Anyone got a Triumph 1050 ST?

[Grahamm]

Ok, I've been riding for five years on the FZ6-SA and I really like the bike, however I'm now starting to think about the idea of getting something a bit more meaty, but still in the Sports/ Tourer line and the 1050 ST looks rather interesting.

So I'd welcome (helpful!) comments, especially from anyone who's ridden both and can give me some idea of how they compare and whether it's a good upgrade option.

[ghostbiker]

I used a friends for about a week once, it did its job as a tour bike well but I felt lacked fun when you wanted to play. But was a nice ride. But after owning a 995 triumph I wouldn't own another as the service and parts cost was hell.

Deff give one a test ride though I like the triple mill a lot

[cable tie]

Jon Pitt is your st 1050 guru send him a pm . My other mate had one and all I can say is they sound nice ! Don't crash well ! And 24k service cost him £800 !

[Raymy]

getting something a bit more meaty, but still in the Sports/ Tourer line

FZS 600 

[pitternator]

I ran 2 1050 sprints...no issues with either over 20k miles of riding , from touring to fast road work. I had one of the very first abs bikes in 05 and it went back to the factory for new master cylinder but Ok after that.My second was an ex demo bike with 2k on clock, I sold both before the 12k mile service , which is around £500 , they do everything on that service.6k service is more like £200.
dynamically I disagree its in any way boring, its a fast bike...160 top end if you wind it up.Like all triumphs you surf the torque, not rev it silly.Like  a duke twin it sometimes dont feel like you R going as fast as u actually R cos of that. I could get me knee down easily on mine too, it handled very well.A gutsy motor but geared for a broad range of speeds.My speed triple had more punch but top speed at least 15 mph less.Reasonable fuel economy , up to 55mpg on tour.Uses standard tyres.Nice ergos. Dont buy a GT ...it steers much slower than the ST.I really liked my sprints, but moved on cos I had had 2.Would have another .Make sure you get the ones with the higher bars ( early 05 were quite low).
 
a very quick resume...and you can get them quite cheap.

[sadlonelygit]

my mate had one............has a gen 1 now and wondered why he wasted £800 on the striple.

[Rusty]

Not had a 1050 but have had four other Triumph triples. I can endorse what's been said above, namely that they are great bikes but service costs kill them. That's why they are usually sold on at 25k miles as that's when the big money service happens. (on the models I had anyway)


Great to ride, well built -ish, characterful etc etc... but bloody dear to run.

[Grahamm]

Thanks for the comments folks

The s/h prices do look pretty good even with the cost of the big service, so I may have to see if I can get up to the local Triumph shop and give one a try out at some point.

[The Rocketeer]

Don't ride one at night. Panniers are a sick joke. Good motor though, and they handle nice. Wouldn't have another if I'm honest.

[pitternator]

triumph did uprate the panniers. A guy who I did several big euro tours with , also ran a sprint. He liked it so much he bought 3 in succession !
I think you should make up yer own mind, cos way too many people dis a bike maybe cos it just aint really the right bike for them.
The sprint is still a fast very comfy , reasonably agile bike which will bring great riding pleasure to those who appreciate it. I can sit here and write  a very damning analysis of the gen1 if I wanted...the stock bike has enuff faults that if so presented would probably put many people off ever buying one.Yet I am on my second, have ridden 75K miles on them. Its all down to what you the rider want from a bike...tbh there aint that many real bad bikes out there...its just getting one which suits you.
And some feckers are never happy ....

[Grahamm]

Just to update this, I had a go on one this afternoon and it was a very nice bike.

I only had a little pootle up from the Destination Triumph shop in Fareham to Junction 11, along the M27 to Junction 9 and back to the shop, but I liked it.

The clutch was a bit sharper than I'm used to on the Fazer but once you're used to it, the power comes in smoothly and predictably and if you give the throttle a tweak it's very willing to oblige.

The only downsides that I found are that the mirrors tend to vibrate like mad making rear observation tricky at times and the rear brake is virtually non-existent (the first time I put my foot on it, I thought I must be pressing the wrong place because so little happened!)

Still, I think I'm going to have to go up there again some time and get a longer ride on it through some twisty roads...

[Raymy]

I like the ST, wouldn't mind a shot of one. They look massive tho (even the bee was a bit wide for my liking) but i'll bet its hella comfy

[fireblake]

Give it a blast up the A32 to Loomies, that bit of road has most of what you want to see if a bike has what you want?

[Grahamm]

I like the ST, wouldn't mind a shot of one. They look massive tho (even the bee was a bit wide for my liking) but i'll bet its hella comfy

I'm only 5'7 with a 30" inside leg and, even with 1" lifts inside my boots and now a 1" heel added, I wasn't able to flat-foot it on both sides (at least I can do that on my Fazer now with the extra height the boots offer and the lowered suspension and lowered seat!) but after some initial nerves because it's about 40 kilos heavier than the FZ6-SA Fazer, I found it wasn't too bad and the width wasn't a problem (admittedly I didn't try any filtering first time out).

