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Triumph Sprint owners Past and present (need your input)

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Feb 28, 2003
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Just curious how many of you have had good luck with your bikes.

The reason i'm asking is i have logged a little over 4300miles and I have had 3 major problems with my Sprint

1000 miles the clutch cable breaks on my lunch hour (bike towed to dealer) :-|

2500 miles I find a bad fuel leak (bike towed to dealer) :mad:

4300 miles I find another bad fuel leak (bike sitting in garage waiting for o-ring gasket to fix) :angryfir:

I had a 1996 FZR600 before this with over 24,000 on it and I NEVER had a single problem with it. This is my first British bike and I'm really starting to rethink my decision. I'm wondering if Triumphs are notorious for this or if I'm just the luck fellow.

I love the bike but, there are some big reliability issues I'm having with it. I daily commute on the bike (weather permiting) and sport tour quite aways from home. The last thing I want is to be broke down in the middle of no where.

The bike was bought brand new in april of last year.
 
Shoot...forgot to log in before posting that.

anyway the bike is a 2001 Sprint ST (all stock).

Thanks!

Kelly
 
There was a clutch cable recall for some VINS.

The fuel fittings are notorious for going out, but ToA refuses to do anything about it.

I wouldn't give up on it, but have your dealer run your VIN and see if the clutch cable and also your fuel sender have been recalled.
 
I have two VFR's for sale :-P

I have known quite a few Sprint ST owners, all quite happy with the bike. brd would be one of them. ;-)

Adios,
 
Every thing has been fixed under warranty but, it's still a real **** to be with out a bike. They ran the VIN last time I was in to make sure everything was taken care of.

I sure hope these problems end soon...geez
 
I feel your pain, Sprintguy.

My bike has been through 3 water pump seal failures, 1 broken fuel quick connector, and 2 aftermarket clutch slaves. I hated it when it was down and I couldn't ride at my discretion (read: feed my moto-addiction).

And yet, I can't imagine riding another bike...

Hang in there...
 
Sprintguy said:
Every thing has been fixed under warranty but, it's still a real **** to be with out a bike. They ran the VIN last time I was in to make sure everything was taken care of.

As far as the clutch cable, look for a non-metalic bearing at the lever, the metalic levers had a habit of eating through the wire, mine started to go, but I caught it before I got standed.

As far as the fuel fittings, if the mechanic is ham fisted the O-rings don't stand a chance. Make sure you get replacement O-rings that can handle gas as well. But again, a ham-fisted tech can cause the plastic fittings to fail pre-maturely.

My bike, I had a couple of drips, new O-rings tended to handl the problem. I got the non-gas-rated ones the Home Depot, and just replaced them everytime I pulled the tank. Yeah, bit of a ****, but I have the tank off a quit a few times, and after the first drops, it was perfect ever time after.

Anyway, my Sprint ST was riden at 10,600 ft above sea level, 73 ft below sea level, 118+ degF to the mid 20's, over 24,000 miles and it took a friggen rock to kill it.

If it was not for that rock, the bike would have over 35k miles on it now, and still in fine running order as far as I am concerned.

The only other bits of advice, the bolts that hold on the inductors (on top of the spark plugs) do not require that much torque, I put them back on according to the manual, and stripped one or two of the holes.

Make sure you don't over tighten the oil filter, they are a ***** to get a could handle on when they are in the bike!

Great bike. I rode at least 5 unofficial SS 1000's on it, and every morning afterwards I got back on the bike pain free. You can't say that about too many stock bike.

cheers,
Tom
 
Sorry to hear that you're having problems with the bike, Kelly. I've got almost 14,000 miles on my Sprint RS with nothing significant to complain about (knock on wood). I've had the tank off a couple of times and tried to avoid man-handling the dinky plastic fittings. Also made sure to lube the o-rings with a bit of silicone spray then pushing in on the "slide" portion of the connector while putting them back together. No leaks so far. Patrick Hart at Motorcycles Unlimited can install a set of metal fittings to the late-model Triumphs for a pretty reasonable price. I might have him do that for me just for the peace of mind.

Hey Tom - I've been using the oil filter Honda makes for the Blackbird (it's common to a bunch of other late model Honda's too) on my Sprint and it works great. It's about 1/4" longer and @ 1/8" smaller in diameter than the Triumph filter so that you can get a little better grip on it. It threads on and seats just fine too; never had a leak using one. Did I also mention that it's about half the cost of the Triumph filter? 8-)
 
Thanks guys!

I contacted Triumph and their sending a new gasket in the mail today. This will make my life easier just replacing it myself.

I'll make sure to put some lube on it before the install and will probably take the time to lube the other fuel fittings while I'm at it.
 
I had the same fuel leak problem with my Daytona. However, the dealership (Lonestar) fixed the problem right away. I've had the bike for a year now and have 12,000 miles. My next bike will most likely be another Triumph. :-)
 
Howdy, Sprintguy

As one of the original Sprint-ST owners here in Tejas I can attest to the hardiness of the bike. And trust me <tm>, they get their testing with me. The Sprint-ST is IMHO one of, if not THE best ST going. The problems you have faced are the worst you should encounter. Sort out the clutch cable, replace the plastic fittings and you should be home free. BTW, I have done neither and have had nary a problem. I have over 50,000 miles on two Sprint-ST's (RIP, the original black beauty, totalled). I have ridden these wonderful bikes all over this great land and have never been stranded. (OK, knock on wood, here)

Of course there is always a VFR or two ~behind~ me, "just in case" ;-)
 
Howdy Steve,

:tab I trust you took your meds before showing up :-P You forgot to tell him how well the ST's fair against large buzzards :eek: The VFR's ride behind Steve to pick up the pieces ;-) Or to chase him down when he misses a turn... again... :lol:

Adios,
 
Yes, Scott, I am fully medicated and will try and be good :angel:

Buzzards are a piece of cake, just hit'm head on, and hang tight, it's that parking thing I have trouble with.

Thanks for picking up the pieces. See ya on the road.
 
STeve said:
Yes, Scott, I am fully medicated and will try and be good :angel:

Buzzards are a piece of cake, just hit'm head on, and hang tight, it's that parking thing I have trouble with.

Thanks for picking up the pieces. See ya on the road.

STeve, when I saw your modeling picture, I **** near spit cherry diet coke on my laptop.

t.
 
Yeah, that avatar is perfect :lol:

Adios,
 
Hee-hee, Hope it didn't come thru yer nose Tom. And hey, aren't we about due for another Dallas biker scum gathering? Your place?

Scott, I thought you might appreciate the avatar. Man's gotta have a sense of humor to get along in this world. Ehhh??
 
STeve said:
Hee-hee, Hope it didn't come thru yer nose Tom. And hey, aren't we about due for another Dallas biker scum gathering? Your place?

Scott, I thought you might appreciate the avatar. Man's gotta have a sense of humor to get along in this world. Ehhh??

Yes, a couple of people, including you suggest we wait until March, guess what it is March. If you could send me a note with the Saturdays you have free this month, I will put it out, and we will see which Saturday the most people can make it.

And thanks to Mito, I have a real BBQ now :-)

cheers,
Tom
 
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