[Spectorman]

Hi ya'll. New member on the site & looking for some of your experiences for comparison purposes.

I've been shopping for a new bike for over 7 months now. I've been riding for about 30 years now, have owned a variety of standards and sport-tourers & currently own a Kawi ZRX1200. I've been looking at a used Kawi ZZR1200 but have not been able to find one to my liking at a price I'm willing to pay. When Triumph released the new Sprint a few years back, I was highly enamored of it but wanted to wait & see the bugs worked out first.

So now I'm eyeballing what appears to be a beautiful, used 06 w/about 5k on it. The previous owner apparently drove it like a gentleman, & added only what appears to be Genmar risers & a custom Sargent seat. Other than a squared off rear tire, the bike appears in great shape w/no performance mods. The asking price is high (at least I think it's high) but I'm pretty sure it's negotiable. Unfortunately, the bike is located about 1/2 the state away & I haven't seen it in person yet-only pictures.

The local Triumph dealer just got in several 07's, one in red- very bright, very pretty. I've read about some of the ergonomic changes made but am wondering if anyone can offer a comparison between the 06 w/the mods listed & the stock 07 w/its newer, higher, more rearward handlebars, taller windscreen, etc. I also understand that CPU is much more powerful on the 07 than the 06 & don't know how much of a difference that makes.

Lastly, I'm pretty sure the used 06 does not have the extra heat shielding added. That's a concern for me cuz I live in South Florida where it's pretty warm all year. I was already concerned about the heat of the aluminum frame but w/out the heat shield, I'm afraid it'll be even worse. The local dealer told me it's not a big deal to add the shielding and that if the Triumph performance exhaust is added, there's even less heat radiated. So if anyone wants to provide their experience about frame heat, I'd love to hear about that too.

Ok, thanks for the assist! I'm wating to read some good stuff!
Lee

 

[jthursby]

Hi Spectorman, I cant comment on the heat with the stock exhaust can as I never rode my bike with it. I can tell you my Corbin seat with the Triumph off-road can does not get hot. It doesn't even get very warm. your thighs get a little warm but not bad at all. If the price is good you can put risers and a different windscreen on the 06 and call it a day. I sat on the bright red one Saturday at the open house and the reach feels exactly like mine with the risers.

Jim T.

 

[AaronB]

What could be the diffence in price between a used ZZR1200 and a used '05Sprint? The ZZR has got to be cheaper. They have them on ebay for $6k Just buy that one. It will have a much more powerfull engine and a much bigger dealer network.

Or, are you going to get an '07 which would be twice the price of a used ZZR?



Don't waste your time with a Triumph.

You sound like a guy who would not be happy with it if you bought it.



The heat is out of control, and the power is lacking. Triumph really messed this bike up.


(yet I have 15k on mine already :-D )

 

[iceman]

Lee,

you dont say if you've ridden one.If not - there is quite a difference in the power delivery between the triple and the big Japanese 4 (I used to have one).Its a real smoooooth linear power delivery and the EFI combined with the triple vs the older carburretored 4 makes it a real treat.It sounds awesome too - it always seems a real pity to switch it off after a ride.

The 05/06 red is a deeper red than the new one and really nice in the sunlight.

The newer bike has a similar riding position - just a bit more relaxed with the higher bars.I like my standard bars but could live with the new ones I think.

I havent had a problem with heat - living in a more temperate climate but I understand the heat shield fix is fairly effective.

I dont know that the new mapping is 'much more powerful' but is a better cold starter and has improved things a bit all round.

Good luck with the deal.

Grant

 

[Spectorman]

Thanks for the info so far guys. Great to see such diverse response from folks all over the planet. I spend most of my time on the ZRXOA site and ZZRbikes where it seems most of us are just plain folks from here in the US.

The used '06 I'm considering has risers, a definite plus for me. I'm 46 and have sat on a stocker but never had the opportunity to ride one. I'm sure the risers make a significant incremental difference just like they have on my other bikes. I'm too old to be doing that racer crouch! And I'm sure I can get the used '06 for considerably less than an '07 but am always willing to keep my options open. Matter of fact, Pure Triumph in Ft. Lauderdale (where I live) still has a blue '06 leftover they're trying to move.

As for the ZZR, well I've been a Kawi guy for a long time. Before I bought my ZRX, I debated heavily on the ZZR but decided against it primarily for reasons of cost. Used ZZR's may be selling but they are cherished by their owners and some refuse to bend in price. NADA and Kelley may say they're worth XX$$ but in reality, since the ZX14 was released and the new Concours 14 is about to hit the floors, the true value of ZZR's has bottomed- except nobody has told some the ZZR guys.

I'm not blaming them mind you; they are a loyal bunch of folks to their bike & the '04/'05 models are truly great machines but they are also very heavy, much heavier than the Sprint & significantly more powerful. I know this is probably gonna sound funny, but they may be a bit too powerful for me. I've test ridden a few & a couple of them downright scared me. Besides that, they are also few and far between. I'm a little hinky about long distance/E-bay deals so I tend to back away except for anything w/in a few hundred miles.

I've been hemming and hawing over this decision for months now. Heck, even my wife has told me to go by the dang thing already! Each time I come close to settling on a bike, something goes kablooey, or the bike that's been sitting there for 3 months suddenly gets purchased. That's happened more than once w/some of the ZZR's.

I think I gotta go over to Pure Triumph tomorrow and sit on them again. Maybe that will give me a better feel. And hopefully, the '06 will not be sold by then!
Lee



[ This message was edited by: Spectorman on 2006-11-09 11:55 ]