Five years after Triumph introduced the popular 1050cc Sprint ST sports touring bike, the British marque has introduced a new model with greater practicality and more emphasis on the touring aspect of sports touring: the Triumph Sprint GT.
As you would expect from a British machine wearing the famous Grand Tourer tag, the Sprint GT delivers outstanding real world performance in a practical and stylish package. But this should not be construed that the Sprint GT has lost the sporting edge that made the Sprint ST one of the most popular and enduring bikes in the Triumph range.
“The motorcycle market continues to become more refined, which calls for manufacturers to evolve our product lines to provide what customers are demanding,” said Jim Callahan, North American Marketing Manager for Triumph Motorcycles. “The Sprint GT blends all of the great performance and style of the Sprint ST with some additional comfort and storage space that sport touring riders are looking for.”
The GT features a newly-styled and better performing front fairing which has been restyled to give a sharper and more contemporary look while retaining the distinctive three-light Sprint design. In the cockpit, riders will find a comprehensive three dial instrument panel with a large, traditional analogue speedometer and tachometer while the third dial hosts the readout for the onboard computer where the rider can scroll through fuel consumption, range-to-empty, journey time, average speed and clock functions.
Performance is handled by an updated version of Triumph’s legendary 1050cc triple. First introduced in the 2005 Sprint ST, the latest incarnation of this great engine has been updated to deliver increased power, torque and usability. With 130bhp on hand, the Sprint GT offers excellent real world performance, with development focused on power delivery in the mid-range rather than chasing peak power.
Of course, practicality is the GT hallmark. The bike also features new 31 liter saddlebags, standard ABS brakes, a 200-mile fuel range, an optional top box that is capable of accommodating two full-sized helmets, and a 12 volt power supply that allows on the go charging of electrical items such as laptops and mobile phones.
The result is a motorcycle with a different feel to the Sprint ST, biased more towards the touring side of sports touring than the Sprint ST sports - a composed machine with precise and intuitive handling to keep up with sports bikes on demanding roads, but equally delivering the comfort required for a long two-up ride cross-country. Priced at $13,199, the Sprint GT will be available in US dealerships this fall as early release 2011 models.
Of course, there is a full range of accessories that includes a host of options designed to further increase the practicality of the Sprint GT and allow riders to personalize the motorcycle to their specific needs. These include heated handlebar grips, a taller aero screen, optional gel comfort seat and high quality magnetic tank bags which can increase the Sprint GT’s luggage capacity another 30 liters.
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