Re: Sprint ST is a 'beta test' motorcycle (long)

["Keith Formosa" <keithf@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

I'm new to the list having purchased my 99 black ST with hard bags on August
24. The bike has been broken in according to Triumph's guidelines and has
about 3000 kms. over some fairly demanding roads of varying surfaces here in
Ontario. I read David Sampson's comments about the ST being a beta test
motorcycle and thought I'd share a few thoughts about the Triumph and how it
compares to some other bikes.

I started riding in my early teens but stopped in my mid-twenties due to
work, education commitments as well as budget limitations. I re-entered the
sport five years ago and have since logged over 120,000 kms on the road as
well as participated in several race schools.

Since I have returned to the sport, I have owned the the following bikes:

BMW
R1100RSL
R1100RT
R1100R
K1100LT
K1200RS

HONDA
VFR750
VFR800FI
Valkyrie Tourer
ST1100 ABS/TCS
CBR1100XX (FI/Ram air)


The BMW twins have all had annoying surging problems with the fuel injection
system - apparently this smooths out after 30000 to 50000 kms but I don't
want to wait that long to enjoy riding the machine. The transmission on the
twins can only be described as agricultural (not a compliment in this
case!). The K1100LT, in addition to being quite top-heavy, had the worst
vibration which resulted in your hands falling asleep at regular highway
speeds - it was also the hottest bike to ride when the cooling fans kicked
in; brutal in Toronto's humid summers and deserving the moniker of Luxury
Toaster!

The K1200RS in its first month had the fans recalled and changed twice, the
horn relay recalled and changed and more interestingly, the gas line
overflow float valve recalled. The float valve defect resulted in gas
pouring onto the rear tire when the bike was fuelled to capacity - a defect
that I happened to notice too late after filling up having ridden only
150kms. I lost the bike leaving the gas station and ended up with over $1200
of damage to the machine - fortunately BMW paid for the damages. The K12
also required a smaller left side bag because of the unshielded exhaust
cannister which would regularly burn a hole through the bag because of its
proximity to the bag.

All the BMWs, excepting the R1100R,  were quite heavy and in all cases the
windscreens caused an awful lot of turbulence. Furthermore, the Telelever
front suspension, while providing a lot of comfort over bumps, also tends to
give  very little feedback to the rider and requires you to trust the front
end implicitly. This is a preference issue and I know I like to know what
the front wheel is doing all the time - I think the Sprint ST is quite good
in this area.

Honda engineers beautiful bikes and finishes them quite well. The VFR750 was
an excellent machine but tended to be be quite vague in the front end when
pushed. The VFR800FI is a tremendous machine but the fuel injection is
overly sensitive and makes the bike hard to ride smoothly  over rough
pavement.The Valkyrie was smooth, comfortable, powerful and passed
everything on the road except gas stations by going onto reserve anywhere
between 150 to 175kms. - as well, the exposed six cyclinder engine block
threw off tremendous amounts of heat which is not ideal in big city
stop-and-go traffic. The CBR1100XX had the same fuel injection problems as
the VFR800 and the linked brake setup is still more intrusive than the VFR's
and is also coupled with a harsh suspension and VERY sporty riding position.
In my opinion, the Honda ST1100 is the best motorcycle ever made - period.
Beautifully finished, powerful, smooth, comfortable and the ABS system is
excellent (panic stops from 220 kmh are completely uneventful!) BUT the bike
needs to lose at least 170 lbs and is a brute to handle at low speeds or on
dodgy surfaces - it also is very sensitive to tire choice and pressures and
there have been notable head shake issues.

Now to my point (I apologize for the length of this subjective review), the
Triumph ST is a great bike  - right out of the box. It's comfortable, smooth
and powerful as well as reasonably light. Is it the best bike out there -
who can say? I have had  a few small glitches with the ST which have been
reviewed by everyone else in great detail. I find these glitches less
annoying to reconcile than some of the things that I have had to endure and
be inconvenienced by with BMW. Honda's are beautiful machines but they have
their share of quirks and foibles as well.

The Sprint ST is a fun bike - not necessarily better than all the rest but
it's  easy to ride, responsive  and has a good touring range. I don't think
it's anymore of "beta" test bike than any others (what about the Suzuki
TL1000 tank Slapper?).

Hope this doesn't come across as a "flame" but just another satisfied ST
rider's opinion. I'm off riding in New England next week - cheers to all.


Keith Formosa
Toronto, Ontario, Canada














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