Triumph Sprint 900

TRIUMP SPRINTER 900

Long-Term Wrap-Up

One year and 12,000 miles with the staff station wagon

OUR FAVORITE TRIUMPH? PIECE OF cake: the 1966 Bonneville 650, white with orange stripes-simply beautiful. Say what? Oh, our favorite new Triumph? That’s easy, too. The revived company’s Sprint 900 so impressed everyone here that we named it Best Open Streetbike of 1995, the first time ever that a Triumph had been included in Cycle World's Ten Best Bikes awards.

But how would the Sprint hold up over the long run? Older Triumphs may have been lovely to look at, but paragons of reliability they were not. So, we kept our Triple around for a year and racked up almost 12,000 miles just to see if this new model had put the old Britbike bugaboos to rest.

Without further ado, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” In 11,812 miles of very hard riding, our Sprint gave a good account of itself in everything from week-long sport-tours to workaday commutes.

Credit a large portion of the Sprint’s versatility to its optional hard saddlebags. Made by the Italian company Givi, this easy-on/easy-off three-bag set gives the bike Gold Wing-class carrying capacity. We didn’t care much

for the Givis’ ugly mounting brackets or the way an underseat crossbrace limited fuse access.

Thankfully, we never blew a fuse, and we solved the appearance problem by always keeping the bags on the bike.

Our 900 received its regular servicing from local dealer South Bay Triumph in Long Beach, California, a shop nice enough to issue homey, handwritten notes reminding us of suggested tire pressures (we’d let psi drop a few pounds too many) and the

correct method of checking oil level (Triumphs have to be checked with the dipstick screwed all the way in, not just inserted, which can lead to overfilling). The service department even detected early evidence of a rearwheel bearing going south-a freak occurrence, we were told, that led to the whole wheel assembly being replaced under warranty.

T own a '95 Sprint with about 6000 miles on it. Is it a perfect bike? No, but it was the best allaround sportbike for me. The Sprint's motor is incredible— torquey like a Twin, powerful like a Four."

-Vance Macdonald, Nashville, Tennessee

Quotes from the logbook

ers say the Sprint be a Triumph her ;e it doesn’t oil. i rode it from iwport Beach Las Vegas to Tom ih and back, after 1100 miles, al it needed m a chain

Matthew Miles__________I love this bike. »print’s enormous luggage c< id high comfort level appeal ictical side, and the smoott delivery and responsive handlii ignite the fires within.

Just a big, frier aha FJ1200 set more integrated iddlebags fror the new Trophy in opt on, and the coekpit’s idiot lights are ail but invisible bright sunlight; otherwise, I’d add Sprint to my garage in a second.

"Whether I'm tooling along in sixth gear or running hard through the hills, this bike is a hoot! The quality of fit and finish is second to none-every time I remove a part for some reason, I'm tickled to death with how well things are made." " -Warren Nordman,

Dublin,

California

Other warranty work included replacing the rightside fork tube, which picked up a burr that resulted in a leaking seal. We also badly scored the rear rotor due to quick-wearing (at around 2500 miles per set, way too quick) brake pads, and this, too, was warrantied. Now, whether John Q. Triumph Owner would be treated to this generous a parts-replacement policy is debatable, but we do know that our dealer, at least, is aware that good customer service goes a long way. For Triumph to be a success in America, the reliability of its products needs to be beyond reproach.

Certainly, John Bloor’s modulardesigned engine did its part. Nary a drop of oil escaped our Triple’s internals during its stay with us, and it needed just the occasional top-up. The only glitch came late in its long-term duty with a minor spate of rough running. The problem was a plugged pilot jet, easily fixed.

One year after taking delivery of our testbike, its paint still shines, though it hasn't escaped the usual stone-chip damage. The engine still fires quickly and the raspy sound from its three cylinders-enhanced nicely by a pair of Yoshimura Zyclone mufflers fitted midway through the test-still brings smiles. The Michelin Macadams mount ed after the stock set of Bridgestones needed replacing at 4900 miles are hanging in there nicely, though we're beginning to see signs of cupping up front. The 0-ring chain now requires adjustment more often than we like and

"I've been riding since 1963, and I think the Sprint is the most fun bike I've ever owned, I put on stainlesssteel brake lines and the optional Givi luggage. Six-piston brake calipers are next,"

Hesperia,

California

.ho stock shock calipers are could probably use a rebuild beHesperia, fore too much

longer, but overall our long-term Triumph Sprint

took everything we threw at it for a year and is ready, willing and able to tackle another 12,000 miles over the next 12 months.

Don’t attempt that with your 1966 Bonneville 650. □

SPECIFICATIONS

$9995