Comments on: 2011 Triumph Sprint GT : MD Ride Review from Four Different Perspectives (Bike Reports) (News)

By: ilikefood

ilikefood — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:59:01 +0000

Yeah, everyone is different. I think the only solution to this is for manufacturers to offer seats that are truly adjustable. Some BMWs and some Hondas claim to have adjustable seats, but the adjustment range is typically 1″ or so, which is pretty useless. It seems like it shouldn’t be too difficult to have a seat that can adjust over a 4″+. A bike like that would sell, since both tall and short people could be happy with it.

Bicycles are very adjustable, and so are cars. Why are we expected to be satisfied with lack of adjustability on motorcycles?

Report this comment

By: Allen

Allen — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:04:33 +0000

Without a doubt there will always be pros and cons about shaft verses chain. And has already been noted, if your shaft fails you, chances are your left hanging around for a fix and checking your savings account to see if you’ve got enough money for the repair. This isn’t saying chains are cheap….but hey they are way cheaper then shaft repairs. How do I know(?)….after 15 years of BMW shaft drives(that never left me hanging….but most definitely depleted my disposable income when u-joints and final drives bit the dust). I have concluded that chain drive, while higher maintenance, is still the optimal best overall choice….at least for me as I’m nearing retirement and disposable income becomes more critical to maintain.

Report this comment

By: CCrider

CCrider — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:13:08 +0000

I’m sure Triumph will sell the GT to anyone who can get his hands on $13,200 whether they ride 3 miles or 30,000 miles per year. Any bike with 128 hp is a serious bike for any rider.

Report this comment

By: Mickey

Mickey — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:08:17 +0000

That’s funny, as I am 5″ 7″ and find very few motorcycles I can reach the ground on that aren’t cruisers. I had to have the seats on my ST 1300 and FZ-1 cut down so that I could reach the ground, not flat footed, but balls of the feet. This past weekend I went to an open house at a Ducati, BMW and Triumph dealer and sat on a bunch of bikes, the only Ducati I could sit on comfortably was the Diavel, the only Beemer the F800R and the only Triumph the Bonneville. I’d swear all the cool bikes are made for 6 footers.The Triumph 800XC, the Ducati Multistrada and BMW GS’s are made for giants.

Report this comment

By: Mickey

Mickey — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:58:43 +0000

Not silly at all, an R1200R is a fine motorycle. I rented one for an Edelweiss European tour last summer and found it very capable for my wife and I touring 2 up. Doesn’t have the HP hit that some of the other sport tourers have, at only 109 HP, but I had no trouble keeping up with others, either in the Alps or on the Autobahn. I’d own one in a minute except that BMW has a sparse dealer network with the closest to me being 150 miles away. Light, powerful enough, very comfortable, great brakes..like I said a fine motorcycle, especially when equipped with BMW’s factory saddlebags and trunk and (for me) being 5’7″, the optional low seat.

Report this comment

By: ROXX

ROXX — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:26:24 +0000

@Steven, yes the Busa is faster than the XX, but that wasn’t the comparison that was made, was it?

Sprint, 123 hp, 72 ft lbs torque
XX, 162 hp, 92 ft lbs torque

Report this comment

By: ROXX

ROXX — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:21:04 +0000

@old hick, it actually does seem to steal a few styling cues from the XX.
I didn’t even notice that until you pointed that out.
Why would they copy a bike that’s “a generation or two older”?
Maybe because it’s proven and it works.

Report this comment

By: George Berry

George Berry — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:15:30 +0000

I just wonder if Triumph will want to sell the GT to the weekend, occasional, fad following, dilettante, fair weather riders scratching their itchs or just the “serious”
riders. What do you think Gabe? The GT is a serious motorcycle for anybody other than beginners.

Report this comment

By: ilikefood

ilikefood — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:33:28 +0000

It looks like a pretty cool bike but I’m 6’3″, and in the 4th picture you can see that the distance between the seat and the footpegs is so small, I’d be folded up like a pretzel sitting on it.

Why do motorcycle manufacturers assume that motorcyclists are all about 5’7″ and want low seats because they have trouble reaching the ground? Promo materials for many bikes boast about low seat heights, and pretty much every bike I sat on at this year’s motorcycle show had a very low seat. For me this is very annoying, because a low seat means a short distance between the seat and the footpegs, which in turn means a very uncomfortable riding position for anyone above 6′.

Someone make a ST bike (not a faux-off-roader) with a tall seat, please. Or at least a seat with height that’s adjustable over a reasonable range (a 1″ adjustment won’t cut it).

Sorry for the rant

Report this comment

By: CCrider

CCrider — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 13:34:58 +0000

Yes, curb and wet weight mean ready to ride with fluids and battery so there is a 90 to 100 lb difference in the GT and the Ninja 1000.

A great example of a sport bike adapted to standard is the Triumph Street Triple R converted from the Daytona 675. Essentially the same weight, adjustable suspension, great brakes and none of the usual “retuned for torque” or downgrading of components. Any of the current 600′s or 750 could be made into a comfortable bike without adding more than a 5% weight penalty.

Report this comment