Triumph sprint

[thecert]

I know it's not a fazer but I have had a square and foxeye 600 and want to try something different so would like your honest opinions I can afford a 2008 model

As you can see I had a Sprint 1050 and a fine machine it was to with excelent handling plenty of grunt and great looks, I would agree that the headlamps nead to be upgraded though because mine were not really up to it, but as Pitt's says you don't need them that often anyway unless you do a lot of night riding.
I fitted a trident triple sports exhaust conversion to mine in carbon finish which looked the dogs and sounded great aswell the only trouble was the poping when shutting down but a suitable maping to match at my local dealer sorted that out and added another 10 bhp.
To be honest I only kept her for about six months purely because although a fantastic alrounder it some how lacked the top end rush you get with a Yamaha in line four as in a Fazer thousand that it had replaced.  Also my son on his thou' kept pulling away from me which was quite anoying. lol.  :lol
So in conclusion IMO if you are replacing from a six hundred then you will be well pleased because as they say "what you have never had," however if you can run to a fazer 1000 gen1 do so because it's a no brainer it will do everything including your weekly comutting.

[popeye72]

oh decisions, to be honest i think the only two things stopping me going Fazer thou is i really like the look of the sprint and i wanted to try something different, the 600 when squeezed gives me all the rush i want (or can handle ) but i do keep looking back a gen1 ?????? would want one fully sorted ivanised rear shock etc and a very late model 2005. what to do  :\ :\

[sure2ride]

If you haven't taken the sprint out yet then you really can't decide in my view. You may hate it!  Pitts advice is good, but at the end of the day it's what you feel like when riding it, (and what you can afford). Some of the bikes I took out for test rides (cos like you I wanted something different) I really hated even though beforehand I thought they would be good. They just didn't feel right.  So, get out and ride a few, you may find the decision is easy once you've been out on a few, but do try and go for at least an hour, preferably 2 or 3 hours if you have a decent dealer. If you get the wrong bike it can be an expensive mistake.

[popeye72]

good advice will try this weekend, did find this though not sure if i like the colours

http://www.gtmotorcycles.com/item/299/ya...1000-fazer

[sure2ride]

Looks like your just down the road from me if you are in pompey.
Plymouth is a hell of a long way to go for a test ride imho. Deardens in Holbury (Southampton waterside) is good and let me take their bikes out for a long ride, dunno what they have at the mo tho.
It has the lower fairings on which I guess is what you were looking for, not sure how good the colour match is. Mileage is low but you'd need to check on previous owners etc
I would always get local test rides first to make the decision as to which bike I wanted, and then look for a good deal locally before going so far afield. Once you have decided you can guage how far you are prepeared to travel, and it is worth noting you can get them delivered for around £125 ish.
Good luck and keep us posted.

[sure2ride]

Just had a look for you. It does''nt have the lowers. It's been there for abt 3 months cos it was there when I was looking for an 8 so you may get a deal.
It isn't far for a test ride for you.
PM me with your number if you want to chat abt deardens and I'll call you. I have no connection other than being a customer for abt 15 yeas.

http://www.deardenmotorcycles.co.uk/yama...vestate=no

[Fatherbiker]

I had a 955i Sprint ST and must admit it was a hell of a bike. She had 42000 miles on her but pulled like she only had a couple of thousand on her. I picked it up in Bristol and had crash damage as it fell over in a storm breaking the side and nose fairings. I paid a relatively small amount of money for her and  spent about another £200 ish doing her up. It rode brilliantly but the ride position was no good for my back so i ended up selling her on again. I would say it could have done with another exhaust to get it heard when riding in traffic. I did a 300 mile round trip to Bideford in north devon and back but although it was powerful and very fast, my back was a mess by the time i got home. By the way, black is the best colour!

[popeye72]

ok thanks to sure2ride i visited a local dealer and will be test ridding a gen 2 this weekend weather permiting. Ideally i will also ride a gen 1 and the sprint. the dealer has a mint gen 2 fully faired so could be the bike for me  :b  anything to look out for on a gen 2???

[Lawrence]

If you haven't taken the sprint out yet then you really can't decide in my view.

This.  Ride them and then make your mind up.

[sure2ride]

  anything to look out for on a gen 2???

You might want to put this Q up in the FZ1 forum as well ? you may get a quicker response before you go for a test ride if you are going this weekend.
Good luck and don't forget you're welcome to pop in for a cuppa and a chat

[popeye72]

cheers mate i will take you up on that offer probably next week

[Hamos]

I had a sprint for about a year.  Fun riding and a good few 30 mile commutes
I good bike.  Cracking engine and it handles pretty well.  As others have said the engine is great, but not the same charater as a 4.  You dont have to wind it up to get the best out of it.
I now have a speed triple as I like the engine so much.

[pitternator]

Popeye
Your short list is actually made up from all quite different bikes...the gen2 and sprint are almost poles apart in terms of engine for instance. The sprint is all about gutsy broad spread of power, the fz-1 all top end rush. The ergos of a sprint and fazer are different too. The sprint is a definite sports tourer,its fully faired, slightly hunched riding position.... the fazer a jack of all trades, quite upright position, no real weather protection on a stock screen .
IMO you either dig the triumph engine or you dont , its an old school sort of power, though the bike will still do 160 mph, so its no slouch, and I had my knee down on mine very easily....but its not  a pure sports bike. Triumph has now dropped it from the range ( dont confuse a sprint GT with a sprint ST , they are quite different to ride), as everyone has gone into adventure bikes.
I have done all sorts of riding on all three, and I think your choice should centre on just exactly what you want the bike to do.

