Triumph sprint st1050 after 1 month

[steveg]

Hi

Had my 05 sprint ST1050ABS for a month , due to the snow have only managed 1100 miles , here are my initial impressions

The bike has some niggles eg poor lights (not as bad as mk1 fazer 600 I once owned ) ,more brake lever travel than I'm used to and vibrating mirrors however overall absolutely love it , the engine is amazing you can just leave it one gear and roll on /off or go into attack mode when in the mood and the bike is so comfortable with really plush suspension , great tank range and looks great(love the themed 3 exhausts , clocks and lights) , the positives far out way the niggles , sounds great too

It took a couple of weeks to get used to the sprint after the sv , mainly the extra size and weight when filtering in heavy traffic but now used to bike really pleased have almost managed to stop blipping the throttle on gear changes now

It is more thirsty on commute run about 43 mpg , on longer runs does about 48 mpg which is fair enough given the extra performance giving 200 mile tank range which is very usefull

The bike is just so more relaxing to ride and in my opnion looks great and its really nice to ride a British bike for a change

Really pleased so far , fingers crossed it stays reliable

Cheers Steveg

Agree pretty much with all that Steve, but i stil blip on down shifts

Other really minor things i have noticed...
Rear brake is not as effective as the sv,
Gear change can be clunky when hot, no where near as good a gear box as the sv,
The throttle is quite a slow one, you can turn it quite a bit before anything happens, a quick action throttle would transform these bikes imo.
Will absolutely drink fuel when you try and reach its top end for any period.

So how's it compare to the SV, as I know from previous posts you really like your SV?

[steveg]

I preferred the sv for shorter journeys and for town commuting it was absolutely excellent , being really small and light was its advantage , 2up was no good does not help that I'm 16 stones so with a pillion the sv struggled big time ,On longer journeys esp 100 miles or more , the sv was uncomfortable for me and a couple of 300 mile motorway trips were truely painfull Reliability of the sv was stunning and running costs really cheap

The Sprint eats longer journeys did a 200 mile trip to Wales on the same tank of fuel and felt like I could have done the same journey again
The Sprint's bigger engine and physical size helps with pillion and comfort is brilliant , better quality suspension helps alot as well
Once used to its size the sprint commutes fine
Really enjoying have a bigger lazy engine on the sprint , eats big overtakes
Running costs are more than the sv but not bad for the increased in capacity , Reliabilty will have to wait and see

Overall prefer the sprint as it ticks more boxes for me and its more comfy which is important to an old git like me ( bike does cost a lot more than a sv so s/b better)

Still miss the sv and if I had the cash I would have kept the sv , however I am a one bike guy as can't afford to run 2 bikes


Cheers Steveg

When you say struggled big time in what way?

Reason I ask it because I weigh same as you and have just strapped a boat load of Givi luggage to it! I can't ride the bike cos of the snow, so just asking out of interest really!

[steveg]

Hi

With a pillion am looking at say 26 stone +

the suspension could not really cope , If you upgraded the suspension then that would be improved , the brakes and engine performance were not great IMHO with the extra weight on board

It was doable but never really enjoyed riding the sv 2 up for long distances , then again I found the sv uncomfy soley for long journeys (still managed 55k on it)

I guess everyone's different

Cheers Steveg

Originally Posted by steveg

Hi

With a pillion am looking at say 26 stone +

the suspension could not really cope , If you upgraded the suspension then that would be improved , the brakes and engine performance were not great IMHO with the extra weight on board

It was doable but never really enjoyed riding the sv 2 up for long distances , then again I found the sv uncomfy soley for long journeys (still managed 55k on it)

I guess everyone's different

Cheers Steveg

Fair enough. My wife hates bikes so I am lucky not having to worry about a Pillion, well apart from the Givi stuff!

[steveg]

I too had a big top box on the sv , with full tool kit and normally some cans of ale

No problems with the luggage 1 up

Have seen what's you've done to your sv and looks sweet , just could not bring myself to spend a lot on the sv ( I'm a tight git)

Cheers Steveg

I too found the sv struggled with a pillion, im probably over 16 stone with kit on, its suspension is way under rated for that kinda weight.
Saying that my sprint was wallowee (SP) until i wacked the pre-load up.

Originally Posted by steveg

I too had a big top box on the sv , with full tool kit and normally some cans of ale

No problems with the luggage 1 up

Have seen what's you've done to your sv and looks sweet , just could not bring myself to spend a lot on the sv ( I'm a tight git)

Cheers Steveg

I know what you mean, and I am from Yorkshire so tightness is in my blood.

I had an Aprilia RSVR previous to the SV and used it for 2 years. It was mental fast and a real bike. However I really missed my SV that I part ex to get it. If I would have kept that I would have ended up in one of 2 places - The mortuary or jail.

For me there is something about the SV, I just love the bike. That's why I have spent the money and made the bike my own.

Don't get me wrong I could stop now and part ex it for a brand new BMW GS1200 if I wanted, but I just don't want to. I have had a VTEC VFR800 as well. I just got pulled back to the SV. I have owned 14 bikes, and the SV is the only one I have replicated!

Hence the expenditure and the interest!

BTW my next bike is going to be a spint LOL LOL