Triumphrat

mprokup · 07-17-2008, 10:01 PM

I went on these forums looking for help with ride comfort. I bought a windshield for a 2008 to try and get the wind noise down. I had risers put on the handlebars to try and get my wrists to quit hurting. Since my bike had ABS option, the higher handlebars were too difficult for me to put on and dealers are 100 miles away.

Bottom line on the bike.....

It is gorgeous to look at.
It is for younger people who ride sport bikes.
The motor is great.
The geometry of the ride is not.

Anyway I hope triumph redesigns the bike for touring as I would try it out. In the meantime, i bought a harley ultra classic new and the motor heat is terrible.

rodsprint · 07-17-2008, 10:33 PM

I have just done 16500ks on my 06 two up in 35 days
I am 49 years old , 47 yo pillion, You just cant judge a bikes comfort level after 500 miles
It took me months to get comfortable on this bike, but it sure was worth it

MickSprint06 · 07-17-2008, 10:50 PM

Well it's no gold wing but I've got no complaints as far as comfort goes. Did you try the R3 touring? Might have been a better choice than the HD.

RickyT · 07-17-2008, 10:58 PM

I found that in the short term (like a 50 mile ride) A big cruiser was more comfortable, but after 200 plus miles I felt better getting off the sprint than I ever did off my cruisers. I know that after a long ride at Americade, the cruiser guys were toast. Ricster and I needed a moment to stretch our legs and could have headed out again

Tom Herold · 07-17-2008, 11:37 PM

On the other side of the fence, I tried really hard to get the Electra Glide to fit me and my needs since I already own a Softail Springer and felt comfortable with the manufacturer. The glide was just too hot all the time from the engine heat, even compared to my Springer it was uncomfortable. The seating position for both me and my wife was another thing we couldn't stand, so after a very short while we sold it off and I started looking at the sport touring market.

I rode the Concours 14, the FJR1300, and the ST1300 before I even considered the Sprint ST. Having experience with the 900 Thunderbird I rebuilt, I should have known to go with the Triumph in the first place. It's a simple and straight forward machine with very few vices right off the show room floor. I'm 41 and have no complaints, but do have it modified to fit; Corbin seat, Heli bars, touring wind screen, GPS, exhaust upgrade, and now cruise control and heated grips. I can put down more miles for longer periods of time on the Sprint than I ever did on the Electra Glide, or even my Springer I still own.

Anyway, to each his own. I hear that a true dual exhaust helps out a lot with the heat coming off the Glide's engine, maybe you can add that mod and see if you like it. The tour pack relocation kit helps the passenger out a lot too. Good luck!

dolson · 07-17-2008, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mprokup

I went on these forums looking for help with ride comfort. I bought a windshield for a 2008 to try and get the wind noise down. I had risers put on the handlebars to try and get my wrists to quit hurting. Since my bike had ABS option, the higher handlebars were too difficult for me to put on and dealers are 100 miles away.

Bottom line on the bike.....

It is gorgeous to look at.
It is for younger people who ride sport bikes.
The motor is great.
The geometry of the ride is not.

Anyway I hope triumph redesigns the bike for touring as I would try it out. In the meantime, i bought a harley ultra classic new and the motor heat is terrible.

It's obvious that the Sprint isn't for you and you made the right choice.
But I would sure hope Triumph doesn't redesign the Sprint to satisfy people like you and ruin it for us that like it and are comfortable with it. 57.5 YO and typically ride 200 miles fill up and another 200 before I feel like getting off. And that's usually to take a P..., heed the call of nature.

mattigar · 07-17-2008, 11:43 PM

It is a terrible tragedy that you sold your Sprint. I have an 06 Sprint and admint, the stock handle bars were not for me. After 4000 miles I had the higher handle bar kit put on and it made all of the difference. After two hours without putting my feet down...no discomfort. With the stock bars, both my wrists and neck hurt. I wouldn't trade my 06 for the world. I'll have to echo...to each his own.

Tbirdnz · 07-17-2008, 11:44 PM

500 miles is a bit short to get used to a bike. When I bought my CB1300 which has a sports riding position I hadn't done a test run on it. If I had I wouldn't have bought it. It made my wrists ache.

Solution, adjust the bars and sit a little differently on it. Now it has an excellent riding position, solo. For touring and two-up as TH indicates the Thunderbird is hard to beat.

----------------
Ride on !

ricster · 07-18-2008, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyT

I found that in the short term (like a 50 mile ride) A big cruiser was more comfortable, but after 200 plus miles I felt better getting off the sprint than I ever did off my cruisers. I know that after a long ride at Americade, the cruiser guys were toast. Ricster and I needed a moment to stretch our legs and could have headed out again

I concur on what RickyT said. My buddy on the Harley was snoring lol while RickyT and I where shrugging our shoulders and said..hell we can do it all over again right now.

Croak · 07-18-2008, 01:21 AM

I came out of cruisers too. The thing with the ST is that you need to get in shape to ride it comfortably.

That requires commitment, and 500 miles is not enough saddle time to get your body used to the ergos. The ergos are the way they are as a (pretty dang good) compromise between traditional touring (not HD touring) and sport riding.

If you're not interested in the sport aspect at all, then the Sprint wasn't the right bike for you in the first place.

The day I rode my Sprint home 150 miles, I swore I was going to get risers and a new screen.

3000 miles later, I no longer wanted risers or a screen. I forced myself to sit the bike properly using leg and stomach muscles, and forced myself to ride it pretty much everywhere I needed to go, even in heavy traffic. I got gloves that fit and a lighter helmet, which also helped.

My 270 pound, 5'11" 44 year old body is used to the bike now, and I can ride a tank full without stopping, fill up and go again if need be. The only ergo-farkle I bought was a Cramp-Buster, and that stays in my tank bag most of the time.

I MIGHT be more comfortable with risers, but I suspect that will then make me want a taller screen since I'd be more upright. Then I'd be more fatigued after a long ride, because there's more surface area on the screen, meaning more crosswind surface area. And since I was more upright, more of my weight would be on the saddle, which means I'd probably want an aftermarket seat.