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

["Marc A. Easley" <measley@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Keith,
Yes...I am a 40,0000mile girl on a CBR 1000 Honda. Went to the Sprint ST for
less weight. Love it...
I'm sure you loved the Blackbird>!
Charla-little teacher from
TX   on the  RED ST Sprint! sorry about the BLACK, but a former HONDA BROTHER is
OK :)

Keith Formosa wrote:

> 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
>
>  *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
>  The ST Mailing list is sponsored by the Unofficial ST Website
>    http://www.TriumphNet.com/st for ST and Mailing List info




 *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
 The ST Mailing list is sponsored by the Unofficial ST Website
   http://www.TriumphNet.com/st for ST and Mailing List info

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