Real world rides, real world riders

Tested: Simple pleasure

Triumph’s brief was simple; take the popular Sprint ST and give it a makeover with a more touring focused approach. Make it more practical, more pillion friendly, comfortable and, most of all, capable of carrying big payloads of luggage over long distances. A comprehensive wish-list perhaps but certainly a tough one to meet.

Unveiled

So the 2011 Triumph Sprint GT as a finished motorcycle was unveiled to the world’s motorcycle media in the picturesque Scottish Highlands at Loch Fyne, Inveraray.

The launch would see us test the archetypal modern big sports tourer during a 350-mile journey to the Isle of Skye and back, giving us the perfect opportunity to analyse the new bike in its suitably British-holiday-type back garden.

First impressions count a great deal in life and if we’re talking about the initial hit that the Sprint GT offers then it’s fair enough to say it looks great. Its contemporary lines and flowing curves make for a very attractive package and while it’s no VFR1200 Honda, it’s not meant to be. It’s recognisable as a touring bike first, sports bike second, which is the brief Triumph says it was aiming for with the new model.

Nothing looks out of place, not even the huge 31-litre panniers on the rear of the bike, nor the new front end which houses an enhanced reflector headlight unit. Uniformed and cohesive design strike the right chord.

The low-slung exhaust is another nice addition, which not only gives the bike more power than the underseat examples used on the Sprint ST, but helps to disguise the extra-long wheelbase created by the new 80mm longer swingarm. Initial impressions once on the bike were good, too.

Cosy

Everything seemed to fit my 5ft 10in frame very easily. The footpegs were comfortably low, the handlebars were a relaxing arms reach away and the big double seat felt surprisingly cosy. What’s more, with the bike’s seat height at 815mm high, you don’t need a step ladder to climb onboard, or a huge amount of brute force to paddle the bike around if a securing foot is needed at low speed.

The half analogue, half digital three section clocks complemented the bike nicely, although the digits on the analogue speedo would have benefited from slightly bigger numbers. Yes a niggle it might be, but it’s only a slight one in the grand scheme of things.

Revised

The Sprint GT utilises a few parts from the old ST, such as the frame, but pretty much everything from the tank backwards has changed. The front suspension has been revised, while the rear shock absorber is all new and boasts a remote preload adjuster wheel. The GT benefits from ABS brakes as standard and lighter front discs, along with a new internal mirror mounting system and a different centrestand. It also has a different rear subframe and the seat now has a lower pillion height with matching low pillion footpegs and a rear rack incorporating grab handles.

The rear wheel is 1kg lighter than it was on last year’s Sprint and the new bike features convenient storage spaces both under the seat and in the cockpit area. Luggage compartments aside, the changes have been brought in to make life on the move easier-going than on the predecessor.

Pleasant experience

Out on the eclectic mix of corners that wind through the Scottish Highlands the Sprint GT showed how it had been almost custom-built for the roads that landmark the rugged environment. Build up your speed, aim at the apex ahead and indulge in a simply pleasant experience as the GT devours corners with such grace and stability that it was almost like riding a big armchair – in the best possible way.

This latest Sprint is utterly confidence inspiring in the way it handles in turns and eats up the miles and you have to pinch yourself every now and again in order to remember that you’re actually riding a 268kg motorcycle with an enormous 1537mm wheelbase.

Physics defy a bike of this size to handle so well, but somehow Triumph has managed to make it work. The bike’s extremely flickable too, and its sporting characteristics are evident when tackling successions of fast sweepers. The Showa suspension copes extremely well with both smooth and potholed roads, giving fantastic feedback at all times through the GT’s informative chassis. The OE fitted Bridgestone BT021s complement the package further, giving predictable cornering, with their gently rounded profiles. They’re also quick to warm-up and work especially well in wet conditions, which proved a godsend considering the frequency of sudden downfalls we experienced on the launch. Aside from being a bit of a handful around slower corners and town riding, the Sprint GT impressed immensely with its handling credentials.

Braking performance

Another key strength of the GT is the bike’s braking performance. Although the front brake lever lacked a little with its adjustment range, the twin 320mm discs and four-pot Nissin calipers more than made up for my slight discomfort in spanning from the bar to the lever. The ABS system on the front and rear anchors were some of the smoothest and most sophisticated I’ve ever come across. It was possible to brake hard and confidently in the wettest of conditions, never once worrying about locking a wheel.

Handling wasn’t the Sprint GT’s only strength – the torquey inline-triple motor adds so much joy to the Sprint GT experience. Like most Triumph power plants, the engine allows you to be lazy with your gearbox and it’s surprising how low you can let your revs drop and still come blasting out of corners. New throttle bodies, an engine remap and the longer flowing exhaust system have boosted the donor Sprint ST motor by some 5bhp – up to 128bhp.

As a direct result, power and torque figures have been improved in the midrange area of the 1050cc motor, which means you can short-shift up the box to the 7% taller sixth gear and sit in a comfortable area of the rev-range, cruising all day at speeds of 70-90mph. The gearbox itself is very smooth up

and down the range and the fuel injection is equally good. There’s no nasty notches or peaks and troughs in the delivery, which means the ride is very predictable and overtakes are all too easy to perform.

Fantastic sports-tourer

Throughout the journey I was constantly surprised by the volume of miles we’d covered every time I look down to check the odometer. Before long we’d completed the 350 miles and to be honest I felt capable of turning around and tackling another 350 miles. If that isn’t a sign of a fantastic sports-tourer, I don’t know what is.

Bikes don’t get much more practical than this. It’s comfortable, fast and capable of carrying big payloads of luggage over big distances. Great fuel economy means you can get over 200 miles out of a tank of fuel and thanks to the protection and effectiveness of the bike’s screen and fairing panels, you can rest assured you’re not going to feel like you’ve been run over by a lorry at the end of your ride.

The whole package amazed me throughout my mini adventure. The looks. The performance. The handling. But that wasn’t all. The price tag was just as impressive, with an OTR cost of just £9499. That’s a price no other bike of this kind comes close to matching, making this bike a true British bargain. If you’re looking for a real world, practical sports-tourer, this one’s for you.

Words: Bruce Wilson
Pics: Tim Keeton/Graeme Brown

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