[sloni]

I passed my test last October and have been thinking about which bike to buy. It has to be a sports tourer of some type and it boiled down to BMW or Triumph. The BMW bikes are either too small, too expensive or to don't have the right combination of bike and panniers.

I then found the Sprint ST and have read as much as anyone can about this bike. It seems that the bike is a perfect fit for what I'm looking at. It's got the looks, the touring capability.

Is there anything I need to be aware of before I lay my money down at the dealer to pick a new Sprint ST up? I have heard about the mirrors and the brakes but is there anything else to consider?

It's a lot of money to pay and then realise that I've made a mistake. Am I doing the right thing?

 

[LoVel]

I have had my Sprint since the end of July. I now have 7800 miles on it and the answer is, yes you are doing the right thing. The bike is incredible. If you haven't already taken a test ride you need to do so as soon as possible. Just make sure you are ready to buy the bike when you do. When I came back from my test ride I walked up to the salesman and said, " I want the blue one". Last time I was in the dealership I thanked the owner for selling me the bike. The purchase of a Sprint is no mistake if you are in the market for a sport touring bike.

 

[GRN]

Hey man,

just passed your test as in this will be your first bike? If so, I would recommend looking at something used and a bit less spirited to start, it will make the development of your "smooth" skills easier, and the emotional impact of your first good drop far less significant ... we all drop 'em early on at some point.

Not trying to turn ya off to this ride, it's a great bike, but it could also be a real handfull 'til ya get some of the basic skills/practices behind you. If I read your post wrong and you're beyond all this, than I say go take one for a test ride, that will tell ya all ya need to know!

Good luck, ride safe!

 

[Thefallenone]

I would look for a good 2nd hand ST or RS to start with give the wise comments above. These are big heavy and very powerful bikes if you have only just passed your test. Welcome BTW.

Kev

 

[spiki-spikester]

I agree with thefallenone - it is better to look for something you don't mind damaging first.

One of the more experienced guys in my IAM group just got an 05 & one of the first things he said to me was "it's surprising how easy it is to scare yourself on one of these". He's right and I have - it took me about 2 / 3000 miles to get used to making the step up to this bike in a range of conditions & situations.

One of the BMW's would be a good 2nd hand choice to get you going, maybe (dare I say it) a Honda (VFR, Deauville or CBF1000). When I first passed I got distracted by looking at the cc's, but on the road most bikes with over 60 /70 bhp can give you enough top end. If you are doing distances, then weather protection & grippy handling is more important than extra bhp until you get a few more 1000 miles under your belt.

Hope this helps.

 

[Nelson955]

On 2006-12-28 12:57, sloni wrote:

Is there anything I need to be aware of before I lay my money down at the dealer to pick a new Sprint ST up? I have heard about the mirrors and the brakes but is there anything else to consider?

Yes, the customer service from Triumph is poor. The build quality of recent Triumphs is not a patch on what they were 5-6 years ago and if you do have any problems with the bike, expect the factory warranty department to try and duck their responsibility at every opportunity.

 

[DaveM]

Welcome sloni,
I would also agree with thefallenone and GRN.
This is a very friendly and informative site.

I would have to counter Nelson955's comments with my own experience.

I have an '04 model 955 Sprint ST which I purchased from my dealer in March 2005.

My dealer does all my servicing and I have had no bad experiences with my machine or Triumph or my dealers service in any way.

The only serious fault I have experienced was a leaking Triumph Carbon Fibre race can.
The service dept manager actually asked me was I experiencing any problems with the CF can as there were some defective items.

The can leaked at the front flange and Triumph replaced it with a Stainless Steel one after I agreed and was shown one and heard it on a bike and got to look at a new one in a box.

They replaced it while I waited.

I am happy with the quality of finish on my bike and am very happy with it now having travelled 32,000kms of hard two up riding.

The Triumph Sprint ST IS a very good alrounder motorcycle.

DaveM

 

[spiki-spikester]

I think it's fair to say that the dealers in the UK are generally pretty good. There is only 1 in central London - but I haven't heard great things about them & don't go there. All the others around London have been pretty good when I've used them & have good reputations. Not sure who your dealer would be in Manchester though - you should ask around & see what people say.

Not sure what problems Nelson 955 has had, but a good dealer will always try & help you out even if the factory are being thick.

If it bothers you though - go for a VFR !

 

[cm08]

Sloni,

congratulations on passing your test.

If you do decide on a sprint, you will enjoy it. I ride a 99 sprint which I recently took from Paris to the isle of mann and back in less than a week, with lots of sightseeing stops on the way. Lots of space for my stuff in the panniers. My ride buddies were on Ducaties and while the sprint was not as quick on the starts as the ducs, not a problem keeping up. I was never sore, and felt like I could go on forever. (buddies did not feel the same way and took a couple of days to recover).

I do agree that you should consider something used for the reasons stated by others, but their comments apply equally to a purchase of any new bigger bike. So in the end if you decide to go new and big, look into the resale values of bikes and insurance costs before you buy. If you keep the bike for a long time resale is less of an issue.

Good luck with your decision and purchase.

 

[LoVel]

The advice I was given was don't buy something you don't want and end up stuck with it. If you have plenty of cash I guess it would be fine to buy something you don't really want just to learn on. I personally could not afford to buy two bikes so I would have one to learn on. If you do go with the sprint just take it easy until you learn your way around it.

 

[GRN]

Please forgive me... I neglected to welcome you here and congratulate you on passing your test. I remember that day, and it was grand!

To elaborate further on my previous suggestion... without knowing your build or past experience, as a general rule my personal suggestion to folks who are just starting out is to look at used bikes that have a displacement of 400-650cc's (smaler folks and ladies maybe even as small as 250cc), and have more standard (NOT meaning forward controls) street bike positioning and ergo's. The beauty of buying used is that if you outgrow it in 6 months or two years, it will have cost you very little and given you an idea of what you really want... which you won't really know 'til you spend a good bit of time on one.

More agressive sport bike positions are not something many folks find "natural" to begin with... a more neutral or upright position is the easiest way to initially become comfortable with the basics of motorcycle operation... worry about working on body positioning on bikes that are more demanding in that regard later...

All IMO anyway :wink:

[ This message was edited by: GRN on 2006-12-29 10:00 ]

 

[ruscook]

hi sloni
welcome to the club. There's a wealth of info available here and a good group who are more than happy to share info.

If you haven't ridden much beware, the Sprint is quite a powerful beast. The advice to go with an older one that's cheaper and get used to it is definitely sound. Also, I'd recommend some of the advanced riding courses. They can really teach you how to control a bike and what hazards to look out for over and above the basic training.

Enjoy whatever wheels you get, and keep the rubber side down
Russ

 

[Thefallenone]

On 2006-12-29 14:44, ruscook wrote:
Also, I'd recommend some of the advanced riding courses.

Great advice. Best thing I ever did. Brings your insurance down too!