RE: Sprint ST ride comments

["Joel Ashman" <ashman@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jim,

Nice to see someone else who upgraded from an SV650 to an ST (blue at that).
My upgrade was not by choice, but because my SV was stolen in October.  What
a sad day.  :( Oh well.  Insurance was really good to me (believe it or not)
since the SV was new, and very rare.

As for opinions about the SV, I loved it.  For commuting in DC area, it was
great.  I once gave a VTR Intercepter a new outlook on life with my SV.  Oh
well the ST is great.  No complaints except for height.  I am short.  I also
got the Bags (all 3) and are installed.  I'm gonna order the Gen-Mar bar
risers and the tall screen soon.

Had the ST out today, as it was 68 in DC, and still only have 250 miles.
Can't wait for 1000.  You are right about the 5000-6000RPM range.  I've
tapped 7000 once or twice.  Can't wait to hit it again.

- --Joel


- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-st@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-st@xxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of James
& Michelle Huber (by way of Eric Sheley <eric@xxxxxxxxxx>)
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2000 10:24 AM
To: ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Sprint ST ride comments


	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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