Personally , after owning a gen1 now for 60k plus miles I think its getting a bit too powerful for 95% of todays roads and traffic , 100mph is just too easy, pottering at 50 to 60 is something you have to really work at  . I can see just why so many riders are going for the GS/explorer option, cos for most of the time they have more than enough power for what you need, and are just so better suited to riding shite roads, touring etc.The level of sophistication is high too.

But if you do want a bike which can do the very fast stuff as well as allround work, my pick is the gen1 fazer.If absolute power is not the must , try a sprint , its  a satisfying bike to ride.
Interestingly though , a stock gen1 might be a better bet than  a jetted bike, as a commuter/ allrounder as its not so willing to rev, it doesnt encourage the sort of crazy speeds a full monty bike revels in...

I am pondering just how this new Tiger Sport rides...if indeed it encompasses sprint type engine response with fazer like handling ...cos to me it could be a winner.I always said triumph should have stuck a speed triple engine in the tiger frame, for a more realistic fazer competitor.125 bhp is sprint power output, and rather coincidentally is what the new GS puts out !  ...the old 1050 tiger felt a bit strangled next to a sprint let alone a speedy, so I am keen to try the new one...

[popeye72]

Pitternator thanks for that, im not in any mad rush so all advice is greatly appreciated.
basicaly i want a commuter 50 miles a day and a weekend bit of fun and atourer for two up ridding??

i want the world  :b

[popeye72]

on another note i have found two fully faired Gen 2's but intil i ride one i wont know :eek

[popeye72]

ok update, i have now ridden an FZ 1 and a Sprint st.
Must say for me the FZ 1 was un-amazing!! i just didn’t feel the fun element, it was quick effortlessly so. Maybe i was expecting a snarling beast but 150bhp...where yes if you wind it right up. It pulls really well in top gear from 30 to I’m guessing its top speed. so for me a good solid machine but did not make me grin like a child at Christmas.
Now the Sprint, as mentioned by others a completely different beast all together, not even gone 1000 yds and already had a huge smile on my face. It’s so hard to explain why but i felt really involved with the bike and the engine....wow. Where the fazers more upright position caused a little wrist pain within twenty minutes the sprint has a more sporty position and yes was a little too far forward for my liking but i could learn to live with that. the sprint suspension was a little hard but again i am sure i can adjust this.
Anyway as you may have guessed although the FZ 1 is a planted smooth machine it didn’t inspire me to want it however the sprint has put a huge smile on my face even two days later and that’s is what it’s all about, just hope i can remain on this site!!!

Big thanks for all your comments and advice

[pitternator]

Popeye
Dont worry, many of us have sold fazers, bought other bikes, then came back. Some still have fazers, some dont.
Yes, the triumph engine is a honey. Its IMO all about how the engine makes you feel. I remember riding the 750 trident as  a teenager back in 1975 and wondering at its lusty awe inspiring engine. The sound of that engine blasting off made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The modern triumphs still have it , some are too quiet  though. My sprints had louder triumph cans on, and my speedy had open twin arrows, such an awesome sound. It pulled from nothing like a train.Always gave drive whatever the gear , whatever the revs...and so smooth yet slightly  rough at same time, feels like a " proper " motorbike... Still one of my favourite engines. I sold mine last year , and now wish I hadnt! Given the lousy savings rates, I am very tempted to just buy another( has to be the mark2 and not the bulbous mark3 though) . The gen1 engine in full monty trim comes close, the turbine shove in the pants at 4k rpm in top is awesome. But somehow the gutsy side of that triple and its unique sound was far more engaging. IMO no four can match the wail of a triple on song , or the thudding beat of a twin.
The other love of my life is  a big V twin, but really has to be a dry clutch ducati....for me a 998 with termis is the best sound in biking !...so its  a tough choice...I could get either for 4 to 5k ..given you get around 2% on savings just now, thats only going to cost me £100 a year...when you look at it like that , for the sheer pleasure it will give me, its  ano brainer really .....

[popeye72]

i know exactly what you mean, when in the cage if i saw a ducati approaching, window down radio off and bliss!!!! it is just as people said personal choice and the Sprint just put a huge smile on my face i cant wait and of course TOR cans :b

[dr bong]

Just to clarify, it wasn't a quick test drive, I owned a Sprint 1050ST for nearly 2 years and over 14000 miles, at the time I was a shift worker and this was my daily transport so a decent headlight was essential. It put out a very narrow beam of light, what made it worse was the fork dive under braking and then over extending under acceleration so the light was pointing everywhere except where I wanted it. I tried an '08 some time later, much higher bars that I wasn't keen on, didn't ride it at night so can't comment. Other points, the underseat exhaust was hard to keep clean (gave up) the Triumph hard luggage was a sick joke (the warranty replacements were not much better) the chain adjusters seize up if you don't keep an eye on them and if you take the seat off, its a TWAT to get back on  :\
Don't get me wrong, the positives outweigh the negatives, the engine is just right for brisk road riding and they really do handle.

[JoeRock]

Lovely bikes those, I've got a fair amount of riding history clocked up on one that a mate had that I took out fairly regularly. Now admittedly at the time I had a 600cc hornet, which is a revvy bugger, but the power on the sprint just seemed full of grunt right from tickover. I think my mate put it right when i asked him whether it had a powerband as such "yeah, it starts at tickover, and goes to the red line).
Can definitely see me having one as soon as the insurance on them is affordable as I think they're lovely, the engines got a load of grunt, and I found it all day comfortable. Only issues I found were that the suspension was a bit harsh (get that sorted and you'd have a lovely handling bike), the pillion seat was angled forward a bit which a couple people I took on the back said made it seem like they were sliding forward, and the headlight was crap, to put it mildly.
Still, some work on the suspension, PC3 to optimise the fuelling, HID kit and a bit of work done on the seats and you'd have a truely awesome bike!