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Senior Member
Formula Extreme Favorite Bike: 07SprintST1050ABS Tor Red
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: NE UK between Durham-York
Posts: 589
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I've had an Aprilia Falco SL1000 for 3 yrs but have hankered for a new bike for a while. Other than the Ducati ST3 (which I have ridden and liked) I could not find another V twin to suit. I am vertically challenged in the leg length department and really want to be able to put both feet dwn when I stop. I also wanted some fairing protection for the long fast blasts but did not want an a**se up head down sprots bike.
Someone suggested a triple so.... Went to Eddy Wrights's in Leeds for a demo on a Sprint ST 1050. Here you got they said - it's got about 90 miles of fuel in, if you want any
more, feel free to put some in.
Shortish! review - It's about the same height as my Falco. The seat is comfier. The riding position is a smidge more upright - but still nowhere near BMW/VFR territory. Bars seem a bit wider. Rear brake well placed. Can't turn the
lights off. Handles very lightly in town traffic - up the A65 to the airport - 30/40 speed limits (How many speed cameras? - lots). Gearbox very smooth and missing the clunks I get from mine (and hear from most other bikes) esp when doing first from neutral. Neutral easy to find. As it's a bit more upright it's easier to look back too. Very smooth engine in town stop start.
So far, impressed. Nice engine note. Turns in very nicely into slow corners. Bit of a dead spot on the throttle, but I hope it's just cable slack. Get used to it.
A61, get out past Harrogate town traffic to A59 over Blubberhouses to Skipton and open it up - it accelerates so quickly - pulls massively right through to the red line with a hint of front wheel lift. The exhaust note is now a real crackle with a super burble popping thing noise on overrun. Well out accelerates an ST3s with aftermarket cans and ECU, my mate Mark was trying to keep up with me. Wind protection a bit better that the Falco.
Gearchanges silky smooth up and down, stop for more fuel, pillion seat not as high as Falco, so easier to get legover on/off. Hey it's got a new fangled trip computer that tells you how many more miles you can do when you put petrol in! Dip beam is two lights and main beam puts the third central one on too, looks cool.
Off again - it leans into bends like a real leany thing, inspires real confidence, not recklessness. Turns in on high speed corners quickly and smoothly. It keeps on line, under power, really well with no skipping of the rear on poor road surfaces and rockets out when exiting. This seat is very more comfortable. The reach to the bars might even be a bit less than mine, so less wrist pressure. My short legs fit the pegs well but anyone with legs over 30" might find it a bit cramped?
Weighs 10kg more than mine but can't tell, even pushing about (at stop for bacon butty and cup of tea and a good look over it at the van near Skipton Golf Club). Single sided swingarm looks great on one side, but it's a bit messy on the chain side. Those 3 underseat cans look good, but no underseat storage. (big minus). Find a tiny 7"x3" inches lockable box on the right. At least it's got decent hard panniers.
It does look good not as angular as the VFR, which I don't like the looks of. This one is black, 1400 miles on the clock but the paint is already looking a bit swirly.
Stops quickly really well, very balanced and the rear brake is actually very effective. Non ABS this one. OK, past the golfballs and up the twisty rise to the moor top, it flicks effortlessly from side to side and I'm not doing any threepenny bit corners and I don't have to push it in to turns.
My head is a bit more upright so I do not have as much of a looking up angle. It's very well balanced and I feel as if the centre of gravity is much lower than the Falco, there seems to be less tendancy to lean on stopping.
It shows up my Falco in the suspension department, the engine may only be about 5bhp more but it seems to have more torques right through the range. (makes my old Firestorm seem positively agricultural)
I'm really liking this now, on the way in I was thinking it's a lot of money just for a new bike, I think I was secretly hoping to find lots of things I did not like! Now I'm not really looking forward to riding mine home!
Now to Skipton, a real test of slow, stop start, market day riding and it's a lot nicer at low speeds and low revs, makes mine feel a bit brutal, in town, in comparison.
Back on the A65 and A660 to Leeds, and it appears I have upset some power ranger sprots bike riders by overtaking them, they catch me by speeding massively in 30/40's but I lose them again on the open road (perhaps they were just rubbish riders but it felt good!). It seems to pull really well in any gear at any speed and changing down and twisting just gives meteroic progress.
This bike is great. I know I wanted another V-twin but this triple is smashing, lovely, brilliant. I've now decided I want one.
Get lost coming back to Leeds and end up on the Headrow, I'd be a bit tired of the towns on mine, but this is more relaxing so I'm not so bothered.
Get back to Eddy's and after some chatting and stuff and haggling I order an 07 in Tornado Red ABS, (SWMBO tells me I have to get the ABS) with Scottoiler and tank cover, for Sat 3rd June. (Birthday on the 4th) Unfortunately we're on hols for 2 weeks till the 2nd, so they can't organise it sooner. Still I'll get it run in and serviced before the boys Lakes weekend trip on the 22nd. They did me a good deal.
I'll be sad to see the 04 Falco go. But I think I'll be happy with this for a few years now. So off will come the racks and panniers, the Aprilia cut out heel plates, the Baglux tank cover (red/black), , the Scottoiler, the gold mesh oil cooler and radiator guards and they will join my spare new offside black silencer on fleabay probably at the weekend.
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TornadoRed07SprintST1050ABS "WhooHoo!" (In a Homer sort of voice)
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