For those that don't know this is a 1000cc triple (see Ford Ecoboost thread !) sports tourer, with full luggage. Set in mind at Honda's superb VFR800. The demo had 250 miles on it so not even run in. Priced at a quid under £9k, this includes Sat Nav and full luggage.
Good things:
The engine, smooth as a chocolate frog - huge range of revs connected to a 6 speed box - with no gear indication...you need it on this bike, got over counting gears 20 years ago. The engine is so benign that it'll do anything anytime between 3rd and 6th gear.
Bad Things
Wrist heavy riding position, eased a lot on dual carriageways but for town work was painful, and I'm relatively flexible. Clutch is the heaviest I've ever had on a bike, right pain in towns - made you not want to change gear..Heavy and graceless chassis especially at low handling speeds. Nowhere near the VFR's excellent balance Rider workload, when you add all the negativity up, is too much. If you're not wondering what gear you're in, you're not looking forward to the next gear change, or wondering about its security at slow speeds.
I got on my 5 year old GS to ride home, lithe, light and perfectly balanced with the best clutch i can imagine. At home in towns or on fast roads it's a hard act to live up to.
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Triumph Sprint SE. new
Triumph Sprint SE. new
