Triumph ST buying advice?

[frankie77]

Hi guys. I'm looking at moving onto a Triumph St1050, just wondering what sort of issues to be looking for, I know the headlight should get the HID treatment but is there any nastys to be aware of? Also I've tried looking for a decent uk based forum, can't seem to find 1.

[Specialone]

Well mate you've come to the right place, there are tons of st owners on here, inc me :)

I personally wouldn't bother with hids unless you do a whole lot of night riding.

Try and get a later bike, preferably with a good service record, main things to check are the eccentric chain adjuster, these tend to get crudded up and seize, they need stripping and regreasing.

I'll be selling mine in April/may time if you can wait that long, I've got some rather nice carbon cans on mine :)

[frankie77]

Cheers, just looked at 1 in world of bikes in corby, 22000 nearly £6000. Walked out laughing. Not sure I can wait that long for yours although aftermarket exhausts look so good

[Specialone]

Also regarding forum...

I'm same forum name as on here.

http://www.bikersoracle.com/triumphsprint/forum/index.php

[jandn1]

I had a test ride on a ST1050 when i was swapping my pre vtec 800 vfr, i loved the bike very similar to the vfr but with an amazing overrun sound and a fantastic engine. The wife hated the pillion seat it is on an angle so it pushed her forward also she was pushed forward with the factory topbox fitted so i ended up with a 2009 vfr 800 which i love, the st seemed to have something about it though where as the vfr just does everything so well it can seem a little boring... but still i wouldnt swap it even though she is on her own bike now. :)

As mentioned alot of info on the bikersoracle / triumph st forum site.

So ST1050 fantastic...... VFR 800 fantastic...... SV650s....fantastic.....

[andreis]

I've almost bought one and did some research on them. I ended up with a Tiger 1050, the sole reason being that riding the roads in my country can often feel like you're doing offroading, so I needed every bit of extra suspension travel I could get and a more comfortable position.

Bellow are some things I found out about the sprints whilst doing my research.

There's been a revision in 2007 and one in 2008 that addressed some of the issues.
The first thing is that the seating position was changed, making it more comfortable.
Some additional insulation was added such that the passenger wouldn't roast. Also there was added some insulation to help direct the heat that blows onto your right leg (they have a bit of a dragon breath).

Also, you will want to check that the sprint you're buying has had the front brake revised. There was a problem with the original design that could cause some bikes to have spongy front brakes (would get cured with a bleeding).
If you get a sprint, ask about the clutch lubrication system and whether it was revised by the dealer. Apparently, the part that controls oil flow to the clutch assembly had a flaw for some years and would lead to having low amounts of oil in the clutch. This in term led to the clutch plates sticking to each other over time. You can, of course, fix this issue with any sprint you buy.

Of course, there's always the issue of lighting, but this will only affect you if you ride at night. The lights on the Tiger are appalling as well. This is due to the bad projector design of the lights. You can upgrade to HID and it will improve (but still won't make it good enough to ride comfortably at night due to the light pattern which causes it to leave you without a lit road when taking a curve).

I can only wish you the best in your purchase and hope you'll have a great one.

[frankie77]

thanks for the advice, looking at a 2007 model at the weekend. so fingers crossed

[mattSV]

I bought a new Sprint in March 2009 - having had a SV1000 for 5 years, and a SV650 for 4 years before. I was looking for a bike that was quick, comfortable (especially two-up) and looked and sounded good. The Sprint fitted the bill perfectly.

As Speshul-one said, a must-do mod is a set of Trident cans - it will cost around £400 inc a re-map but it transforms the bike. Those that have had the pleasure of following my Sprint will confirm that the sound is epic.

[Specialone]

Matt, I can do my own mapping now as I bought the lead, I've tried 4 different maps on mine trying to get a balance with smooth and mpg, none worked as good as the one triumph put on.

[frankie77]

Well the weekend was goood, will be picking up a 2009 ST on saturday:D

[frankie77]

Well the weekend was goood, will be picking up a 2009 ST on saturday:D

[mattSV]

Yay. Welcome to www.triumphnotsv650.org ;-)

[Specialone]

Well the weekend was goood, will be picking up a 2009 ST on saturday:D

Nice one dude :)

[widepants]

Hi guys. I'm looking at moving onto a Triumph St1050, just wondering what sort of issues to be looking for,1.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/03/23/article-0-0B4CF9C100000578-817_468x365.jpg