+ Click to Enlarge ONE FOR THE ROAD: The Sprint ST is that rarity – a sports bike you can ride all day. For a screen-filling version of this picture, e-mail freepix@iol.co.za with "Triumph Sprint ST Road" in the subject field.

February 17, 2005
By Dave Abrahams

Triumph's sexy new third-generation Sprint ST was launched to the world's motorcycle media this week in the Helderberg area of the Western Cape on some of my favourite roads.

The bike is a major step up from the previous ST, that shared its 955cc, three-cylinder engine with the flagship Daytona model in terms of design input, styling and detail work.

It's been in development for more than three years, and it shows.

The new 1050cc engine format was achieved by lengthening the stroke of the 955cc motor to 71.4mm – which required a new crankshaft, new pistons and con rods, new cylinder head…

Triumph product manager Ross Clifford told the media the only parts carried over were the valves and one engine cover.

The new engine has been tuned for mid-range – huge gobs of it – with fairly conservative mapping; peak power is up from 89.5 to 91.7kW at 9250rpm with 104Nm of real-world grunt at 5000 – which is almost exactly midway between idle and the red line.

It's a superbly unfussed engine that will pull, growling in mild protest, from 2000rpm in any gear and with serious intent from about 4400. As the revs go through 6000 on the big central (analogue) rev counter, however, it suddenly finds a whole new set of muscles and everything starts happening very quickly indeed.

If you can keep the revs above six around a set of tight twisties you've got a real beast by the tail as the steering gets lighter and the bike pounces from corner to corner like a big cat on the hunt.

Or you can relax and womble round at 3500 revs and this very capable engine will provide enough power to keep you above the national speed limit in top gear, with a surprising lack of vibration for a three-cylinder motor with a stroke of more than 70mm.

It's not all sweetness and light, however; the Sagem fuel-injection of previous STs has been ditched in favour of a very sophisticated Keihin system that was designed for motorcycles and chosen for its lightning-quick response.

It works; the new ST's revs ride and fall like a cobra striking and the "carburetion" is always spot-on throughout the rev range, which is responsible to no small degree for the bike's impressive acceleration.

At very small throttle openings in traffic, however, it reacts too quickly and the power transition is jerky, sometimes unpredictable. This is a common fault with the fuel injection set-ups on sports bikes, mostly caused by the sudden cut-off of the fuel supply when the throttle is closed all the way.

It's necessary because it's an important factor in getting these bikes through increasingly draconian emissions regulations but it's not pleasant and requires a very educated right hand for smooth city progress.

But that's not this bike's natural habitat anyway; it's better suited to the open road; there the ST reached 262km/h with the engine spinning way past its power peak, right on the red line at 10 000rpm; the gearing is spot on.

Clifford made much of the split primary gear on the clutch basket which has been introduced to take up the play in the primary transmission; while it does give the bike a much smoother idle than you'd expect from a big three-cylinder motor, the "new slick-shifting six-speed gearbox" is just as clunky as the old one.

The gearboxes on both the launch bikes I rode were very noisy; one was tight and a little notchy, although very positive, the other was lighter and slicker but with a monumental "clonk" in the final drive on power take-up.

I suspect that in addition to its considerably higher mileage, it had also had very hard life at the hands of media scribes with very little mechanical sympathy.

Bear in mind, however, that these were pre-production prototypes and that the production units on their way to South African Triumph distributor KMSA could have slicker transmissions.

Sports suspension

The new ST runs on adjustable Showa suspension at each end; its action is distinctly tilted towards the sports end of the sports-tourer spectrum but with very little stiction so that the initial movement is light enough to give an impression of suppleness.

On the median settings as supplied, not even the worst bumps could upset the chassis' composure; the only time the bike shook its was on full-tilt upshifts – and I suspect that was because any collaboration between the front tyre and the road at that stage was of a purely ceremonial nature.

The steering head angle has been steepened one degree to 24º and the wheelbase shortened 18mm 1457mm, which is also partly to blame for the upshift headshakes but makes the new Sprint surprisingly agile for a 210kg all-rounder.

It doesn't go where you look like the best of the race replicas but it will go exactly where you point it as long as you have at least some drive dialed in – expect the bike to run a little wide if you hit a false neutral going into a corner.

Flicking from side to side through the close-coupled corners of Jack Craig drive between Rooi Els and Gordon's Bay required just enough body English to make me feel that I was in command and riding like a star.

I was able to leave the bike in fourth most of the time and just use the engine's spread of muscular torque to pull the ST through each corners and thrust it off towards the next.

Sharp brakes

The bike is stopped by the usual big Nissin four-pot calipers, emblazoned with Triumph logos and clamping onto 320mm stainless-steel discs. The bike comes standard with braided stainless-steel hoses all round and the brakes are both very sharp and accurately controllable.

Every sports bike should have these.

Later this year the Sprint ST will become the first Triumph to offer ABS, using a two-channel set-up designed by Nissin for this model with no links between the wheels - Moto Guzzi practice to the contrary notwithstanding, most sports riders don't like linked brakes.

The seating position is very similar to that of the previous ST and just as comfortable – although the pillion may find it less so as the rear seat slopes quite steeply towards the front. I was on the bike for more than three hours during the launch ride and was never uncomfortable – other than due to the fierce summer heat.

Three of everything

The styling continues the emphasis on triple time that has become Hinckley's trademark; the outer two headlights come on for low beam and all three for brights, there are three equal-sized round dials on the instrument panel – even if one of them is a multi-purpose liquid crystal display – and three tailpipes sticking out from the end of the underseat silencer.

Their sound is authoritative but legally low-pitched under acceleration but thanks to air injection the pipes snap crackle and pop ill-naturedly on the overrun, giving the bike a characteristic aural signature that will lend it considerable street cred wherever sports riders gather.

The trip computer in the right-hand dial has an amazing range of readouts that includes two trip meters, journey time, average and instant fuel economy, tank range, clock, average speed and maximum speed since last reset – which led to a certain amount of comparisons and crowing among some of the more race-orientated journalists.

My best was 248.5km/h, if you must know.

Accessories

The comprehensive range of extras available for the ST includes a higher screen (strongly recommended), a luxurious gel-filled seat, heated grips, a (non-street legal) free-breathing exhaust system, colour-coded mirrors and a multi-language GPS that mounts on the upper triple clamp and plugs straight into the bike's wiring harness.

The optional, fully waterproof panniers and top box have colour-coded insert panels, available in any of the bike's standard colours – but they come without locks. That's because every new Sprint ST comes with three extra locks keyed to the ignition key, neatly packed in the (lockable) compartment built into the right-side lining of the fairing

An ST owner can add hard luggage rider to his bike anytime down the line – in the certain knowledge that he won't need to carry an extra key.

It's that attention to detail, especially fit and finish, that gives the Sprint ST its quality feel; it's a world-class bike that easily joins the elite ranks of the top all-rounders – with a healthy dash of character as well.

Price: R94 995.


Triumph Sprint ST specifications