993MAN

I know it's not about Porsche's, but if anyone has any info on how good/bad these bikes are. I'd appreciate the info.
Cheers

jberb55

I ride a Speed Triple (same engine)... 4kmi in the last 6 months. Love the bike, no problems, no regrets so far. Try www.triumphrat.net if you haven't yet. Some owners complain about the brakes, but either I got a good bike or I'm just not good enough to need more brake than the bike has.

ChrisA

Not a direct assistance but, I have had several BMW's (nothing but positive experiences) with many miles accumulated. Wanted something different in my latest new bike search and narrowed the field down to Triumph Sprint, Honda VFR and Ducati ST3s. Did not like the low end torque of Honda and though bike lacked some soul, came down to Sprint and ST3s. Went on extended trials with each, in the end I liked the Ducati, better ride and handling (s only), great quality of components, better hard bags and of course great sound and look. The Triumph had the better all round engine, best rear brake (ducati better front). Both great bikes, but went with the Ducati. So far three months, 3k and absolutely no regrets. I love it. Oh, do not get sucked into the maint. issues for Ducati, newer bikes especially the ST's are very reliable and now for 07 extended maint intervals.

Sprintrider

As the name implies, That would be me

I love the Bike, best one I ever had. Mine is a 2001 Sprint ST, Saphire Blue.

Lately the Turbo as been taking all my attention

993MAN

Thanks for the input guys.
Chris, I am looking at the VFR800, ST4S and Sprint ST.
They are all great bikes and highly reviewd, and I am finding it really hard to make a decision on which way to go. Price wise the Honda is the least $, then Sprint and lastly, and the most expensive is the Ducati. But it's still only about 5K difference, so the moneys not the issue.
Honda looks neat and has great reviews, but the Triumph is the talk of the town in the bike world down here. I am going for a test ride later in the week.
Maintenance is an issue for the Ducati. I will need to ride about 2 1/2 hours for service.
Jberb, thanks for the link.
Thanks again

clib

I've looked at several of those options and have a friend with the sprint. they are all great bikes. The ducati can be the most labor intensive to service: but as pointed out their is a big difference between the ST4s and ST3 engine in terms of requirements so depends on which you are looking at. Its hard to beat the honda for fit/finish and reliability but people complain about the bland-ness of it: certainly doesn't get a lot of style points. BMW GS1150/1200 series are also great bikes (and you get to maintain a boxer engine layout). I can't decide between any of them personally, so I'm just keeping my old CBX for touring. Let us know what you end up getting.

bill

993MAN

Bill
Even though it's the middle of summer, there is a massive low over the whole country, but that's not going to stop me going for some test rides today!
The BMW's get bagged in the press, and they look ugly IMO.
I have narrowed it down to the Sprint ST or VFR800. Should have something in my shed this weekend.
Cheers

Lawrence_P

I have had dozens of bikes (CBR 929, K11RS, R65LS, R100GS, R12GS, R1150RS, R11S, RD350L, GSX-R750, etc). I have ridden the VFR, the Sprint and the ST4 (the ST3 too). All three are fine bikes; buy whichever winds your clock. It's that simple.

Sprintrider

Test ride the Sprint ST. I assure you that is is very reliable. I have over 26,000 miles with only oil changes so far. It is a great bike and I put a Remus exhaust on to get that great triple sound.

Honda's are very common, Triumphs turn heads as they are not seen as much.

The triple engine has smooth and strong power thoughout the power curve, whereas the Honda takes time to catch up on the low end and screams once the other valves open up. The Ducati is nice looking but maintenance can be expensive.

Here is a pic of the two bikes side by side. My friends VFR runs pretty equal on power although I have more off the bottom. It really comes down to rider skill after that.

You have narrowed it down to two very capable bikes.

993MAN

Sprintrider,
I ended up with the Honda this time. It just felt right for me for some reason.
I agree, there is nothing between them for power that I noticed, but the Sprint would have been a good bike too. Should've bought them both!
Anything after the VTX1300 is going to be a blast. I am very happy now.
Forget about mods too, thats reserved for you know what! Now, if it just stops raining I can go and have some fun. Thanks for all the input.
One thing that I noticed with the ST was the ammount of heat coming from the engine onto my legs, especially around town. The VFR has nothing like that.
Cheers

JPTL

Old thread, and I know it's a bit off topic from 993, but it came up through a search.
I was considering a Concours 14.....
...until I checked out this bike yesterday:

I love every aspect of this bike: great power low-end through high; great sound; great brakes (this one has ABS that have never had to be activated); great balance & handling; light, light, light when compared to the Beemer, FJR, C14; great looks; and more character than the lot.
This one is low miles, immaculate and loaded with nice, high-end touring goodies:

Funny, this bike is nearly 5 years old - as old as this thread! So it hadn't rolled off the line when 993MAN made his last post. 993MAN, I see that there's no mention of a Honda in your sig, but there is a Sprint ST! Do tell!

Rinty

R1200ST is only 450 pounds, dry.

I've ridden the Sprint ST, and really like it, particularly the triple symphony through the Akrapovic. One of the guys I ride with has one, and he says the only issue is fan blown heat onto his leg.

cmd4

wait til you put a set of pipes on the veefer....sounds almost as good as a duccouple of guys i ride with are diehard vfr guys and they are really great all around bikes.

solomonschris

I put 54,000 miles on a 98' VFR 800. It was a terrific bike. I switched to a ST 1300ABS when they came out. Less sporting than VFR but better on looong days. Way too much heat from the engine in summer so I got an 01' Triumph Tiger to ride in the warm months. I liked it so much (talk about torque) I sold the ST 1300. After taking a couple of long rides I decided I wanted a bit more comfort. I bought a 04' BMW 1150 RT. The electric windshield is an absolute marvel and the bike can embarrass many sport bikes in the twisties. I'm out of bikes now, after 50 yrs of riding and 34 motorcycles. I have my Harley for sale and plan to be buried with my 37 yr old Ducati. There are lots of greatbbikes out there. You should ride a BMW along with the others. There is a great community with BMW riders. The dealerships are social hubs not unlike HD, but without all the tatoos and silicone implants.

Rinty

I'm on my third boxer, an ST. I've ridden most of the other machines, and BMWs are still my favourite: light, good handling, great power, great sound with a Remus installed, and no heat from the engine.

Well, that GT is a classic.