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Re: [ST] Newbie - Sprint ST ?



Luke,
I just joined the group too and bought an 01 Sprint ST about a month ago -- 
I absolutely love it (the bike)!  I think mine has the lower HP engine - 
but it has plenty of power.  It has an after market high-performance can 
(Two Brothers Racing) and I added a K&N air filter.  The new can supposedly 
adds power and drops about 25 pounds of dead weight.  This is my 6th bike, 
but, until this purchase, I've been without a bike for the past 13 years.

I thought I'd re-enter the market with a BMW, but as I checked them out, 
they seemed too heavy and too tall for me (I could ride them, they just 
didn't feel good).  My next thought was a Ducati - I've always loved 
Ducati's (my previous bikes have been Hondas and Yamahas).  But, the 
maintenance costs are high and I wanted a more upright riding position.  A 
local dealer had the Sprint as a consignment bike.  I took it out for a 
ride and just fell in love.  It was everything I wanted.  The size, weight, 
balance, and riding position suit me perfectly (it has handlebar 
risers).  I know it's not the quickest bike out there -- but it's 
quick.  I'm sure there's a Blackbird rider out there that would think it's 
a toy, but hey, who needs to do 180 mph?

After putting on about 100 local miles, I set off on an Iron Butt 
SaddleSore 1000.  I rode through rain and darkness, made plenty of food and 
pit stops, and still managed to finish in under 18.5 hours -- But the most 
amazing thing, the bike and I were ready to ride again the next day!   I 
didn't even have a sore butt (or back, neck, or wrists). For a middle-aged 
guy who hasn't been riding in quite a while, I think that speaks volumes 
about the comfort and reliability of the bike.  I completed the ride with 
the stock windscreen (low).

I haven't ridden any of the latest crotch rockets, so I can't compare the 
ST's handling with one of them, but it's certainly the best handling bike 
I've ever owned.  I don't know how to describe it, but it just wants to 
fall in the groove when you get in the twisties.  I had a Porsche 944 that 
handled the same way.  You just had to point it at a curve and it would do 
all the work for you.  Well, I could go on and on -- I really love the bike.

The only other things I've done to it is put on a Throttlemeister and a 
Garmin GPS V Ram mount.  I may add a ScottOiler or HawkeOiler and heated 
grips.  Actually, I had decided to add the oiler, but after riding the 
SaddleSore 1000 including 3 hours in the rain, I found that at the end of 
the ride, my chain was still lubricated (I didn't re-oil during the 
ride).  At the dealer's recommendation, I used MOTUL chain lube -- it 
worked great.  It looks like I really don't need an auto-oiler.

There were a couple of recalls out for the bike (fuel sending unit and rear 
wheel bearings), but the dealer replaced those under warranty for the first 
owner.  There is also an issue with plastic fuel quick disconnects.  I 
don't think this is a recall item, but it sounds like it should be.  Most 
of the newsgroup posts state the best way to solve the problem is to 
replace the plastic pieces with metal ones (do a Google search and you'll 
find plenty of posts).  My Triumph dealer said Triumph is now replacing 
them with a different plastic connector.  He replaced mine with the new 
plastic ones -- I hope they continue to work.

I've read posts that indicate the transmission is hard to shift, but mine 
isn't.  Actually, it's as smooth as any Honda or Yamaha I've owned.  My 
bike came with hard luggage and a second, taller windscreen, so I'm pretty 
well set.  All I need now is my Iron Butt license plate holder!

I hope this helps with your decision.
Craig



At 12:33 PM 7/13/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>Just joined the group
>checking to see if it worked :-)
>
>Thinking of getting a 01 Sprint ST (I forgot why I wanted the 01 or newer).
>Any thoughts from the list?  Looking for resources, recalls,
>recommendations, dealers, aftermarket, websites, things to avoid...?
>
>(the archives don't exist @ http://www.seaotter.com/searchst.html)
>
>Thanks!
>
>Luke Sankey
>sank@xxxxxxx
>99 Buell S3
>93 Mazda RX-7
>74 Chevy hick truck
>
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