Seriously Considering An 03 Triumph Sprint St

[Gixxus Christ!]

Found it on craigslist, the price is right and its in good shape. 38k miles, factory racing carbon fiber pipe, factory panniers, new tires. Read up on it and the 955i motor sounds like it makes enough power for me and after some hevier fork oil the suspenders should be about right. Never rode a triple or any brittish bike for that matter and I'd like to get more into the sport touring world rather than have a supersport and a cruiser.

So who's owned one? Who's rode one? Guy is asking $3,300 and is firm on the price. Book is $3800 so it sounds like a decent deal.

Thoughts? Opinions? Cautonary tales?

[Scruit]

Does it run on 87 octane gas?

 

Or tea?

[8Rider6]

I was somewhat looking into them as a sport touring option as they can be had relatively cheap, but from what I've seen, it looks like the riding position is more aggressive than I'd want in a sport tourer. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it's more aggressive than my 919 even, which after ~200-250 miles in a day can start to get a bit uncomfortable to me. I'm likely going to go with a 2006+ FJR1300 at some point.

[DAC]

Sprint STs are the bigger, British version of the VFR but smaller than an FJR or ST1300.  People I talk to that ride them seem to like them.

[vf1000ride]

I haven't ridden the one with the 955 engine. My 2006 Sprint ST with the 1050 motor is just about the perfect bike. I have done 400+ mile days on it without any problems. I am riding it to Arkansas in 2 weeks. Gonna be 1600 miles in 6 days. It's just as nimble as a sport bike in the twisties but can do the long days in a straight line if needed.

[DAC]

I haven't ridden the one with the 955 engine. My 2006 Sprint ST with the 1050 motor is just about the perfect bike. I have done 400+ mile days on it without any problems. I am riding it to Arkansas in 2 weeks. Gonna be 1600 miles in 6 days. It's just as nimble as a sport bike in the twisties but can do the long days in a straight line if needed.

 

Ooooo, yeah.  Check out some Triumph forums - I vaguely remember some issues with the 955.

[Gixxus Christ!]

Biggest issue seems to be fuel pressure regulator, they come set too weak from the factory, so people mod them to up the pressure by 20 lb or so and it seems to solve the factory lean issue, also there are opinions that the higher pressure gives you better atomization at the injectors. Found a trick undertail exhaust for $300 on egay, very tempting....

[Anden]

Hit britrider.com several there have them. Oldschoolsdime95 will chime in eventually. But the big worries are sprag clutch on starter, rear wheel bearing and pivot at the shock and swing arm. When they fail you are either going down or your motor is fucked. These are maintnance items if it fails its your fault. Sprag I just make sure to start in neutral. No excessive loading. Oh and they leak oil from the shift lever. Parts availability kinda sucks. Most guys put a riser on the bars. The triple motor you will love. Its not an all or nothing motor its quite good throughout the rev range. And from how I've seen a few guys ride them they are very capable bikes.

Tune Ecu is free tuning for the triumph works great and they have every map available. That would fix fueling issues.

Owning one will put you in the cool guy club. Harley guys can't hate on you and everyone else thinks your on a Ducati.

I think one of the guys on britrider has one for sale with minor scratches on fairings for less but very well maintained.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Anden

[Gixxus Christ!]

Does it run on 87 octane gas?

Or tea?

Earl grey old chap. Like a sir.

[cmh_sprint]

If you can swing a few extra $, look for a 2005 or newer. They have the 1050 motor which is a dream. There are good deals out there on them.

[Gixxus Christ!]

Pretty limited as far as what's out there right now. The only sport touring bikes I found in my range were the sprint and an old school concours. The 1050 motor doesn't perform that much better than the 955, and the 03 and up 955's pack ten more ponies than their predecessors. The 1050 is considerably heavier and actually isn't much faster than the 955.

[Pokey]

Pretty limited as far as what's out there right now. The only sport touring bikes I found in my range were the sprint and an old school concours. The 1050 motor doesn't perform that much better than the 955, and the 03 and up 955's pack ten more ponies than their predecessors. The 1050 is considerably heavier and actually isn't much faster than the 955.

 

There are some very low mileage and very low priced 2008 Kawasaki Concours 14 out there, quit dicking around with pieces of shit and spend the money on a nice bike.   And I would run away from that Sprint, the older ones are problematic from what I hear.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Pokey

[jbot]

i really like my FZ1. you should get one of them. we'll be fz1 buddies, and we'll chain up with the other fz1 guys on here for a human fz1 caterpillar. 

