• Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to register so that you can join the community and use the numerous features on the site. After registering, don't forget to post up an introduction!

What would you do??

Joined
Mar 3, 2003
Messages
86
Reaction score
0
After obsessing for over a year on what bike to purchase, I got a 2001 Triumph Sprint ST and even found a great local dealer. I just found out that the dealer is dropping their Triumph line due to slow sales. Once they are out of the Triumph business, I'll have to go to Austin (from San Antonio) for service. It's not like the bike needs a lot of attention, but I do like the idea of a local dealer (I've been known to get in over my head on things and its nice having someone close). I've had it up for sale or trade for a couple of weeks and have not even had a nibble. I found a Kawaskai dealer that is willing to work with me from Texas City on a trade for a Zx-9r. I thought that if I spent the money on "comfort" items for the ZX instead of performance items for the Triumph that I could turn it into a pretty good sport tourer. The Triumph is really my first road bike so I'd be interested in hearing from people that have "been there and done that". Am I worrying over nothing or should I trade it in????

Bill

P.S. If anyone's interested http://adcache.cycletrader.com/5/8/0/42723480.htm
 
Bill, I heard about JoeH tropping the Triumph line. That's too bad. Is that the sole reason you're selling it?

For me, since you asked, that wouldn't be enough to sell. Frankly, the resale on the Sprint is not great and I'd just keep it vs taking a big hit.

It sucks that your nearest dealer is in Austin, but LoneStar is a great dealer (IMHO, especially compared to the ones here in DFW). Valve checks are only every 12k miles (not too frequent for trailering/riding it to austin to be an inconvenience) and the rest of the stuff I'd do myself. I also love JackLilley. They are in the UK, but get you parts cheaper and just as quick as any dealer in the US. I ordered close to a thousand dollars of stuff from them when I had my Sprint.

Besides that, you've had the bike a year and 10k miles, most of the kinks are probably worked out already. And that bike is a great bike. There's a guy on the ST list that has over 100k miles on his 99.
 
What to do?

Howdy,

That is a tough call. I had a Triumph Legend 900 for a fw years. Our closest dealer was on the North side of Houston through tons of freeway construction. If I left work right at 5:30pm, I could get there about 6:45pm. They closed at 6:30pm. Fortunately, if I let them know I was coming, they'd wait. It was a great shop, but like so many others, it went under because they just could not sell enough bikes. After they shut down, the nearest dealer was on the South side of Houston :? We decided to sell the bike and that was a big factor in the decision.

The other factor is that we travel on the bikes and need to have dealer support on the road. Honda is hard to beat from that perspective. Ironically, we've never had trouble with either VFR. But the whole thing is a shame because I really like the Legend. It is a beautiful bike and was a blast to ride. I chased squids on their rockets along some of the local roads and when we all pulled into the gas station they were blown away that I could easily keep up with them on the twisty stuff. The Legend has loads of torque and pulls out of the corners like a freight train. If only it had a sixth gear :( Now they no longer even sell it.

Brian has a good point though. The resale is not so great and you've got enough miles that anything bad would hopefully already have happened. And if you have to go to Lone Star, you can always ride up through Wimberly and that area on your way to Austin :twisted: So unless you just really have that new bike itch, hehe. Maybe Lone Star would take it in trade for one of the Beemers :wink: I so want an R1150GS :bow:

Let us know what you do.

Adios,
 
I've heard nothing but good things about LoneStar in Austin as well. I actually had it narrowed down to either the Sprint or a VFR. It was really a coin toss until I found out that there were several guys in the the JH service department that rode Triumphs. They work on them everyday, so I figured that it was a good choice. Once I get the 12K service done, I'm set for a while. I guess there are worse things than spending the day in Austin hanging out at the dealer...kind of like Briar Rabbit being asked to be thrown in the briar patch :-)

I'll probably just let the add in cycle trader run it's course and see if anything turns up.

Bill
 
my lonestar triumph story

So, I was in Austin visiting friends. I noticed this weird lugging and snatching from the Sprint. Hrm, ***? I thought the transmission was going out or something disastrous. Finally, the next morning it dawned on me that the chain probably needed to be adjusted. DUH! (this was my first chain driven bike) So I got out the toolkit and went to adjust it ... except that it was already all the way out, and the chain (at 14k miles) was really stretched from me riding it like that for so long the day before, like a moron.

Anyway, this was about 10:30am on a Saturday. I called up lonestar and told them my *** story and they told me to come on by. They took the bike right away and I went next door to chuys and had lunch. When I came back it was still being worked on and I waited about 15 mins. $100 for the chain and $30 for labor. Pretty reasonable, I thought. And the counter and sales guys were cool, too. I talked to them for a while.

