Re: Any ex VFR owners out there?

["Jonathan Schulster" <Schulster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Dean,
I have owned the 1997 T509 Speed Triple, and sold it for the Sprint ST this March, so I hope I can give you a fair comparison of the two.
The 885cc motor in the 509 lacked the mid-range grunt of the 955 engine (Daytona or ST) and the EFI tuning left alot to be desired - it was very rough below 4000rpm and not easy to drive in town.  The 509 has pretty firm, sports oriented, suspension, and even with adjustment was uncomfortably harsh on all but the smoothest roads - I found it gave little confidence for riding fast on real roads.  On the motorway it is fine upto about 80mph (130kph) but above that was very tiring, even with the Triumph fly screen.  The high bars and a Corbin seat made it very comfortable but your back and neck muscles took alot of abuse.  The best thing was the handling - the turn in was incredibly fast, and mid-corner stability was impressive.
In comparison the ST steers quite a bit slower, but the centre of gravity seems to have been shifted lower making it almost as easy to turn - just requires a slightly different technique.
In the 18 months I owned the 509 I clocked up 11,000km - I have reached that total in 3 months on the Sprint ST - it is just alot easier to live with, tour with (the bags are excellent, and make no difference to lane-splitting), and pillions seem to love the broad seat and good grab rail.
I loved the T509, but it certainly had reliability problems - in particular the valve clearances were down to zero at 9000km leading to permanent damage which is unforgivable for a bike that has a service scheduled check only at 20,000 km.  The 955i motor seems to have cured that problem, and hopefully new Speed Triple's (or ST's) should not suffer from this problem. So far only the sticky brake calipers have caused problems on the ST.

regards
Jonathan

>>> "Dean C. Harris" <DeanHarris@xxxxxxx> 26/06/99 03:08:25 >>>
Howdy all,

I'll be getting a new bike next season...and since I'm on the T5 and Sprint
lists you can see that I'm quite interested in the Speed Triple or Sprint
ST.  First, has anyone battled themselves whether they wanted the cool look
of the Triple or the more aerodynamic faired Sprint?  I'm kind of torn
between them right now.

My other bike was an 82 Honda Sabre V45.  When I first went looking for a
new bike I thought I'd head straight to Honda and the new VFR800.  Then
someone pointed me to the Triumph's and they look like they'd put a smile
on my face...a bit more so then the VFR800.

I want something with very good mid engine torque and character.  The
triple engine seems to provide that and the Speed triple especially deals
the character in spades.  

I haven't ridden much in the past 2 years as I was working abroad and
traveled a lot. Sad, eh?

<snip>
I guess I'm looking for a long term report from owners.  Happy?  Not happy?
 What could be better?  How has your overall experience with Triumph been,
etc...?

Can anyone point me to reviews of the 99 Speed Triple?  I saw just one
review on the net...which was favorable.  But I'd like to see more if
possible.  There were plenty of reviews on the Sprint.  

Any comparison's out there on the Vmax and Speed triple?  
<snip>
This is my potential list...and by now I've mentally put the Triumph's on
top which is why I'm now on the 509 and Sprint lists...

Standard/Street/Muscle/Cruiser side of thing:

Triumph- Adventurer, Thunderbird, Tiger and Speed Triple

Ducati- Monster / BMW- R1200C / Suzuki- Bandit / Kawasaki- ZRX1100/
 / Yamaha- Vmax

For the more SportsTouring side I came up with the following:

Triumph- Sprint ST / Suzuki-TL1000S / Honda VFR800, VT1000 / Ducati ST2
/BMW K1200RS

Well, that's it.  I'm sure more then a few people out there who ended up
with Triumph's have at some point considered one of the above bikes...or
maybe not.  <g>  
<snip>
If comparisons and long term thoughts aren't fodder for the list then
e-mail direct.

Much Thanks...
Regards,











Dean C. Harris
Microsoft Certified Professional- Windows 95

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