The gel seat it had on was very comfy, although I can go for a full tank on the Fazer (175 miles or so) without being crippled at the end of it, probably because I'm used to cycling.

The riding position might be a bit draining on the back and wrists as it's more forward than the upright style of the Fazer, but I also sat on a Viffer and just went "nope, not for me" because that was a lot worse.

I'd definitely recommend giving the 1050ST a try.

Incidentally, what I'm thinking of doing is perhaps using the ST for ride outs but keeping the Fazer to load up with luggage to go on holiday and treat it almost as a "project bike" since I've got the Haynes Manual now and I can start playing around doing some maintenance work that, previously, I'd have had done at a shop. That way if I get things wrong or it's in pieces whilst I'm tinkering I'll still have a bike to ride

[Grahamm]

Give it a blast up the A32 to Loomies, that bit of road has most of what you want to see if a bike has what you want?

Yes, I definitely had the A32 in mind, but then I was thinking of turning off onto the B2150 before cutting down through World's End and crossing the B2177 to Pook Lane which is a lovely road to give a bike a work out and really get a feel for it

[manuel32]

Its a pity we didnt meet up in FAREHAM AS YOU COULD OF TRIED MY fz1, maybe again

[steveeeg]

Hi
I've owned a 2005 sprint st1050 for almost 2 years , have done 30 k in that time

Only problem I 've had is with rear wheel bearings @25k they failed causing damaged to the wheel axle costing £500 to fix

Bike is used as a daily commuter and averages approx 48 mpg , when touring this increases to over 50 mpg , michelin PR2 last 10 k , original c&s 30k , so general running costs not bad for a big bike
Triumph spares parts are expensive and sometimes have a long back order time , main dealer 12 k services are £500 , local independant £250

I'm hoping to keep mine for another 2-3 years

plus points :-
looks great
great motor
good tank range 200 +

neg points :-
expensive serving / parts
headlights poor
front brake need reg cleaning or go spongy

all in all well worth a test ride , can pick up for a good price

cheers Steveg

[ddtwelve]

i took one for a test ride for 1/2 a day with the missus stopped a hour into the ride to chat about the bike see if she liked it  and it wouldnt start again well peeved  just as i was about to get onto a fast part,
computer problems tank wasent reading any petrol even thou i put a tenner in 

[Grahamm]

Its a pity we didnt meet up in FAREHAM AS YOU COULD OF TRIED MY fz1, maybe again

Thanks for the offer, but unless you've had it lowered it's going to be way too high for me

[Grahamm]

I've owned a 2005 sprint st1050 for almost 2 years , have done 30 k in that time

neg points :-
expensive serving / parts
headlights poor

Thanks for the comments

Can you fix the headlight problem with better bulbs?

[steveeeg]

Hi Graham

I use night breaker plus in the winter which are a big improvement , you can fit HIDS but with night breakers are fine , I commute in the winter and its fine , as std they are a lot better than the mk1 fazer 6 I owned (which was great and did 60k) before I sold it , this was a long time ago back in the day when Marion was about

The finish has held up well so far , the main problem has been with the rear wheel bearings you really need to check / grease every 12k or so , I was used to jap bikes where wheel bearings are pretty much fit and forget till at least 50k

Apart from that its been fine , another plus / minus ( depending on time of the year ) is the engine kicks out a lot of heat which is great in the winter

cheers Steve

[Grahamm]

I use night breaker plus in the winter which are a big improvement , you can fit HIDS but with night breakers are fine

I don't like HIDS, mostly because of the way I've been dazzled by bikes coming the other way

the main problem has been with the rear wheel bearings you really need to check / grease every 12k or so

Is that something that's done on the main service or do you have to get it done specially?

another plus / minus ( depending on time of the year ) is the engine kicks out a lot of heat which is great in the winter

I noticed it was a bit warm between my legs (stop sniggering at the back!) but even on a good sunny day it wasn't unbearable.

[steveeeg]

 need to check / grease every 12k or so

Is that something that's done on the main service or do you have to get it done specially? Yep but don't think all garages do this , also Triumph seemed to be short on grease on some models ....

[Grahamm]

need to check / grease every 12k or so

Ah, right, that'll be once every two years or so for me

Thanks again for the info.

[pitternator]

yam wheel bearings on my first gen1 failed catastrophically at 9k miles...it happens. I would not let such mechanical faults put me off buying a bike if it suits you across a broad spectrum.Like I say I could easily persuade anyone never to buy a gen1 ( or gen2) if they used such criterion for purchasing.
The big diffrence I found with all my triumphs is the feel , pull and sound of the triple engine. Its a bike motor right up my street. Also when you compare a 600 to a 1000 the bigger bike will feel....bigger.I too havea  short inseam so many bikes are not flat foot on the floor at rest.If you think a sprint feels tall, try that blooming explorer...you will need a step ladder !   lol