Wow, big jump. For that kind of increase I may be sticking with the Bandit ('01 1200S) for a while myself. Just need to drop some coin for hard luggage. Local dealer has a used / broken in (6000 kms) for $10,500, which is tempting. Still have issues with buying a kms. bike when I am moving to the US in a year.
Bought myself a '11 Sprint GT in Aluminum Silver to replace a Honda ST1100. My goal was to get a lighter SPORT tourer with decent sized bags. And, the bonus was the Sprint came with a a killer 1050 triple mill, ABS, & a center stand standard. 590 lbs wet. I'm 5'11" and needed to install 3/4" risers plus 30mm peg lowing for ergonomic comfort. Also installed a taller aftermarket shield. May need to consider a custom seat for LD riding. The Trophy is not in the same category as the Sprint. Trophy is a direct competitor of the RT, FJR, ST13, Connie, Norge, etc. All heavy shaft drive bikes with larger fairings/powered shields. This bike rocks! Almost 3k miles in just under 2 months and I am a very happy Triumph rider. It also helps I have a good dealer nearby for service, (actually have two dealers, but the closer one does not get my business since they are assholes). My insurance didn't jump too badly. The increase was due to it being a new bike instead of an old '99. The bad news is Triumph isn't continuing this model. It is not available after the 2011 model year in N.A., and may be discontinued altogether.
I'm currently on a 2-week ride around Montana, Idaho, Utah on my 2011 Triumph Sprint, bike has been excellent. I just got new tires, Michelin Pilot Road 2, after 8100 miles on the original Bridgestone BT021 tires. No problems, just clean and lube the chain at the end of every other other ride.
Finally bit the bullet and bought a silver 2011 on Thursday, 250 miles so far, and it's been thoroughly enjoyable. I'll wait to post a real review until I've put some real miles on it, but I'm very pleased with the purchase thus far...
I'm about a week and 500 miles into Sprint GT ownership and really enjoying it. Question for any other owners out there: Laminar Lip or Zero Gravity Sport Touring screen? I'm actually pretty happy with the stock screen, but for bad weather days, I want to keep the rain out of my jacket collar (rained pretty hard during my 50 mile interstate commute on Tuesday, and I arrived rather wet...) Thoughts?
Good Lord, man... It's a motorcycle, not a Rolls Royce... :eek1 I don't usually demo or test unless I'm shopping, but my first Guzzi purchase was three months after I demo'd the bike. The 75 mile dealer demo ride sold me, I just wasn't ready for the purchase in December. March came and I went and bought it. I do ride demos at rallies. I rode a demo Guzzi V7 Classic in Colorado in 2009. I was sold with the factory demo ride, but it was July of this year before I picked one up.
Any short riders out there on a GT? I was thinking of one for my wife - but @ 5'3 I'm not sure the low seat option would be enough!
I'm going to guess your wife might have a hard time. I'm a 32" inseam and have no problem flat-footing it, but that awesome, wide seat that's so comfy (best stock seat ever IMHO) also makes getting the feet down at a stop a little more difficult than the seat height would indicate. There are professional lowering kits that can be done if you're determined - in fact, there's a lowered Sprint ST for sale here in MD.
Thanks for the reply. I did notice that there is an accessory low seat available that may help a bit. As for the lowering kits - we've been there, done that and ripped the exhaust system off a Ducati Monster in the middle of Idaho to prove it! I'd rather not go down that road again - but I sure do love the Sprint...
I have the OEM low seat on my 2011 Sprint GT. I'm 5'6" 30" inseam and with the regular seat, could only tippie toe both feet. With the Low Seat that's 3/4" lower I came a little closer to the ground, then I removed the rubber bumpers under the Low Seat to lower it 1/4" more and both balls of my feet almost touch the ground, good enough. When I load up both side cases and my Givi V46 top case for a trip, both balls of my feet can touch the ground easily. Then when I remove both side cases and Givi top case from the bike, back on my toes but still doable. The only problem that's not really a problem is when backing out of a parking space, sometimes I get off and walk the bike out of it, no big deal.
Sniff is right, seat is wide. Just to add, with NO seat on the bike at all, I put a leg over the bike and my reach to the ground was actually the same as sitting on the bike with OEM low seat installed... both balls of my feet almost touching the ground. The wide width of the bike just under the seat spreads your legs out a bit, limiting your reach to the ground. The OEM low seat does help compared to the regular seat.
I'll assume you already have a bike of your own, so pillion capabilities are not high on the list. At 5'3" she is not a big human & I will suspect not suited to wrestling a 300kg motorcycle intended for carrying larger than average riders plus their chattels about the countryside. As nice as the GT is it seems an odd choice. Why not let her choose her own bike? Go on... empower her!
I have a Zero Gravity screen on my 2011 Sprint GT, slightly higher than the stock screen. It doesn't seem to be any different for wind flow, so I'm gonna put the stock screen back on in the springtime and will likely sell the ZG screen. Stock screen looks better on the bike anyway.
Just got my 2011 GT out of storage in Montana and ready to rip some long rides up here in God's country. Changed the oil, put the battery back in, lubed the chain and it back on the road. What a great bike. I am lucky enough to have others but this thing puts a smile on my face every time that motor spools up. I have to get used to tip toeing a heavier bike and as we know lock to lock this bike sucks but the good far outweighs the bad here. I am still wanting to try the lower MFW pegs but looking for some feedback on how much better it is when installed. It's over 200 bucks for all the hardware and the time to put them on and adjust brake and shifter could be all day for me. ( limited tools and ability). I have the LSL bar set up and while I am ok with the riding position it could be better. I have thought about shaving the seat but I have the upgraded gel version so that's out. It thought if I could gain an inch lower seat it would help with the forward reach as well as the ground being closer ( 5'7" 30 inseam) . Then the pegs would have to be lower. Anyway if anyone has thoughts on the MFW pegs let me know and if anyone out there is in the Northwest Montana area this summer reach out for a ride. Other than the deer it's about as wide open as it gets
TBickell, I rode my 2011 Triumph Sprint GT thru Montana last summer, stored the bike in Bozeman for a fly-and-ride (I live in Chicago), Glacier Natl Park was my favorite. My Sprint has 15k miles on it, doing the 12k service at an independent shop in Los Angeles this week. Awesome bike, a keeper.
I really liked the Sprint GT it sucks that it was such a short production run. would still like own one some day.