Plus, since they're a beemer dealer, I'm sure they love making appointments, so you wouldn't have to wait when you got there.


I agree with Scott. If I had enough $ for 2 bikes, my other one would be a GS. Actually, that's what the decision to get this bike came down to VFR vs GS. Seems like a weird choice, but I'm pretty tall so the bmw appealed to me in that sense. Then I sat on one and it felt soooo huge and topheavy. I rode a VFR and it was like being home again after my Sprint.
 
The R1150GS Beastie!

Howdy,

Then I sat on one and it felt soooo huge and topheavy
I have put about 150 miles on John Morins R1150GS.

BMZilla 1
BMZilla 1
BMZilla 1

It freaks you out the first few times you heel it over into a turn. You are up so high that you really feel like you are falling over compared to a sport bike. The handle bars are so wide it is like riding a dirt bike, major leverage. But I was on the Beemer and John was on Beth 98 VFR (which he turns him into a major squid hehe), and chased him on some of the Hill Country backroads. The GS will scoot right along quite nicely. :twisted: I was having a blast!! The best thing is that you can go off road too! If only they did not cost so much. I'd still keep the VFR, but for a second bike... MMmmm...

Adios,
 
Re: The R1150GS Beastie!

Tourmeister said:
Howdy,

Then I sat on one and it felt soooo huge and topheavy
I have put about 150 miles on John Morins R1150GS.



It freaks you out the first few times you heel it over into a turn. You are up so high that you really feel like you are falling over compared to a sport bike. The handle bars are so wide it is like riding a dirt bike, major leverage. But I was on the Beemer and John was on Beth 98 VFR (which he turns him into a major squid hehe), and chased him on some of the Hill Country backroads. The GS will scoot right along quite nicely. :twisted: I was having a blast!! The best thing is that you can go off road too! If only they did not cost so much. I'd still keep the VFR, but for a second bike... MMmmm...

Adios,

(not to hijack this thread, but...)
I know the GS would be okay after I got used to it. I also didn't let myself ride one because I didn't want to take the chance I might just love it. It was so much more expensive that if I'd have got one (even used), I wouldn't have any money leftover, vs getting the used VFR and having a couple grand leftover for goodies. :D

I've ridden a demo Tiger and I know that the adventure tourers are deceptively fast in the twisties and they can haul on the straights. Especially the new 955i Tiger. Yowzas!
 
Last year I rode several BMW's at the Republic of Texas Rally in Austin.

BMW had a great huge tent set up and about 20 bikes to test ride. It was a blast! I rode a 12C, an 1150RT, a R1150R, and a GS.

Heck, that's the primary reason I went to the rally. Those rides alone were worth the $40 rally entry fee. Plus, I got a t-shirt and some BMW swag.

I bet BMW will be there again this year.

At a minimum you'll get to ride at least one for about an hour and have fun watching all the HD guys do their antics.

http://rotrally.com
 
Thick headed!

Howdy,

Those rides alone were worth the $40 rally entry fee. Plus, I got a t-shirt and some BMW swag.
Crap! :headbang: I never thought of that! I wish I had known about this earlier. I may have to try to get over there this year. I'd like to ride an F650, the R1150 tourer and maybe even the R1200 Light Truck. And you even get a T-shirt! I'm always looking for more work clothes :wink:

Adios,
 
Lone star, Triumphs, (lack of) dealers, oh my...

re: Lone Star -- My experiences with them have been so positive (mainly gear, merchandise, and talking with "Stony" and other salesmen about the various bike in a really low-pressure environment), I give them a super :bigokay: :dude: They're so good I wanna buy a BMW or Triumph moto from 'em just to support a business that seems to give a shiznit about their customer (a Hot Button of mine) :eek:

Re: Triumph dealers, if the bike is still under warranty, that's a toughie, otherwise maybe you can scout out a well-respected Brit-bike mechanic in the SA area??? Have you tried looking at http://www.t595.net to get some feedback (assuming here that the '01s are the 955s, prolly full of beans on that one...if so, whoops, sorry. :blush2: )?

HTH...best of luck...
 
To Triumph or not to Triumph

Too bad about JH going down. I do undertsnd your dilemma, but I'd definitely recommend keeping the bike. All motorcycles these days are SO reliable compared to when I started (old fogey noises) and it is very likely that you won't need a dealer between services. I'm not very convinced by the "need dealers on the road" argument cos unless you totally ignore the condition of your bike you will need either maintenance things like tires, which are the same for all bikes and as likely ot be in or out of stock, or specialised parts, which many Triumph dealers will have to order anyway (same goes for YKHS dealers too).

