RE: [ST] new list member introduction and questions

["Richard & Lisa White" <redriders@xxxxxxx>]

2.  how comfortable is the ST for a pillion who is a fit 5'7"? Does the
tail
trunk affect passenger comfort?  Is the RS significantly less
comfortable
for passenger?  How about leg room on either bike?  How about the rear
seating area of the saddle?

While I primarily ride, I have had occasion to be a passenger on my
husband's ST.  I'm also 5'7".  After about an hour as a passenger, I
have to change position a little.  As one other person mentioned, this
has to do with the padding in the seat more than anything else and would
probably be remedied by a Corbin or a Sergeant rework of the ST seat.
Space is not a concern for me.  I keep threatening to send my seat to
Sergeant for a rework since I have 37,000 miles on my current one. I
personally do not like the Corbin, though others do, as it removes the
forward slant of the ST stock seat.  

3.  Is there enough leg room for the rider on the ST or RS for longer
trips.?

At your height, I would not worry about it.  We've done a couple 500-600
miles days (my husband is 6'2"), and while I was a bit stiff at the end
of the day, I really have no complaints.  I figure I would have been
just as stiff on those days even if I had been in a 4 wheeled vehicle
sitting for that long.  On a 350-400 mile day, slight stiffness isn't
even an issue.

4.  How manageable do you find the ST to be in town, in parking lots
etc.  ?

Just fine.  I have to say that stop and go traffic is not fun, but I
can't think of a bike on which it would be fun.

5.  Are there any common problems with the bike? or any changes which
are
made by most riders to make the bike more useable?  (e.g. on the Honda
ST
1100, most people, including myself, get a better/taller windshield and
move
their handle bars back and up).

Some people have the Triumph touring screen and others have one of the
Zero Gravity Screens.  Heated Grips are another often installed option,
as is a Throttlemeister or other throttle control devise.

6.  Is there a way to raise and bring back the bars on the ST?  Just
sitting
on it, there seems to be a fair reach, something that would probably
affect
short people like me more.

If you try the ST, I would try it for a while before changing anything
with the bars just to see how you like it stock.  I was concerned about
the lean when I bought mine, but after my body adjusted (first 500
miles), I decided I didn't need to make a change.  There are Genmar
risers that some people install.  I also thought my husband would want
the risers after a bad shoulder injury, but he's not seen the need for
them either.

7.  Any reliability concerns?

We've never been stranded anywhere, knock wood.  Our original batteries
quit at about 6,000 miles on each bike while we were on trips, but we
replaced them without a problem, courtesy of an auto parts store and
Walmart--just lost a bit of time.  Mine was burning too much oil at one
time, but the problem was fixed under warranty.  You do have two years
of warranty to work out any bugs you may have. We also had an electrical
issue that had to do with wire routing on the first '99 STs but has
since been remedied by a different routing. I would say that most owners
have had fewer issues than I have had, but there are the occasional ones
that have had more.  I have to say that we've been satisfied with our
two STs.

8.  If any listers have ridden any of the other bikes I am considering,
please tell me how they compare with the Sprint ST?

Scott, Jim, you out there??  Scott Friday's wife, Beth, has (or had) a
Legend and both of them have ridden an ST.  Jim Huber had an ST and rode
Beth's Legend for a while in North Carolina.  One of them should be able
to give you a good perspective.  I am not sure how much they read the
list any more, so if they don't respond to this, let me know and I'll
put you in touch with them off list as I'm sure they'd be happy to give
you their impressions.

Lisa



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