To buy or not to buy

Hey ya'll,
I've been eying a new Sprint to purchase and I was wondering what are some good things and some not so good things about a Sprint.
It appears to me that the styling is very good and would make an excellent bike for long distant trips to places with lots of twisty roads. Also, looks like there is plenty of HP for Highway riding.
How is the passenger comfort? How reliable is the machine? How hot does that under-seat exhaust really get? Is there any worthy mods to consider right away? (Seat, windscreen, soft luggage...)

[DaveM]

MonkeyNuke,
I'll let the guys with '05 & '06 models answer most of what you have asked.

What I can tell you is that the bike it came from has the following attributes and I beleive the new model has only improved what was already a brilliant machine.

Good Brakes,
Great Handling
An Engine that has good usable power from 2000rpm through to redline.
My model is rated at 120hp at the crank.
Torque to pull you through any apex pulls like a locomotive
Holds a line in a corner like a Rhino on heat
Ridiculous fuel economy (good that is) 50mpg no problem
Long range on 1 tank
Good looks
Reasonably economical to service
Very stable at high speed
Very flickable for it's weight (nimble is the word)
Comfortable riding position
Good Pillion comfort with grab rails
Sounds awesome with a race can (nothing sounds like a triple)

This bike has character by the bucket load.

Bad points? Wot?

It makes you pre occupied with riding it, you won't want to work just ride it.

You will become a Triumph triple addict
:razz:

I beleive it is the best all rounder currently on the market.

It will cruise at over 160kph like it on rails, rock solid stable.
It will carry you to work and be easy to ride around town.
It will take you long distances with no effort
It will give sports bikes a run for their money.

yes I love my Triumph Sprint ST for all the above reasons.

Check out my album below.

Davem

[scott_spry]

The newer '06s have some foam baffling in the engine cowl that help with the heat problem. I have not had much problem with heat, just a little on my right ankle from the exhaust. If your riding is mostly on open road, you will hardly notice it. Sitting in traffic is another story - the heat does tend to rise up off of the engine just like any other bike.

DaveMs other points are right on too, although I have not experienced what I consider to be great fuel economy. I average about 43mi/gal(US), which is Ok, and I guess about the same as 50mi/Imperial Gallon. I am also getting better about staying off of the throttle as I get older, but it's hard when you have such a responsive, powerfull engine. I never had a 955 - I went right from the 885 to the 1050, and the difference was amazing. Need to get around someone? Don't worry about down shifting, just roll on a little power and accelerate up through the seemingly endless flat torque band. I think even the stock ehaust sounds good with this engine.

Mods? Many guys like the Corbin seats, but there have been complaints about fitting problems with them. Triumph also sells a gel seat, but it doesn't come cheap. I am fine with the stock seat for commuting and all around travel.

I was not totally satisfied with the more aggressive ergonomics of the Sprint, but that is easily corrected with a set of GenMar risers(part#T118). http://www.zianet.com/genmar/body.html. These raise the bars by 1-1/4". My back and wrists are much more comfortable now.

Wind protection is a little lacking for my preference also. I am currently looking for a touring screen, and am going to check out a ZeroGravity double-bubble after this post. Other items on the list are a rear hugger (streetfightersbydesign.com) and a tidy license plate bracket (jacklilley.com).

[SaddleTramp]

Slightly off topic, but maybe food for thought?

I'm a relatively new Sprint owner (bought an '02 used with 5K miles last September), and have only test ridden an '05 (which was the clincher on the '02, btw).

If you can find a clean, low mileage '02-'04 you'll get a lot of value for your money (I paid US $5000), and have plenty of money left over for "farkles". And you can sell it for what you paid for it if it doesn't work out for you or you decide to pop the $11K for a new one.

Mine came nicely "farkled" by the previous owner ... front fender extension, rear extension (too ugly to use!), rear hugger, heel protector, Triumph stainless steel silencer (sounds great!), Triumph tank bag (excellent!), Triumph luggage rack. I don't have hard luggage though, but that's OK with me since I have Tourmaster soft luggage that works great. I did the fuel connector replacement myself using TeamTriumph parts, added Genmar risers, Throttlemeister bar ends, Skyking frame sliders ... and a Sargent Worldsport seat (expensive, but oh how my ass appreciates it!). I just put some Metzler Z6 tires on it (going to go scuff 'em up in an hour or so). I love mine for all the reasons mentioned in previous posts. I see no reason to upgrade to a new one (other than pure moto envy ... they are beautiful machines!)