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WHY I HAD TO HAVE A.

TRIUMPH SPRINT ST
Whether youre an all weather rolling-stone or an occasional scratcher, the Sprint ST is always up to the job. We asked owners why they love it

WHY I HAD TO HAVE ONE

Dutchy: Most of the bikes Ive had over the last 35 years have been big machines because I like having plenty of torquey power. My biggest bike was a Kawasaki Z1300 which was bored out to 1502cc. In the late 90s I bought a great T595 Triumph triple. I kept that until 2005, when my wife bought me a 50th birthday present in the shape of a new Sprint ST. Martin: I bought a new VFR800 in 2001 and covered 38,000 miles on it it was a superb bike. When the Sprint ST came out I took a demo ride and put a deposit down the same day. The ST feels like the bike the modern VFR800 should be: riding position, power delivery and styling are all spot on. William: Back in the 60s I rode British bikes: BSA, Triumph, Ariel, all sorts - although I was always a fan of the Triumph brand. I eventually bought one of the older Sprint models when Hinckley Triumphs got going in the 1990s. The new model appealed to me because of its looks and the extra performance. 50-year-old Dutchy is an ex-soldier who lives in Tasmania. Hes been riding since the 60s and his Sprint ST was a present from his (awesome!) wife.

2005-2006

PERFORMANCE
Dutchy: Tasmania isnt a big island, but its very hilly with plenty of winding roads. The Triumph has the perfect type of performance for this kind of place: loads of mid-range torque and a great spread of power. The ST also has enough grunt to shift two people, plus luggage. Martin: The ST feels lots faster and smoother than the VFR800. You can come out of bends at 30mph in fourth gear and the ST will pull away clean and strong. Compared to the VFR800 it also feels torquier, with much more useful poke in the mid-range. William: Compared to the old Triumphs from the 60s and 70s, the performance of the old Sprint is out of this world, and the new ST is even faster. But it isnt all progress: somehow I found the old classic Brit bikes were more chuckable in the corners while the modern Triumphs seem to be heavier and carry their weight higher. Even pushing them around in driveways needs a lot more effort than with the old 650 and 750 twins.

DUTCHY SOUTAR

MARTIN BARRETT
45-year-old Martin is based in Hampshire, works as a baker and bought a Triumph because he wanted a change from his Honda VFR800.
Dutchy: Im still getting used to the bike as it only has 700 miles on the clock. Ive already done some mods to make longer trips more comfortable, including fitting a gel seat and panniers. Ive also changed the fork oil and raised the handlebars slightly. At the moment I would say Im riding it pretty hard, but I know the ST has got more to come as the engine loosens up. Martin: My ST has the optional ABS braking and I would say it is much better than the linked brake system on my old Honda, which seemed to need a fair bit of pressure at the lever to develop serious stopping power. William: Im keen to take a big trip to mainland Europe on the ST. I have a Givi topbox for the bike, but Im still waiting for the fitting brackets. One thing Ive noticed is that even though I dont ride the bike that hard, the rear tyre is worn after just 3500 miles. Ive decided to stay with the standard Bridgestones as theyre designed specifically for the Sprint ST.

RIDING

Dutchy: Theres a little old-fashioned Triumph dealership on Tasmania (there are only 120,000 people on the island) and they look after me very well. The underseat exhausts do heat up the grabrails but I dont really think its a big issue unless youre riding in extreme heat. Martin: The ST is very reliable but has some niggling faults. The seat bolts have needed replacing, paint has bubbled on the screen, the mirrors vibrate too much and the pressure of the air at speed seems to prise apart the seams on the top case and panniers. But fair play to Triumph as they are doing a recall on them." William: One thing I think Triumph should do is make a wider range of accessories for the ST. For example, I have size 12 feet and the dinky little controls are not ideal for me - it would be good if you could buy bigger brake and gear lever pedals. I actually ended up making my own alloy extension for the old Sprints brake pedal.

OWNING

53-year-old William works in the vehicle repair business and is based in the North East. He sold his old Sprint for an ST when it came out in 2005.

WILLIAM WEIR

32 | MOTOR CYCLE NEWS FEBRUARY 1, 2006

MCN SAYS

TRIUMPHS Sprint ST is on the sportier side of sports-tourer One of the quickest and best-handling sports-tourers on the scene A truly 21st century Triumph with performance and comfort to boot
Heat from the exhaust can be a problem Theres nowhere to stow stuff beneath the sleek bodywork

PARKERS PRICE GUIDE

NOW INCLUDES BIKES!

www.parkers.co.uk

MCN quick guide
HE 2005 Sprint STs svelte styling is matched by a sporty chassis and a punchy 1050cc three cylinder engine which sets it apart from the four-cylinder competition. The engine has loads of mid-range power, with a wide spread of poke from 3000-9000rpm. Crucially, Triumph addressed the criticism of the old Sprints fuel injection and gearbox by working hard to make the 05 ST one of the smoothest sports-tourers on the market. The fuel injection, ECU unit, gearbox and clutch were all brand new. Factory accessories include hard and soft luggage, ABS, sat nav, rack and topbox, alarm, tank pad, heated grips and gel seat. You can ride in comfort all the way to Germanys Nurburgring and then go on to post some respectable lap times on this versatile machine.

