Sprint ST ride comments

[James & Michelle Huber <jhuber1@xxxxxxx> (by way of Eric Sheley <eric@xxxxxxxxxx>)]

	Picked up my new ST on Friday before a 3 day weekend - had her in for
first service at 500 miles on Tuesday morning. What a machine! I hadn't been on
a motorcycle in fifteen years when I decided I needed another one last year. I
picked up a '99 Suzuki SV 650 and enjoyed the heck out of it for 5,300 miles
before I got a deal I couldn't pass up on a '99 Kawasaki Nomad in November.
Well, here we are in February and I've decided I ain't no cruiser man. I fell
in love with the blue ST at first sight in Motorcycle Mania on 1960 in north
Houston, Texas.
	Enough of the boring details, you say, what about the ride? Well,
nothing is as plush as a Nomad saddle, not even another cruiser, but the Sprint
ST is comfortable. Far more comfortable than she looks. She's a lot more
comfortable than my SV was, even with clipons rather than regular handlebars.
The clipons are on risers, of course, so they feel about the same. The footpegs
are lower than the SV - maybe not closer to the ground, but further down from
the seat, which adds to the comfort. The '99 SV had a really short wheelbase -
2.2 inches shorter than the ST - and 75 pounds less weight, so she was very
tossable. The SV was too light and the steering just too quick for commuting,
though. I do 60 miles round trip each day on superslab, so the extra weight and
stability of the ST are very nice, especially in a crosswind.
	The Nomad (Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Nomad) got me addicted to hard bags, so
I've ordered the bags for the ST. They're not in yet, so I'm trying to find a
decent way to tie stuff down. You'd think for the price of this thing you'd get
decent tiedowns and a place to lock your helmet on. My $5,700 SV 650 was much
better in that department. I've resorted to using a small luggage padlock to
lock my helmet to the left side passenger footpeg.
	I'm now up to the 6k rpm point in breakin, which is wonderful compared
to 3.5k. The motor just smoothes out at 3k and you're having to shift the first
100 miles. Bummer! Once you can get it up to 5k, then 6k it's much more usable.
I have a love-hate relationship with the sound. The thing sounds like a
lawnmower at idle, but sounds good when you wind her up a bit. I bet she's even
better at the upper end. Idle to 3k just sounds awful to me, though, like a
lawnmower or chainsaw, not a 955cc motorcycle. The Daytona's sound is much
better, but I'm used to V-twins. The throttle is much more controllable than my
SV, too.
	I had put a small windshield on my SV, but the ST windshield is much
better. I was considering the taller windshield, but think the stock one will
do just fine for solo riding. The wife has her own bike, so there may not be
any pillion issues. I also considered a Corbin saddle, but the stock one is
great, too. The SV's seat is too hard, so it needed an almost immediate
upgrade. For under $6k, you can't have everything. Don't get me wrong - the SV
650 is a great bike and a lot of fun, but the ST is so much more refined.
	I've not been back on bikes long enough to get anywhere close to the
ST's capability in corners, but it is confidence inspiring to a relative squid.
I only scraped pegs a few times on my SV 650, and never yet on the Sprint ST -
probably not even close. I have had the ST through some sweepers at low triple
digits on back roads, and some tight stuff at moderate speeds and she's a lot
of fun. The brakes are wonderful - good rear for casual stops in cage traffic
and strong but progressive front for more spirited jaunts.
	So far my mileage is 44 to 47 mpg, which is really impressive for this
machine. The "reserve" light came on at 213 miles the one time I've gotten it
down that far. Hey, I've only used two full tanks! My only issue at first
service was a malfunctioning fuel gauge, and it was fixed with a new sender
unit. The guys at Motorcycle Mania have been great. I accidentally showed up a
couple of hours before they were open and they took the bike in anyway, then
had it back to me the same afternoon. They've also shown me how to adjust the
headlights vertically without taking off the fairing. The bike came with them
aimed very low.
	Overall she's very impressive so far, though I'm sure that's no
surprise. Well worth the money. I'm just anxiously awaiting my hard bags and
ThrottleMeister now...

	Jim Huber
	2000 Sapphire Blue Sprint ST
	Spring, TX


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