Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127976
1999 Triumph Sprint ST By Alan Cathcart Photos by Gold & Goose 0' '" ~ ~ i' .., 22 en minutes aboard Triumph's new sport-touring contender, he Sprint ST, tells you this is a very serious challenger to Honda's class benchmark VFR800 - let alone other new kids on the all-a rounder block like BMW's RllOOS or the Ducati ST2/ST4 duo. Ten hours later, after a 300-mile day riding through the hills and highways of southern Spain, you're left with little option but to accept that Triumph must now be taken very seriously in any market in which it chooses to compete, by competitors and customers alike. Going head to head against Honda is something Triumph has some practice in, for the T595 Daytona (since renamed the 955i) was an unashamed CBR900RR foe when first launched two years ago, just as the Tiger is targeted at the· Africa Twin/Varadero family outside the United States. But in aiming to carve themselves a slice of the flourishing sporttouri.ng sector - an unusual one, inasmuch as it features a relatively small number of models, each selling in quite large volume and most of them European, thanks to the prevailing road con- ditions there as compared to Japan or the States - Triumph engineers didn't do as they might have been expected to even as recently as five years ago, and applied their mix-and-match modular motorcycle concept to concoct a challenger to the VFR and its like. So, instead of adapting the 955i to more all-arounder mode, they started with a clean sheet of pa per and did the job properly - so much so that my 10hour quick spin left me convinced that not.only is this certainly the best bike Triumph has yet built in its born-again John Bloor era, it's also very likely the most practical, best all-around sportbike I've yet to sample. What follows are the reasons why. First off, though - the looks. Like many others, I'll admit to being les than overwhelmed with the sober styling of the Sprint ST (forget the T695 tag; Triumph has) when I first saw it in finished form at its Munich launch, but that was before viewing it in ~aylight. In both the red and black colors in which it , will initially be offered, the Sprints parked in the forecourt of the Seville launch base displayed understated allure in the SIJanish sunshine, with subtle curves to the distinctive "face" (headlamps are shared with the 955i, hence the family resemblance) which only really become apparent in bright sunlight. Together with the clean visual sweep of the alloy twin-spar frame, specially designed for the Sprint to give extra strength for sport-touring loads and improved packaging (airbox, luggage, exhaust, etc.) compared to the 955i's tubular-alloy space frame, the result is a sense of distinctive refinement that's in keeping with the more restrained tastes of the sport-touring market, and is a credit to design chief John Mockett and his colleague Rod Scivyer, who was largely responsible for the overall styling. Hop aboard, and the proverbial 10 minutes later you've discovered that form and function march hand in hand on the Sprint ST, because not only is the riding position perfectly tailored for a 6foot rider, but the relatively low-cut screen and fairly wide fairing give impressive protection even at three-figure speeds on the busy-looking mph speedo (the one in kph is more readable, wi th fewer digits on the dial). The Triumph feels physically bigger than the VFR, and so feels more spacious and comfy - but not at the expense of becoming unwieldy. Though retain- (Above) Pondering the question posed by the title, the author takes a moment to reflect. LUCkily, he can't see the Union Jack painted on his helmet. ing the 955i's single-sided swingarm (thus allowing the' silencer of the threeinto-one exhaust system to be tucked well in, for extra ground clearance plus space to fit hard luggage), wheelbase is just over an inch longer than the sport triple's, at 57.9 inches. This was done to add stability but also has the additional benefit of loading up the front wheel weightwise, making it stick better in turns. This, however, doesn't affect the Sprint's steering, which is beautifully well-balanced and neutral, with extra leverage available from the quite long, ideally angled handlebars. Together with the 31.5-inch seat height and not overly rear-set footpegs, these deliver a relaxed and cornIortable riding stance that makes mile-eating a pleasure, without too much weight on yC!ur arms and shoulders, yet with space to crouch lower when you want to up the pace.. The ST is quite aerodynamic, with turbulence and wind blast well controlled, even sitting relatively upright at