EXPERT OPINION

TRIUMPH SPRINT ST
COST NEW: 7800 COST USED: 6750-7500 POWER (claimed): 123bhp TORQUE (claimed): 77ftlb WEIGHT: 210kg
Year changes: 2005 - New model 2006 - Sunset red colourscheme introduced Engine: 1050cc (79 x 71.4mm) dohc 12v four-stroke inline triple Chassis: Aluminium alloy twin spar Top speed: 154mph Insurance group: 16 (of 17)
FUEL: 37mpg, 20 litres, 160 miles
RAKE: 24 TRAIL: 90mm SEAT HEIGHT: 805mm

OWNERS TOP TIPS

Dutchy: If you are planning any long-distance trips and you're reasonably tall then go for a bigger screen and raise the handlebars a bit it makes a huge difference to your riding comfort. Martin: My favourite upgrades must be the gel seat and aero-screen they were on the demo model I tested and I don't think I would have gone for the ST in stock trim. William: I have heard that some Sprints had soggy front brakes due to air getting into the system. Evidently Triumph issued a service bulletin on how to bleed them properly which will sort it. Contact your dealer for more info.

For many riders the 2005 ST is the ideal all-rounder. Weve found many buyers have been VFR owners who have decided the Triumph looks better and has a simpler long-term service schedule than the Honda. Its also been successful because Triumph have offered a massive range of accessories from day one so owners dont have to wait to see what aftermarket companies will produce. New buyers often opt for the heated grips, panniers and double-bubble screen. The fact that Triumph have not changed the ST for 2006 has also inspired confidence about re-sale values as nobody wants to buy a new bike which will be automatically superseded by a newer model in less than a year. Dave Lilley, Sales Manager at Jack Lilley Motorcycles, Ashford, Middlesex

TECHNICAL SPEC

WHEELBASE: 1457mm

THE BEST BITS

LEFT: Distinctive three-beam headlight echoes the triple theme. MIDDLE: Engine is virtually identical to the latest Speed Triple and is grunty, fast and aurally glorious. RIGHT: Triple underseat pipes (can you see what theyre doing now?) look great but can lightly toast pillion and grabrail.
FEBRUARY 1, 2006 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS | 33

Tr i u m p h Sp r i n t S T
I n s ta l l a t i o n I n s t r u c t i o n s
Button Adjustment Display
Power Commander USB Cable CD-ROM Parts List
Installation Guide Power Adapter Power Commander Decals Dynojet Decals Zip ties O2 controller

Faceplate Buttons

Alcohol Swab

Expansion Port

USB Port
You can also download the Power from our web site at:
Commander software and latest maps www.powercommander.com
PLEASE READ ALL DIRECTIONS BEFORE STARTING INSTALLATION
Dynojet Research 2191 Mendenhall Drive North Las Vegas, NV 89081 (800) 992-4993 www.powercommander.com
i514-411 www.powercommander.com 2005 Triumph Sprint ST - PCIII USB - 1
Remove the seat. Remove the fuel tank. To remove the bolt at the rear of the fuel tank remove the 4 in place (Fig. A). screws that hold the tail section

Fig. A

Remove these bolts
Remove the left hand inner fairing panel (Fig. B).

Fig. B

Stock connector

PCIII harness

Route the PCIII wiring harness the left hand side of the frame and go towards the throttle bodies (Fig. C).
from the front of the bike under

i514-411

Fig. C

www.powercommander.com

2005 Triumph Sprint ST - PCIII USB - 2
Locate the stock wiring harness that connects to each injector. Unplug the stock wiring harness.

Fig. D

Stock connectors
Plug the connectors from the harness and the injectors (Fig. E).
PCIII in-line of the stock wiring

Fig. E

PCIII connectors

Locate the 3 pin BLACK

Throttle Position Sensor connector on the left hand side of the air box (Fig. F). connection. Unplug this

Fig. F

Plug the 3 pin connectors of the harness and TPS.

Unplug

2005 Triumph Sprint ST - PCIII USB - 3
Remove the bolt for the frame L.H inner panel in place.
bracket that holds the rear of the the ground wire of the PCIII to (Fig. G).

Attach

this bracket using the stock bolt

Fig. G

Ground wire
Install the PCIII to the ECU ing panel. (Fig. H).
bracket under the L.H inner fairties to hold the unit in place Use the supplied zip

Fig. H

Locate the connection for the harness. (Fig. J).
stock O2 sensor to the wiring right hand side of the air box

This is located at the

Unplug this connection.

Fig. J

If you are unsure of where this connection is follow the wires
from the O2 sensor in the ness.
exhaust to the main wiring har-
2005 Triumph Sprint ST - PCIII USB - 4

O2 controller

Plug the O2 controller into the stock wiring harness.
nector from the O2 sensor does NOT have to be plugged into anything.

The con-

Fig. K
Use the supplied zip tie to hold
the O2 controller in place to the
other wires in this area (Fig. K). 15 Bolt the fuel tank back into position.
Reinstall the tail section bolts, seat, inner fairing panel.
get the full potential out of the
The O2 controller allows you to
bike and the Power Commander. The stock bike has a closed loop area that is controlled by the O2 sensor. troller the fuel curve can NOT or 3000rpm. Without the O2 con-
be adjusted below 40% throttle
2005 Triumph Sprint ST - PCIII USB - 5