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Re: [ST] Mountain Trip - 01 ST vs. 02 Interceptor (long)



Did your buddy ride the ST?  What were his
impressions?


- --- Scott.Fehr@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> It was me on my 01 BRG and my buddy on his 02 VFR. 
> He just bought the
> highly anticipated (read looong delayed) hard bags
> for the VFR and we set
> out from Seattle on Thursday afternoon. 
> 
> The official stats according to my BC800 computer:
> 
> Total trip distance: 1006.1 miles
> Avg.  Speed: 53.5 mph
> Total saddle time: 18:44
> Top speed: 129 mph (actually 140mph indicated on my
> speedo)
> 
> 
> A few of my observations on my bike vs. the
> Interceptor:
> 
> Performance, as the mags all say seems to be nearly
> identical.
> The big difference is on the VFR you have to
> constantly be aware of RPM and
> be willing to downshift twice at highway speed in
> order to get into the meat
> - the VFR doesn't really do much unless you're in
> the 7000-11000 rpm range.
> 
> This means that in a lot of the 70+mph sweepers I
> was able to think a lot
> less about gearing and just enjoy rolling on
> through....
> The pegs on the ST seem to be slightly higher, the
> bars on the VFR seem to
> be slightly lower, IMO
> The VFR hard bag setup and mounting system appears
> to be superior to the ST
> Mileage and range on the ST is superior to the VFR -
> it was always my buddy
> needing to fill up first
> Acceleration on the Interceptor as I said above, is
> downright weak compared
> to the ST - until you get into the VTEC zone (some
> like it, some find it
> annoying) and then it growls and pulls nicely. 
> Despite the acceleration
> stats being very close between the two, it really is
> an apples/oranges
> comparison.  One gets there through grunt and
> torque, the other by high revs
> - no right or wrong here, it's all about preference.
>  IMO, in everyday
> riding the Triumph "feels" much faster than the VFR,
> probably because the
> power is much easier to grab.
> The VFR feels a little more planted around corners
> and seems slightly
> tighter than the ST
> The ST seat and riding position, IMO, is much more
> comfortable on extended
> rides 
> 
> The ST feels rock solid and absolutely comfortable
> cruising at 100mph for
> extended periods - with the hard cases on.  I was
> somewhat surprised how
> pleasant things felt at  100+mph.  My respect for
> the ST as a high speed
> cruiser has greatly increased.
> 
> The 18T front sprocket probably lost me about
> 5-10mph in the top end.
> Highest indicated was about 140mph (129, according
> to BC800 computer) and
> that was about 9000rpm in sixth (anyone get more rpm
> than this in 6th?).
> 
> 
> Lessons learned:  
> never go on a trip over mountain passes without
> winter gloves
> if it starts to rain, assume it won't stop soon and
> get into your rain gear
> NOW
> the Triumph hard bags should be silicon caulked
> BEFORE you leave
> don't park on the sidewalks in Kelowna, BC
> 
> I will post a few pictures shortly.....
> 
> Scott
> 
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