On March 17, 2005, I picked up my new Caspian Blue Triumph 1050 Sprint ST at Tony's Cycle. I bought it in the hope that my wife would go riding with me on a bike that wasn't so small and flighty. It more or less worked, we've had some fun riding on it two-up so far, but she's still nervous on a motorcycle. I also wanted to do some touring and the GSX-R 1000, while quite capable of touring, is really not the right tool for the job at hand.
Sadly, the bike saw the salt and grit of late March, and while I nearly froze my bollocks off doing it, I couldn't help myself. At year's end, I rode 500km more on the Sprint than I did on my GSX-R. It's fast, friendly, has a near-perfect; sneaky power delivery and can deliver the goods when called upon. It's astonishing how quickly this 500lb machine can be hustled! Anyone looking for a sport/touring bike with an emphasis on "sport," this could be the only machine you need to own. The Sprint has a character of its own and rarely leaves you wanting more performance than it delivers.
The only modifications that I've made to this bike is to add a set of the factory luggage. Meet the downside: the factory hard-luggage is flawed; it isn't waterproof, nor does it latch securely. The luggage has marred a bike which contests mightily for my attention versus the GSX-R 1000... which is probably the best supersport bike made to date. High praise for the Sprint, indeed. If I do not trade this bike (I've been thinking... Goldwing?!), I will install the offroad exhaust to drop a little weight and heat from the bike, and I will probably do something to fix the sticky front calipers. Bear in mind that these are not major complaints, just quirks that add character.
Anyway, great bike. I'd recommend one to anyone wanting a sporting bike to tour on, at least once Triumph comes good on its claim that it will replace the horrid hard luggage on warranty. Heck, I might even recommend it anyway, especially if your other consideration is a VFR.
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