Well that was a short ride, relatively speaking. I was lucky enough to live with the Triumph Sprint GT over the last few months and have absolutely loved it. But alas my days with my favourite demo are up and she has found a new home where I wish her many happy miles. The following are my takeaways from living with the Sprint GT.

The 1050cc lump that beats in the Sprint GT is an amazing piece of machinery. Smooth, torquey and powerful. The engine never feels like it is trying until you start trying to get very silly. Fuel economy has proven to be better than expected, I have managed an average of 54mpg, this has been done mainly on the daily commute which mostly comprises motorway and filtering through heavy traffic. Off the motorways, the Sprint is tremendous fun, she does need to be pushed to get the most out of her through the bends. But that little bit of effort brings on massive rewards. She also likes to have everything sorted before you start changing direction, or so I find anyway. Having your gear and speed sorted as you enter the turn makes for a much smoother rider and adds to the composure of the bike.

No we do not have linked brakes, traction control or rider modes. What you do have is a fantastic grand turismo motorcycle designed to haul you in comfort from place to place, with bucket loads of fun in between. For the money what you get is everything a GT needs. 55 litre top box with a power socket. 2 31 litre panniers that can each take a full face helmet. The entire luggage system is designed to move to increase stability in the twisties and when at high speeds. You are also getting a comfort seat, bubble screen, heated grips, a second power socket, and a nice little storage compartment in the front right fairing. There is even a nice bit of storage space under the seat. I normally get to between 290km – 305km before the fuel light pops on. This is an astonishingly well specified motorcycle which delivers on all the creature comforts a tourer needs, without things getting too big and heavy.

Modifications I made were purely to help get me into my personal comfort zone. Being a fully faired motorcycle I was very aware of the cost of any silly slow speed drops. Hence I dug into R&G catalogue and covered the Sprint in various bits of protective kit. The next tweak was the front brake and clutch levers, I preferred the shorty versions as they suit me better. The other important tweak was a chain-oiler, I have tried several brands over the years and spoken about most of them on this blog but I recently discovered the PDoiler and I am a complete convert. Probably the best chain oiler I have ever used, and amazing value for money. I am recommending these to everyone I meet.

I have said before, the Sprint is a model of motorcycle I have wanted since 1999. I have loved living with the Sprint, my only negative with the bike is the way she carries her weight. I just never got used to that over the period of having her. But that is it. It is a weight that does not ever really disappear, but it does add to the bikes stability and comfort when out on the road. The Sprint has always been an extremely comfortable place to be, even in the worst of weather ducking down a few cm’s and you find yourself in a very calm bubble. Even the way the fairing deflects the wind means I barely use the heated grips. So while I will not be buying a Sprint GT just yet it really has nothing to do with the bike, just me wanting something that is a bit easier for me to live with.

So what comes next? We will see very soon, but right now I know if I had not been in a position that meant the Sprint GT could go then I probably would have gone on very happily for years to come. So next time I will be making sure that the bike can not slip away.

Peace and keep the rubber side down.