Sounds to me like you need to get out and ride that puppy. When I strat obsessing about "what-ifs" it's a sure sign I need some miles!!!!!

Ralf

PS. Lone Star is worth the ride-- I travel just over 100 miles to shop there . . .
 
Re: To Triumph or not to Triumph

ralfstc said:
I'm not very convinced by the "need dealers on the road" argument cos unless you totally ignore the condition of your bike you will need either maintenance things like tires, which are the same for all bikes

Good point, just beware that to pull the rear wheel on the Sprint, you need a BIG HONKIN 46MM socket, which most non-Triumph dealers will not have (sears has them for $20). And of course there's not one in the bike's toolkit (not that it would fit under the seat!). No, who'd ever need to have to take their rear wheel off? :pound:

Why Triumph goes to all the trouble to put such a beautiful SSS, which is designed for ease of wheel removal, on the bike and then make it so difficult to use is just baffling.

Now, my subaru on the other hand, I pulled the engine and heads on it with pretty much just a 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, and 17mm socket! :chug:

*end rant*
 
On the road

Howdy,

I'm not very convinced by the "need dealers on the road" argument cos unless you totally ignore the condition of your bike you will need either maintenance things like tires, which are the same for all bikes and as likely ot be in or out of stock, or specialised parts, which many Triumph dealers will have to order anyway (same goes for YKHS dealers too

For major stuff that is true. However, what about the accidental parking lot tip over or blown headlight/fuses, etc,... Most Honda dealers will have levers and other small but necessary items in stock. Of course, I carry a pretty good spares package on the road :wink:

I don't know if Triumph ever got their spare parts issues sorted out. :shrug: But when I had my Legend, it would take upwards of six weeks just to get small parts like levers, bolts, brackets, etc,... Not cool! And it is a real shame because I really like their bikes, especially the previous gen Daytona 955i.

Adios,
 
RE: Sounds to me like you need to get out and ride that puppy. When I strat obsessing about "what-ifs" it's a sure sign I need some miles!!!!!

Ralph -- I think you probably just hit the nail on the head!!! I haven't been out for a couple of weeks ("honey do list") and I'm working the next two weekends so not much to look forward too for a little while longer. I should just dig out some maps, plan my next ride, and quit complaining how I'm going to be "stuck" with a great bike :D if no one gives me an offer on mine. I'll just have to order my parts from Jack Lilly (cheaper that way anyway) and just get my hands dirty trying to make it all work

Bill
 
Keep the Triumph...or get the ZX'9

You can't go wrong on this one as far as I can see. If you keep the Triumph, you'll be happy and it is not a cosmic flying saucer, so most motorcycle mechanics can work on it for you. I wouldn't let the dealer locality be the issue that drives you from the bike.

But if part of you is looking for something a bit more sporty, but still pretty comfy, the ZX-9 is a great choice. Power is great, handling is very nice, and there are many of them out there, so parts and dealerships shouldn't be an issue. I've ridden a friend's ZX-9 and it was a great all around bike. It reminded me of the VFR in many ways (very versatile).

Since you have the Triumph, I'd keep it and enjoy it. If you're 'itching' to get something else, you'll certainly be happy w/the ZX-9. Just be advised that when you get a "sport" bike, the squids all want to 'race' you and that can get old after a while. Then you got those **** people like Scott running you down on their funky cruiser things (Legend) then bragging that they 'bagged' a ZX-9. Oh, the shame of it all! :moon:

Seriously, whenever you're confused on a bike issue, get out on the bike you have. If you come back happy, keep that one.
Pat in Wichita Falls, TX ('00 929 "the big bee")
 
Get the VFR

it will take some time for you to sell the Sprint, or you could probably call around and get someone to trade for it for a decent deal. I'd get a Honda either way. The VFR fits the bill perfectly. And in the meantime rack up the miles on it and have a good riding season.
 
Well after not getting a single call about the Sprint (other than from other sites trying to sell me add space). I've decided to just to hang on to it for a while longer. Once I get the 12K service done (by early summer), I should be good for quite some time, and a trip to Austin for service isn't going to kill me by any means. Besides, with the way things are today (Iraq, economy, employment, etc.), I guess that I should consider myself lucky...I'm "stuck" with a great bike, I have a job that allows me to have such a toy, and I live on the doorstep of some of the best riding in Texas. I wish everyone's life sucked this bad :dude:
 
Back
Top