre dealers for
price and reccommendation proved no more enlightening .
  The bike gets used for a 60 mile round trip to work dependant on weather ,
yes I am a fair weather biker and weekend jaunts around the twisties of
South,Mid Wales although these are getting less enjoyable with the
increasing presence of speedtraps ,unmarked police cars . On this sort of
riding I didn't notice too much tyre wear but after a recent 2000 mile trip
to France the rear tyre has had it . This tyre hasn't done more than
4000-5000 miles , am I lucky to get that much ? Some people have told me
2500 is quite good .
Chain & sprocket
I do keep the chain regularly lubricated with chain wax but admit to not
cleaning it . Can this be why after 7000 miles it needs replacing ?  On the
ferry back from France I had conversation with another rider who said that
he sold his Triumph some years ago because of the short life of it's chains.
Are Triumph supplied chains not up to the job ? Is it the style of riding ?
One of the things which attracted me to the Triumph rather than VFR 800 was
the low down grunt , I tend to get it into top gear as soon as poss only
changing down where neccessary for quick overtaking, bends etc.Should I be
using the lower gears more ?  The engine sound at tickover seems somewhat
agricultural but at low speeds , in high gear, I can't tell whether the
engine note indicates I'm in too high a gear or its the normal triple rattle
. At the moment Triumph chain kits are unavailable , what are the
alternatives ?
I am told that Triumph use Regina O or X ring manufactured chain , I have
read that D I D X  ring chain is the best but cannot find chain kit
specifically for ST . On this website I have read some mails discussing
sprocket teeth etc what should be fitted to my 99 st ?
Hard Luggage
While I appreciate that the Truimph supplied luggage is designed to blend in
with the bike ,I don't like the lowered exhaust and have been searching for
alternatives .Non-Fango was my favourite but they don't do a specific kit at
the moment , has anybody adapted non-fango for an St ? While on subject of
luggage/storage I find it frustrating not having bungee hooks . You can
stretch bungee straps down to footpegs but it is not very satisfactory for a
cargo-net , has anybody fitted their own hooks to underseat frame ?

Daryl

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