[ST] The RS Rips!

["Rocky Mountain Motorcycles Tours" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just got back from a week long scouting mission for a new trip we're adding
from Whistler, BC to Sonoma, CA. I brought an Orange Sprint RS along because
I've had very little chance to spend much time on one. Last summer I mostly
rode the TT600 or a Speed Triple and I wanted to give the RS a try.

I had several excellent riding days, but one in particular was truly awesome
and frankly the kind of day that you really do dream about if you're into
sportier bikes. I started in Fort Bragg and followed Hwy 1 south until
Stewarts Point then cut over to Hwy 128 into Napa. I found some great little
road over the hill to Sonoma, then followed 128 all the back to Fort Bragg.
It was one of those magical days were the roads were dry & twisty, the cops
were in the doughnut shops and there was very little traffic.

Several things really impressed me about the RS: 1. The suspension is ideal
for spirited road riding. I never bottomed even on some rougher roads, yet I
wasn't pounded the way the Speed Triple does on rougher roads, nor does the
RS move around on downhill tight corners like the ST sometimes does. 2. The
gearbox was relatively smooth and never missed a shift, even though this
particular bike's transmission was rather stiff when the bike was new. 3.
What really surprised me (and saved me from a visit to the ditch at least
once) was how well sorted the front end is particularly when late braking or
making last second adjustments. The RS is one of the most forgiving bikes
I've ridden when it comes to using the front brake in the corner and has
very little "stand up effect" when using the brake while leaned over. Of
course the brakes worked very well, but it was the way the geometry and
suspension allowed for some last minute corrections without unsettling the
whole bike. My old ZX9R would have sent me into the rhubarb on at least two
corners where the RS just put up with my mistakes without complaint. Oh I
also hit a squirrel at well over 200km/h and while it scared the shit out of
me there was little incident (Rocky didn't fare as well).

I'm sure the RS owners already knew all this stuff, but I thought the ST
owners might be interested. This is truly an excellent sport bike and
comfortable enough to put on 800km in a day of quick street riding. I also
think Triumph has really figured out how to make excellent hadling bikes. I
suspect the new Daytona will be a great bike in the corners. Hope I didn't
bore you...

Mike Ciebien
Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Holidays
www.rockymtnmoto.com



     *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
      The ST/RS Mailing list is sponsored by Jack Lilley Ltd.
          http://www.TriumphNet.com/st/lilley for more info
   http://www.TriumphNet.com/st for ST, RS and Mailing List info

=-=-=-= Next Message =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=