[vf1000ride]

It's been two or three weeks but last time I was down at Motohio they had a blue '07 Sprint ST in the showroom with bags.  Not sure if it's still there or not.

[granda080]

If its in cincy and the guys name is David bannister it's oldschools old bike. It was an excellent bike. If not here is a drool worthy pic of what a sprint should be

<a href="http://s1059.photobucket.com/albums/t421/granda080/?action=view&current=null-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/t421/granda080/null-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>

[Gixxus Christ!]

There are some very low mileage and very low priced 2008 Kawasaki Concours 14 out there, quit dicking around with pieces of shit and spend the money on a nice bike. And I would run away from that Sprint, the older ones are problematic from what I hear.

Sorry I can't afford a bike new or nice enough to meet your approval. Pitch in a few grand and maybe I can.

All bikes have issues eventually. I havent heard of any specific failure areas outside of the starter sprag gear and the wheel and suspension linkage bearings. Im a professional mechanic and don't mind putting in the maintenance hours. I need a bike I can ride right now and I don't want to drive across the state to shop for it. If I don't like the sprint I'll sell it.

[Tpoppa]

I would be concerned about the mileage unless he has maintenance records, specifically valve checks.  If it was maintained properly, I would still offer him less than $3,300.  There aren't that many people buying high mileage motorcycles these days...if he really wants to sell it he may have to make a deal  

[Gixxus Christ!]

Ill check and see if he has records. Valve clearance can't be too hard to do on that motor, just not sure if I'd be able to hear them clicking over the mechanical whirr those triples make...

[Anden]

Ill check and see if he has records. Valve clearance can't be too hard to do on that motor, just not sure if I'd be able to hear them clicking over the mechanical whirr those triples make...

Mine sounds like a bag of hammers fucking a typewriter. You won't hear shit. Maintnance isn't bad at all. Like I said its parts availability. 2 week wait from bike bandit, or travel to nearest dealer then wait.

[Helmutt]

Oldschoolsdime can give you more insight, he went through his regularly since maintenance is almost a practicing religion to him. He traded his off for an FZ1 and hasn't looked back. I wouldn't count out an FZ1 Sam, very touring capable bikes with a plethra of parts availability

[oldschoolsdime92]

Did someone call my name? Maintenance and sprint st955 were the story of my life for three years. I loved the motorcycle, don't get me wrong. I prefer to ride than wrench though.

Valve checks were 12,000 miles.

Rear wheel bearing isn't listed as a maintenance item, but they aren't sealed up real well. Tore

mine down and regrease every season.

Front brakes were very inconsistent. Triumph didn't put a non stick coating on the pistons, and brake dust would build up and give them inconsistent feel. Guys were swapping out for Dayton 675 pistons in the caliper.

Shift shaft leaks oil.

Sprag clutch is a big downfall. Not a cheap fix

I didn't care for mine 2 up at all. It was cramped up. The 955 engine is a dream. It's like riding a tractor, with all the torque so low. I know I just made it sound like a terrible bike, but I loved mine. It just wasn't what I needed to commute everyday. The wind protection was great. I had some heated grips and was comfortable down into the 30s without a bunch of winter gear.

My biggest complaint on the motorcycle was getting parts. I waited 2-3 weeks multiple times for parts. When your bikes a daily rider, that sucks.

I traded my 02 sprint off for an 02 fz1. My sprint had 35,000 miles on it when I got rid of it. I had it many places, down dirt roads, and all over Ohio, wv , and pa. It was a great time, I just wanted somthing alittle less maintenance intensive.

[Hailwood]

i really like my FZ1. you should get one of them. we'll be fz1 buddies, and we'll chain up with the other fz1 guys on here for a human fz1 caterpillar. 

 

I call front in the caterpillar.

 

The FZ is a fantastic bike.  It will do anything you need it to, and the Gen1 models are getting very reasonably priced.

[oldschoolsdime92]

My gen 1 will never leave the stable. Biggest thing on the gen1 fz is to check for second gear kick. Roll hard through the RPM range in second gear.

Here's my sprint

[Gixxus Christ!]

Theres an fz1 in my price range not far from my house....gonna have to check it out.

[Gixxus Christ!]

One thing I need to keep in mind is this will be replacing the shadow, that my fiance has to be comfortable on the back. I can get a top box/backrest for the sprint and that should make her happy, what about the fz? She's not a skinny girl, she's got curves and hips like a woman and has never felt comfortable on the back of a sport bike.