I picked up the bike in August and I wish I had a few more months to ride before the snow set in. However, by squeezing in the most rides possible I have come to understand the ST quite well. I bought the Sunset Red version with ABS - however the blue is a solid choice if you are considering it. Now to the review - First, the bike is stunning to look at. Numerous times, I came out of restaurants/mall/starbucks/you name it- to my bike to find a person or two examining the bike. Big ego booster. The bike is definitely stable at speed, and with the great brakes, it winds down with ease. Cruising on the interstate at 80-90 is not a problem - posing at 15mph is just as fun. The bike rolls from 15 to 60 in a blink - so power is sufficient - however you will not come near a Gixer or R1 when it comes to full out speed. Actually, this is quite all right when you consider the total package of the bike. Sit on a 1000cc sport bike vs. the sprint and you will notice how the 1000cc sport bike feel like a street tuned Honda civic - fast but not really well composed. Where the sprint feels like Lexus in comparison. Composed - athletic - stylish - very well thought out. The speedometer/tachometer is amazing to look at. A lot of other bikes displays look like they were purchased at radio shack in the clearance bin - not the case with the Triumph. The single sided swingarm is a plus - those who don’t know bikes can’t stop commenting on how amazing the wheel looks with it being exposed on one side. The exhaust looks good (of course keeping the three theme) - but the triumph accessory chrome option looks better. The exhaust note needs to be louder in my opinion - it’s sometimes nice to announce your arrival. The seat is ok at best - haven’t tried the Corbin version yet - but I bet next year I will switch out the seat. Keeping with the comfort - Although the gas tank will allow you to go hundreds of miles at a crack - your legs will feel cramped before then if you are 6ft or more. I sometimes had to remind myself it is a SPORT tourer - the position is aggressive if you plan to stay in the same position for an hour or two. HOWEVER, if you can stop and allow others to admire the ST you will have no problem adding 2-3 hundred miles a day (or more). The heat from the engine is excellent despite what others might say - when you ride on a 70 degree night it keeps you so perfectly warm its almost nirvana. Oh - but a 90 degree day you will get sweaty. I also had to have the bike towed to the shop once - there was an internal issue with the clutch - I'm hoping it was a fluke - but that’s why the bike got a 3 on reliability. Performance like I said earlier is great - not crazy at anything - but is better as a total package than ANYTHING else out there (breaking/accelerating/turning - it all works amazingly well) Comfort is a 4 because super long rides that you try and accomplish without stopping can get uncomfortable - but the ergonomics are great in all other situations. Quality is a 5 because the total appearance looks amazing - the "dash" glows with brilliance at night - the single sided swingarm looks trick - the under seat exhaust is standard but continues the clean look of the bike - and the fairings are contoured and cut to enhance the overall interest of the bike. Overall is a 5 ... period. The Ducati ST3 looks dated next to it and the performance is weak. The Honda VFR ... well read the magazines and you’ll realize how dated it is.
The super sport 1000s will pull away from you ... but you’ll have many more companions wanting to ride on the back of the Triumph due to the much more comfortable seat. If you are thinking about getting this bike - do. There are a lot of awesome bikes on the market now - but very few bikes have the total package like the ST.
