Triumph Sprint ST 955. talk to me..

[azra3l]

I have fallen a little bit in love with the 13 plate CBF1000 the insurers have loaned me since my b12 was written off. but sadly they are /way/ out of my price range. especially when you take into account that if i was to buy a new bike today, it would have 100k+ on it in 4 years. and even 2nd hand ones are more than i could reasonably justify

i need a mile munching bike with luggage for a job that is about 50% inner london and 50% A and M roads, ideally, I'd like something like a deauville but that wouldn't fucking bore me to death every time i rode it. previous bike history is ZZR600 Bandit 12 and CBF1000.

I thought about a Pan, but i don't much like the idea of filtering on one of those. decent VTR is out of my price range, especially if its one with luggage. with all that in mind i think i have narrowed it down to something like this:

https://ebay.eu/1KHeNJQ

anyone ever had one before? anyone spot anything majorly wrong with this particular one? (inb4 subframe, slack chain etc) if i can grab that for around the grand mark i reckon it would tick most of my boxes.

I certainly dont have my heart set on one, so i am more than open to any alternatives you folk might be able to suggest?

Ta in advance..

[wristjob]

you dont actually say what your budget is so anything from £0 to infinity?
i recon there is a nice bike out there within that price range.
give us an idea of the max price and then we can find you another bandit

[Fowlersrs]

St1050 is suppose to be the better one, although I've ridden neither and a chap I was talking too at my triumph dealer had had both and preferred the 955, make of that what u will

[azra3l]

[wristjob]

if you get a sprint can i park next to you so my bike will look better.(i have a squint eyed bmw only a mother could love)
they are an ugly bus and no mistake.
but if they do the job at the price then go for it.

[noobRider]

I'm on my second one. I quite like them. Fast enough for me and handles well. Engine is great. Lots of people say it's too heavy but it accelerates well and isn't picky about gears. It's very easy to ride. The panniers are just the right size: big enough for a helmet but don't stick out too far for filtering. It's a comfy bike. Chain adjustors are supposed to be prone to fail, also rear linkages, and I just needed to replace my rear shock.

Headlights are not great. You can fit a relay to double them up, which I've just done on mine. Alarms are problematic, I just had mine removed. Exhaust is very quiet. Fairings get in the way of all maintenance.

From what I've seen £1,500 is a fair price for a 2001 model, though the one you're looking at has done more miles than others I've seen. You see them advertised for £2,500 with 30,000 miles. I'd want to sit on it at least and check the suspension and run the engine. It looks nice, apart from the color
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Licence: Nov 2012, Bikes: Suzuki GN125, Moto Guzzi Strada 750, Triumph Sprint ST 955i x 2
AnPhonEh: I need plans, I need contingency plans also, I need back up contingency plans

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

Engine is quite agricultural and clunky. Pulls like a train and is deceptively fast (low droning exhaust sound doesnt relate to the speed) which can be worrying when you look down.

The weight itself isnt an issue. The weight combined with suspension which is far too soft and brakes which arent particularly good makes an interesting combination. If youre just doing 'normal' riding then it's fine. When you start to push it's a bit wobbly and disconcerting. Requires a lot of forward planning if youre going for a sunday funday ride!
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Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[azra3l]

the more i look at them, the more tempted i am by a VTR..

and i think this would look really funny with full luggage for some reason..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-W-HONDA-VTR-1000-FIRESTORM-15200-MILES-SPARES-OR-REPAIRS-REGAL-SUPERBIKES-/351336620853?fromMakeTrack=true

[Twofish]

[Matt B]

Doing that kind of mileage I'm surprised you are not looking at shaft drives.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[P.]

[Polarbear]

[azra3l]

Yeah, I looked at the mpg shortly after I posted that. Went and had a look at a trophy the other night. Way way to big for city work, but I'm really getting stuck for options here..

[Seb]

Considered a carbed Blackbird? Just get an insurance quote though!
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST

[cheeseman]

I had an early 955i for 5 years and now have a Pan. The Pan takes a wee while to grow to love but I now think it's the bee's knees for what I use it for - it's fine for filtering through traffic on motorways (even the M74 with double walls of artics, provided they are polite drivers and don't deliberately block the way.

The 955i I had was great, but the chain drive lets bikes like this down for long journeys. I had a host of minor electrical issues and similar minor things. The later ones (post 2002 I think, when the power was upped to 118bhp) have fragile crankshafts where the starter sprag clutch is mounted on the end of the crankshaft. There's numerous reports of them snapping at the end when starting with a weak battery. The early ones are probably safer in this regard and I had no issues with the engine at all.

If I had to choose now between the two, I'd choose the Pan (1100 - not tried the 1300 but from what I've heard, it isn't as good as the 1100). But if you'd asked me after first getting the Pan, I would definitely have said the 955i Sprint ST was the better bike.
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XJ600S->Sprint ST 955i * ; Now ST1100 + W650

[Rogerborg]