Contemplating a Sprint

[Richhodg66]

New to the forum, looks like a good one.

I'm considering buying a '96 Sprint advertised locally. Appears to be in nice shape and the price is right.

I've been riding about ten years or so and current daily rider is an '04 KLR650 (which I absolutely love). I am daily commuting on it, so the Triumph would be more of a fun ride or for when I'm on open road.

I tend to like motorcycles that are multifunctional, hence the KLR. I tend to like the Dual SPort and Sport Tourer genre of bikes, V-twin cruisers do nothing for me, and I really think I'm too old for a honest tp goodness sportbike.

I'd like to hear any and all opinions. I haven't seen the bike yet, but will soon. Is the seating position reasonably upright and comfortable? I'm 5'10" for what that's worth, and prefer upright position but not feet forward like the cruisers all have.

Any special maintenance issues with the sprint?

What's after market hard luggage availability?

Anything else I ought to know?

I really like the way the Sprint looks and the price on this one is right. Thanks for any input.

[KitNYC]

(Dave? Don? Somebody wanna kick this over to the T3 forum?)

Welcome, Rich. I ride an '04 Sprint RS these days, but I was on a '96 Trident before that. The Trident was basically a Sprint with a single headlight & no fairing.

The seating position on a '96 Sprint is definitely more standard than sporty, & you should have no problem with the ergos at 5'10". (The T3 bikes are a bit top-heavy at first, but it doesn't take long to get used to it.

Special maintenance issues... The 885 Triumphs have a well-deserved reputation for being over-engineered & bulletproof. That being said, the sprag clutch was a major weakness on pre-'95 models & not perfect on later ones. Keeping your battery in good shape can prevent this from ever being a real issue. Other weak points are the coils, the petcock, & the ignition sensor. Generally speaking, though, reliability is somewhat better than most Japanese bikes from the same era.

Aftermarket hard luggage is long-discontinued. I may have an extra set of Givi adapters in my spares box, though, & they do turn up on eBay from time to time. The Givi adapters are used to mount a Wingrack, which in turn mounts the Monokey bags. The adapters are the only discontinued part, the rest is available new.

You should know this: Triumph triples are addictive!!!

Cheers,
-Kit

[Richhodg66]

Thanks. I really like the looks and what I hear about them. What exactly is a "sprag clutch"? I'm not the smartest guy mechanically, and I've never heard the term.

I've put in 500 mile days on my KLR without too much trouble, is this bike comfortable enough to do that?

Can't see the bike for a few days at least between mine and the seller's schedule. If I decide to buy it, I will get back with you on the luggage adapters and such.

[harrya13]

G'day,

Not sure for your reasons to choose this model - but before you put down your hard earned, suggest you test ride a ST as well.

Particularly the 02-04 models, if your $$$ dont stretch to a newer one.

They do everything the Thrident does, but much better.. Not sure about the ergos - the ST is a more sporty, but bar risers can fix that easily.

Just my $0.02 worth...

Good luck

[Richhodg66]

Thanks for the advice, the prospect of a new bike is out of the question right now, this Sprint is priced right and is close. I love my KLR, and it will remain my primary ride, but there are times I'd like something a little more highway capable. I really don't like traditional cruisers, and this looked like what I'd be interested in.

I will look into an ST someday. I've always liked Triumphs, I test rode a Speed Triple I think, a few years ago a guy had for sale. Didn't buy it, but I liked it a lot.

[DaveM]

Originally Posted by KitNYC

(Dave? Don? Somebody wanna kick this over to the T3 forum?)


You should know this: Triumph triples are addictive!!!

Cheers,
-Kit

Sorry Kit I have been away for a few days.

cheers,
DaveM

[seumas]

You asked about 500 mile days. I've taken a couple of 2000+ mile trips on mine. For me, the stock seat was only good for about 300 miles. I found a used Corbin on Ebay and it made a huge difference.

[MotT3]

A cheap option might be to fit the seat from a Trophy...it has a different profile and more foam....if your are lucky on ebay that is..?? It also has 4 fold out bungie hooks which helps a bit too, I got one for £36 and sold my old one for a tenner !

Check the rear caliper is free...they tend to be ignored and slowly seize up which means a strip down and new seals.

Check the chain and sprockets are good too..there is a bit more spannering than usual to replace these on the Sprint Daytona etc...

Ask when the valve clearances where last done..? how many miles does it have on it...? big service due at 24,000 miles so worth bearing that in mind too.

Handy mods to look out for on the bike are..hugger, front gaurd extender, fork leg protectors, uprated fork springs, aftermarket rear shock, front brake upgrade to 4 pot/ 6 pot calipers and discs to match, flip up screen, rear triumph branded rack and K & N air filter replacement.

Genrally they are bullit proof and sounds like it will suit you a treat..;-)

Cheers
Mot

[Richhodg66]

Thanks for all the advice. The guy lives about 100 miles from me, and had commitments this weekend so I don't know when I'll get to see it in the flesh.

He told me in his email that he bought it from his uncle about a year ago and it has 13,500 miles on it. Tires, chain, battery and rear brakes (not sure what exactly on the brakes he means) have all been replaced within the past year. Pictures he sent show it to look pretty good, although he's quick to point out that it is not pristine and has some scratches and such.

I'm excited to see it and hope to this week. I've been considering the Corbin seat upgrade on the KLR since I got it. Some guys tell you it rides like a different motorcycle, some say it made no difference. Seems like a lot of money to find out, so if I get it, I'll ride it a while first. The seat from a Trophy will fit and ride better? I actually haven't done a search yet to see for myself what parts availability is like, guess I should do that. I know Triumph meade these quite a while, so it would see there would be a lot of stuff available.

[KitNYC]

If you can do 500-mile days on that Kwaka thumper, it'll be no problem on the Sprint!

I replaced my Trident with an '04 Sprint RS in October, so I'm in a position to comment on whether the 955i models are more comfy than the T3s. They are, at least for me. The difference is not very big, though, & I definitely wouldn't let that keep me from jumping on a deal on a T3!

(For the record, I like G2 955is best, followed by T3s, then G1 955s/T509s, then 1050s, then bikes that aren't Triumph triples. Except for the 1050 Speed Triple. I really like that bike. )

Cheers,
-Kit