Niall's Spin: Triumph Sprint ST

Click to read: Triumph Sprint ST owners reviews, Triumph Sprint ST specs and to see the Triumph Sprint ST image gallery.

I rode one of these around the Nürburgring (as well as there and back again) for a road test and it was fantastic. I love the three-cylinder engine, I love the sound, I love the looks (from the sides and from the back at least) and I love the performance.

The Sprint ST is roomy and comfortable, solo or two up, in town or on the motorway. In the twisty stuff the ST perhaps isn't as sharp as I'd like and can feel a little soggy. The forks and shock aren't as reactive as, say, the VFR800's - and all the more so when you're loaded up with some extra weight. But that soft edge to the suspension is a boon when you're crossing continents, as is the well-padded seat.

Practically speaking, you'll appreciate the tank range (we got 180 miles between fill-ups on the way to the 'Ring and back), but the finish can be a bit patchy. On our test bike the bolt fixing the rear subframe onto the bottom of the main frame was twice as long as it ought to have been. Some of the other finer details aren't so great either, and if I had one of these sitting in the garage I think I'd be spending the occasional winter evening with a hacksaw shortening the odd bolt here and there.

As well as taking a Sprint to the 'Ring I've done a few laps of Donington on one of these too. It's okay and you can have fun on it, but the standard suspension isn't really up to the job of serious track work. But then it isn't supposed to be. If you really want to spend a lot of time on track with the ST, it might be worth spending a bit of money sorting the suspension, because once you've got it pointing in a straight line it's very fast.

The Sprint ST is a great all-rounder - exactly what you'd expect a sports-tourer should be. No wonder it came so close to topping our International King of Bikes test.