TRIUMPH SPRINT ST GT REVIEW AND ROAD TEST 2010 ALICANTE

At the end of 2002 Triumph stopped production of the much loved Trophy range touring bikes. I had one of the last 1200cc 4 cylinder Trophy’s on a UK 03 reg. I wish I had kept it as a second bike and for friends visiting Spain. I sold it with 16,000 miles on for £3000 in 2008 and regretted it ever since. It was sold 18 months later by a dealer for £3500 with 32,000 miles on it. Trophy’s only stay in dealers for a few weeks and are much sort after.

Triumph decided to stop making the 4 cylinder engine, although the Trophy was also made in a 3 cylinder 900cc along with the earlier sprint ST shown in the picture.

Triumph bikes are now either parallel twins or triples like the 1050cc Sprint ST. After 5 years it’s been replaced by the 1050cc Sprint ST GT. I think Triumph are trying to get back some of the touring bike market place lost by dropping the Trophy!

On the open road and in particular on motorways the Trophy caught a side wind badly however the new Sprint ST GT is much better feeling much more confident in windy motorway conditions. The front fairing is narrower housing only a 3 cylinder engine getting most of the wind in your face. An optional raised screen reduces head/face winds considerably (see main bike picture).

The old triple exhaust under the seat has been replaced by a single silencer. As standard the 1050 Sprint ST GT comes with rear 117 litre of luggage space and ABS.                                                                                          The large pannier boxes stand out a little (as shown in our picture) and make you think twice about nipping through traffic. Maybe smaller pannier box option should have been made too. The rider seat is larger more comfortable for both rider and passenger along with a padded back rest on the optional top box. Handle bars are raised a little over the standard ST to reduce those sore palms on long hauls. Talking of long hauls the ST-GT boasts a 200 mile fuel range.                                                                                                              On my road test I could put this bike through its paces as it was already run in. The gear change is smooth and precise. The gear change and foot brake are easy to use even with my size 11 shoes. The gear ratios have a lot more individual value than other bikes I have tried in this class. 1st 2nd and 3rd perfect for town use with the remaining 3 gears for the open road. The engine smooth, even pulling away at low revs. Not surprising though with 130ps/128bhp @ 9200rpm and 108nm torque, more power than some sports cars!

At 268 kgs with a full tank of 20 litres the ST is light and nimble and the suspension copes perfectly  with and additional 16 stone passenger. Rider foot pegs are set low for passenger comfort too. The electronic speedo has everything including such things as consumption calculation, 2 trips clocks, gear indicator and many other features.

Priced at only 9500 in the UK and little more than the exchange rate difference in Spain it thrashes the competition for a 2 in 1 sports touring bike.

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