sinned
27th November 2008, 15:01
I had a day off work today and the weather was okay. Riding home from Stratford at night in the cold on The Capital 1000 Cruise convinced me I should look at a bike with a fairing. So today was the day.
A call was made to Carl at Motorad and he confirmed they had a new Tiger demo and a 2005 Sprint I could ride. This was all part of the next big decision - replace the Speedtriple (S3) with a new one or something different. So far I am not looking past a Triumph triple.
I took out the Tiger first and then the Sprint, with a stop at home for lunch with the Sprint.
Summary: I wouldn't buy a Tiger, I may buy a Sprint and the Speedtriple is an exciting ride.
Notes on the Tiger:
Comfy seat no discomfort going over bumps.
Great exhaust sound at lower speeds - burbles, pops, louder than S3
Screen is not much good - keeps the wind off the chest but noisy at 100kph, buffeting on shoulders. The S3 with just the bug screen is better.
Good riding position for touring - a good choice for a long distance cruisy ride.
My legs are too short for this bike - I just don't feel comfortable stopping and starting off and parking it. It wouldn't be long before I dropped it while parking up.
Suspension is bouncy - don't like it.
Can't get used to the look.
Notes on Sprint ST
The test bike was a 2005 and the new ones have higher bars and screen.
Comfy seat no discomfort going over bumps. Could ride on this all day
Can't hear the exhaust around town - still got the triple sound when opened up.
Screen seems okay - no buffeting at lower speeds and is probably as good as it gets at higher speeds. The screen on the SV1000s I had worked well - something Suzuki got right.
I like the riding position and didn't have trouble with wrists or hands. Seat height allows me to put my feet down and feel totally in control.
Suspension seems okay - the bike turns well and it didn't take me long to get used to the narrower bars from the S3 and Tiger.
The motor runs well at low revs (2000 - 2500) at round town speeds. This bike is easy to ride slowly as I tested on a gentle cruise around the Southern Coast road.
Overall a bike I would like to own.
However, the S3 still rocks. It is more responsive to throttle, sounds great and is exhilarating to ride. The sensible choice is the Sprint.
When they get a new Sprint I will have a look at it. During summer the S3 will more than satisfy.
A call was made to Carl at Motorad and he confirmed they had a new Tiger demo and a 2005 Sprint I could ride. This was all part of the next big decision - replace the Speedtriple (S3) with a new one or something different. So far I am not looking past a Triumph triple.
I took out the Tiger first and then the Sprint, with a stop at home for lunch with the Sprint.
Summary: I wouldn't buy a Tiger, I may buy a Sprint and the Speedtriple is an exciting ride.
Notes on the Tiger:
Comfy seat no discomfort going over bumps.
Great exhaust sound at lower speeds - burbles, pops, louder than S3
Screen is not much good - keeps the wind off the chest but noisy at 100kph, buffeting on shoulders. The S3 with just the bug screen is better.
Good riding position for touring - a good choice for a long distance cruisy ride.
My legs are too short for this bike - I just don't feel comfortable stopping and starting off and parking it. It wouldn't be long before I dropped it while parking up.
Suspension is bouncy - don't like it.
Can't get used to the look.
Notes on Sprint ST
The test bike was a 2005 and the new ones have higher bars and screen.
Comfy seat no discomfort going over bumps. Could ride on this all day
Can't hear the exhaust around town - still got the triple sound when opened up.
Screen seems okay - no buffeting at lower speeds and is probably as good as it gets at higher speeds. The screen on the SV1000s I had worked well - something Suzuki got right.
I like the riding position and didn't have trouble with wrists or hands. Seat height allows me to put my feet down and feel totally in control.
Suspension seems okay - the bike turns well and it didn't take me long to get used to the narrower bars from the S3 and Tiger.
The motor runs well at low revs (2000 - 2500) at round town speeds. This bike is easy to ride slowly as I tested on a gentle cruise around the Southern Coast road.
Overall a bike I would like to own.
However, the S3 still rocks. It is more responsive to throttle, sounds great and is exhilarating to ride. The sensible choice is the Sprint.
When they get a new Sprint I will have a look at it. During summer the S3 will more than satisfy.