‘on pre-2008 models is a composite construction and on post-2008 is made from steel. A lot of owners have found the composite tank is prone to expansion, cracking paint and potentially even causing the tank to leak. This is a bit of a worry and if possible, the best advice is to buy a later steel-tanked bike, which also means you can use a magnetic tank bag!’ At the price you paid and given the excellent condition it’s a bloody bargain - and that leaves you with that extra money for the top box!
That is a great bike at a good price. I did a tour to the south of France with a friend who was riding one. He had a couple of issues: (1) It drank oil. He had to top the oil up several times on our trip. About 500ml every 1000 miles. According to his Triumph dealer “Yes they do that sir. It’s normal. Nothing to worry about.” (2) The panniers are useless. He struggled to get them to stay closed. One fell open at 70mph and spread his clothes all over the road. They ended up getting a Basil Fawlty style beating at the side of the road in Provence. I have to admit their crapness was worth it for the entertainment value they generated, although I’m not sure the owner saw it that way. The panniers are also quite wide. I found this out when my friend pulled up alongside my bike whilst I was at a standstill and hit my bike with his panniers knocking me over. Other than that it seemed like a decent enough bike. It survived being dropped on some ice on the north side of the Col du Galibier without a scratch and survived hitting a rock in the middle of the road and buckling the front rim. That did cause both panniers to simultaneously eject their contents, which those of us following found rather amusing. Luckily the Triumph dealer in Nice had an identical front wheel on one of his showroom bikes that he was willing to sell and fit for a vastly inflated price - what a nice benevolent chap. Personally I would tour on the Tuono, but then I’ve always owned and toured on naked bikes.
That’s an odd one - mine have never popped open and the mechanism seems quite robust. Pannier Liner bags are essential though if you don’t want to be lugging the heavy panniers around each time you stop - and they would have at least kept your friends pants in place!
I bought some specially made pannier liners for the Multi. The Mrs insisted on using a thin nylon bag. The kind that you can get for about £6 on eBay. Turned out that the thin bags were really good. Being flexible they made maximum use of the space, whereas the tailor made ones still left gaps all round. If I was buying again I’d definitely go the flexible bag route. They have handles and a zip so effectively work in exactly the same way as a liner. Hope it helps.
I read the spec sheet and was sure you got another Aprilia I did have the sprint st on my short list when getting mine, but there wasn't many for sale, and were a little bit more expensive.
It looks like a plastic tank. There are none of the symptoms you mention with plastic tanks though, it all looks good.
I’m sure it will be fine - and if it isn’t - one of the great things about these bikes is the number of cheap spares from breakers!
@Robarano With regards to the Gregory, have you tried CBD oil? My neck pain has been constant, daily, since 2015 (was knocked off and then run over in the same incident in 2001, and then a MTB accident in 2015 started it all off again) but i started taking two drops of 1000mg CBD oil every day, and it has transformed it. Still flares up if i spend all day at my desk (usually once a week) but day to day the pain has subsided ten fold.
Last year was the 1st time I've ever suffered with it. I had some strong anti-inflammatory drugs from the GP for a couple of months and it eventually eased and went completely. I've never had it before and haven't suffered since, but unfortunately the position of riding a sports bike with your head slightly tilted back was the position that was the most painful.
Doesn’t tick all your boxes but I can’t see past the BMW K1300s as a sports tourer sporty Comfortable 186BHP torque everywhere electronically adjustable suspension Shaft drive got your single sided swing arm I have done over 155mph on the Autobhan 2 up and she was super comfortable
Oh dear. I hope you're not planning on ridng at night? I had one of those from new, nice bike but the lights are worse than my 1964 6 volt Triumph Bonneville. I looked at ways to improve them, including HID's, I tried uprated bulbs but made little if any difference. On the owners forum (at the time) it was the single most annoying issue. I thought that with three lights on it the lights are going to be wonderful, how wrong I was. On a dark country road you could be down to almost single figures, I found it a frightening experience. You'd be much better off with a Multi. Please try it in the dark before deciding to do such an epic ride. The poor lights were the single reason I didnt keep mine more than a few months.
Just noticed you already bought the Sprint ST. nice bike. I had the Tiger 1050 and it was a good bike
You are right that the lights were a hot subject on the forums back in the day, although I never found them too bad in general use with decent bulbs in them. I have a 2010 bike though - and I think in 2008 there was a headlight redesign so mine might be a little better. The exception being unfamiliar twisties - the pattern doesn’t extend to the sides enough to light up the road until you actually make the turn! I think lots of bikes are a little like this though. You can buy right hand dip units on ebay for around £100 - for a euro tour it might be worth the investment.
Had a couple of hours today so decided to do some light maintenance and have a check over. Triumph bolt their fairings on with about 15 x M6 bolts, while Ducati do the same job with about 5 x M4 items. Rear susoenion has about 1mm of free movement, so all looks good. No chance to check the eccentric adjuster, but it looks well lubed and I have to adjust the chain slightly so should know in a couple of days. It looks to have no obvious issues with the fairings off, apart from some dubious wiring for the heated grips which I've sorted while wiring in the sat nav power.
Could you two blithering idiots stop discussing beer and work out how Rob is to be air-lifted into Italy with his bike, now that the borders are closing? I could use some tips.
