Road – Triumph Sprint GT 1050: GT sport must go on – The false ST and GT twins

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Triumph Sprint GT 1050: GT sport must go on

Road - Triumph Sprint GT 1050: GT sport must go on - The false ST and GT twins

In 2010, the Triumph Sprint ST was supported by a GT version, more geared towards tourism: the lines, engine and suspensions were revised, ABS was fitted as standard and the suitcases gained in volume … The return of true Sport GT in short ? Test.

The false ST and GT twins

This year at Triumph, the Sprint GT 1050 comes to support the Sprint ST 1050. At first glance, these two models do not seem very different … However during its presentation last May, the Hinckley firm proclaimed loud and clear that its novelty "2011", without denying the sporting character of the ST, was more geared towards Touring (read)…

The lines of the two motorcycles look like two drops of water but we can indeed note a modification of the line at the level of the fairing vents, supposed to better diffuse the heat of the engine. Similarly, we notice the migration of the pot: under the saddle on the ST, it passes to the right of the wheel on the GT.

With its classic silencer, the GT therefore does without the original triple exhaust. On the other hand, it retains the subtle "triptychs" of the ST at the level of the optics and the dashboard. While the design of the front lights has been lightened, the counters of the GT are scrupulously identical to those of the GT: apart from the too small typography of the speed, we have nothing to complain about. !

What we regret, however, is that Triumph has kept the mirrors. With their large turn signal bulbs from another era, they still overload the look of the motorcycle from the front. Next to the Italians who have fun sticking LEDs everywhere on their new models, the English are considered here to be real old-fashioned. !

Original black because of raw plastic, the mirrors can be replaced by painted parts from the Triumph accessories catalog. It will then be necessary to pay the tidy sum of 369 €: "they are not so bad in black after all ?!"

On the other hand, the rear light of the GT integrates much better into the bike than that of the ST … Like what at MNC, we do not make only negative reviews !

Invisible to the naked eye on the new GT but duly claimed by the British engineers, three horsepower and three newton-meters are added to the 127 hp and 105 Nm of the ST "Full Power". In France, if the power remains limited to 106 hp, the maximum torque of the 1050 cc triple rises to 108 Nm..

On the final transmission side, some teeth may squeak since the Sprint "Grand Tourer" retains the chain of the "Sport Tourer". A gimbal would undoubtedly have done more serious, but we remember that even the Trophy 1200 was devoid of it … Radins the british ?

The cycle part of the ST is also kept on the GT. We find the aluminum frame and swingarm, the 320 m front double disc, the 250 mm rear single, their Nissin calipers, as well as the 43 mm Showa inverted fork, but devoid of stress and rebound settings. The rear shock absorber is different and Triumph has taken care to modify its fork settings…

It must be said that in the operation, the Sprint was heavier by 40 kg: according to the official Triumph website, all full facts, the ST weighs 228 kg while the GT totals 268! To explain this significant weight gain, we turn first to the new suitcases, whose volume goes from 20 liters to 31.

Indeed, in order to support the additional load, the rear loop had to be reinforced. Aesthetically, the Sprint GT gains a lot since the mounting brackets and their housing are no longer visible. Good bye, the "motorcycle school" elements of the ST !

Likewise, we must underline the fact that the GT is equipped as standard with the ABS system, whereas on the ST it is an option. A handful of kilograms more so for the novelty…

By comparing the two data sheets again, we see that the suspension travel differs: 150 mm at the front and at the rear for the ST (2010), against 127 and 152 on the GT. Likewise, the geometry of the bike is slightly modified: the frame angle opens by 0.3 ° while the frame decreases by 3.7 mm and the wheelbase increases by 27 mm..

Finally, last figure – "number" to be completely correct – to arouse our interest, the price: the GT costs € 13,440, or € 1,150 more than the ST or € 450 more than the ST version ABS . And on the road, what is the new Triumph "worth"? This is what Site went to discover by leading the new English GT to Montreux in Switzerland….

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