The Triumph Sprint ST is a
sport touring motorcycle
A sport touring motorcycle (sometime a "sports-tourer") is a type of motorcycle that combines the performance of a sport bike with the long-distance capabilities and comfort of a touring motorcycle.
The first sport-tourer is said to be the fully ...
manufactured in the United Kingdom by
Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
between 1999 and 2010. Sporting a 1050cc 4-stroke three-cylinder engine, an alloy-beam frame and a single-sided swingarm, the Sprint ST competed effectively in the market against the
Honda VFR800
The Honda VFR800 (Interceptor) is a sport touring motorcycle made by Honda since 1998. The model was the successor to the VFR750F and shares the V4 engine configuration with the Honda VF and VFR series.
Fifth Generation: 1998–2001 VFR800Fi (RC ...
. In 2010 the Sprint ST was succeeded by the Triumph Sprint GT.
Design and development
955 cc (T695)
The Sprint ST was first introduced in 1999 as a complete redesign of the earlier
Sprint 900 (1993–1998) styled by Rod Scivyer. It used the 955 cc
straight-three engine
A straight-three engine (also called an inline-triple or inline-three) is a three-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft.
Less common than straight-four engines, straight-three engines have noneth ...
similar to those found in the contemporaneous
Speed Triple
The Triumph Speed Triple is a series of motorcycles produced by Triumph Motorcycles. The 1994 Hinckley Triumph was one of the first motorcycles produced in the streetfighter style (a modern sport bike or race replica motorcycle without an ae ...
and
Daytona Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it.
Daytona may also refer to:
Locations
* Daytona Beach Shores, Florida
* South Daytona, Florida
* The Daytona Beach metropolitan area
* Halifax area, also known as Da ...
models, only slightly detuned for smoother power delivery. Claimed power was , later increased to .
The model's appearance remained mostly unchanged from its introduction in 1999. An engine revamp with the assistance of Lotus in 2002 increased output to at 9100rpm and of torque at 5100rpm from a lighter engine—the bike is dry.
1,050 cc
In 2005, Triumph introduced a redesigned Sprint ST based around the same inline triple, increased in
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
to yield a
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
*Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
of and with a new
fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All comp ...
system. Power output increased to (123 hp / 90 Kw @ 9250 rpm), with torque of (104 Nm / 77 ft-lb @ 5000 rpm). The 1050 ST redesigned chassis had a shorter
wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
, the instrument cluster was modernised with miles-per-gallon and miles-to-empty displays, triple
exhaust pipe
An exhaust system is used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system ...
s were tucked under the seat, the headlights were completely redesigned and
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
tail-lights added. Also, a range of options including pannier mounts and anti-lock brakes (ABS 2006 onwards) became available.
In 2007 some changes were made to the standard trim of the Sprint ST, including colour-matched panniers, handlebar risers and an improved windscreen. In 2008 the original composite fuel tank was replaced by a steel item of the same size and shape to enable the use of magnetic tank bags. Other 2008 changes included a new headlamp design and new footrests with more durable rubber. The Sprint ST continued in production until 2010 , when it was replaced by the Sprint GT.
Triumph Sprint GT
![Triumph Sprint GT 1050](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Triumph_Sprint_GT_1050.jpg)
In 2010, the Triumph Sprint GT (Grand Tourer) was launched with a change of emphasis. Compared to the class-leading ST (Sports Tourer), the GT was more focused on two-up touring, with a longer wheelbase, more weight and a better pillion provision.
The engine was a revised version of the 1050 triple with more power (128 hp / 96 kW @ 9200 rpm) and torque (108 Nm / 80 ft-lb @ 6300 rpm) though the peak torque was produced at significantly higher revs than before. The power changes were as a result of use of an uprated ECU, the elimination of the 1050 ST's signature triple under seat exhaust in favour of a side-mounted 3-into-1 exhaust, and a revised throttle body intake. The highest gear was made seven percent taller than the ST to allowing for more relaxed highway cruising, giving an engine speed at a steady 110 km/h (68 MPH) of just over 4,000 rpm. The GT chassis was nearly 6 inches longer than the ST, with an overall length of 2260mm (89.0 inches) compared to the ST with 2114mm (83.2 inches); and the GT's wheelbase is 1537mm (60.5 inches) compared to the ST's 1457mm (57.4 inches).
The GT's front and rear suspension were
Showa units. The front forks had stiffer springs to cope with the extra weight, while the rear suspension featured spring preload and rebound damping adjustability. These modifications added to the weight of the bike, which now had a hefty kerb weight of . The GT received new headlamps based on reflectors rather than the ST's projector units, and had the anti-lock brakes (
ABS) that had been optional on the ST 1050. The longer chassis allowed pillion footpegs to be repositioned to be more accommodating for a passenger. Removing the ST's under-seat silencers to a conventional position allowed the reshaped pillion seat to be lower. Uprated hard panniers were a standard fitting, with a 55 litre top box available as a factory option. These panniers were more robust and much larger than the ST's: (31 litres each vs. 22 litres).
The GT has changed little since its introduction in 2010, although a new SE Special Edition included as standard previously optional accessories such as a gel "Comfort Seat". After 2014 the GT was no longer available outside the UK , but as of 2017, the Triumph Sprint GT SE is still in production for the home Market.
Reception
Motor Cycle News
''MCN'' or ''Motor Cycle News'' is a UK weekly Motorcycle, motorcycling newspaper published by Bauer Verlagsgruppe, Bauer Consumer Media, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. It claims to be "the world’s biggest weekly motorcycle newspape ...
called the pre-2005 Sprint a "superb British all rounder which pipped Honda’s VFR800 simply by using a straight bat when the VFR tried all kinds of trick but ultimately unnecessary technology".
Of the 2005 model, MCN wrote, "the Triumph Sprint ST is the best sports-touring motorcycle of its generation by some margin. It’s smooth, long-legged, comfortable and handsome, with effortless power to shrink distances with delightful ease."
References
External links
Triumph Web SiteMotorcycle-USA's 2007 Triumph Sprint ST Review
{{Triumph motorcycles Hinckley
Sprint ST
Sport touring motorcycles
Motorcycles introduced in 1999