new member considering 07 sprint

Hi all! Short and sweet intro. Riding off and on for twenty years pretty solid for the last ten. (not to mention misspent youth on dirtbikes) Bikes owned: '81 suzuki gs 750, '99 Kawi zr7, 2 sv 650's, '99 Honda superhawk (hated that one) currently ridding '02 Yamaha FZ1(great bike) I've got the new bike itch pretty bad and am looking for something a little more comfortable (better wind protection) than the fz. I'm 99.9% sold on the 07 sprint st. Any real issues with this bike?, such as headlights, suspension, minor annoyances? Seems like a pretty solid bike, just wanted your thoughts, thanks guys!

[doodledog]

Bike mags over here rave about it, Bike this month say its the best sports tourer available right now, did say that the headlight could be better and its a bit sporty for town work but still came in as the best.

[triumphite]

Hate mine!!

Just kidding. Buy it. You won't regret it. I'm on 15,000 miles, and I ride it everywhere.


Luggage, go tour. Take off the bags, fun sport bike. :-D

[SR1]

I like it quite a bit. I am itching for a small naked (Ducati S2R1000) but wouldn't trade my Sprint for it. It seems to do everything quite well. It's not a 1k mile per day bike unless you're a masochist, but you can easily do 400 or so and be well rested the next morning. It isn't super light in the curves, but it isn't bad either.

Headlights are pretty poor, but I try not to ride at night, ever. I think it's a poor time to be on ANY motorcycle though.

[mglemans86]

Headlighte are marginal compared to the rest of the bike. Just Do it you won't regret it.

Is there a cure for the weak headlight? I know they make brighter bulbs for the fz1 but the stockers are pretty good so I never bothered. I do ride at night from time to time so a bulb upgrade might be a good idea. Is there sort of a standard list of mods most owners do with this bike? Kind of like a "yeah that needs improvement here's the standard cure" sort of thing? Thanks for the info, keep it coming!

[triumphite]

This thread should be moved to the Sport Touring section. They have huge threads dedicated to lighting.

I like mine, so it never bothered me. My 2001 Sprint's headlights were ok until I got the '05. much better, so I guess I'm not a good judge. :hammer:

[GRN]

I love this bike... but IMO the headlights really suck... make sure your test ride includes a ride down the river on some winding stuff in the dark and form your own conclusions; best to wear an old pair of shorts though :razz:

[dakotan]

4power-
Welcome, and the bike is fantastic. Gripes are all the same; headlight weak, front end dives a little compared to pure sporto. Finally,a great all around sport/tourer- you won't regret buying this bike.

[SR1]

Two cures for the weak headlight:

1) Don't ride at night.

2) Buy a ZX-14 instead.


Seriously, it's not just that the bulbs are weak (you can replace them) but it's also the shape that the lights make. They are almost useful when you are going straight ahead, but when you lean the bike you can't see a thing.