Triumph Sprint RS

Motorcycle News' last stint with Triumph's Sprint RS was when we had one back in 2000 as a long-term test unit. By all accounts it was an office favourite, with many an argument over who was taking the keys for the weekend. That Sprint RS had gone back to Triumph by the time I commenced my tenure at AMCN, so when a ride was offered at the recent 2002 Sprint RS national launch I eagerly grabbed the chance to see what I'd been missing.

Along with its sister the Sprint ST, the half-faired Triumph Sprint RS has received the extra performance boost of the third generation 955cc in-line triple powerplant for 2002.

In essence the RS is a leaner and meaner version of the fully-faired ST, differing in lighter weight, lower set clip-ons that place a little more weight bias on the front, with revised rake and trail that add up to more of a sportsbike package than the ST sportstourer.

LOOKS MATTER
I reckon half-faired bikes usually look good as the engine should always be the focal point of a bike, and you can still have reasonable wind protection with a smaller fairing.

The Triumph RS half-fairing protects well, but I can't honestly say I love its looks. But then again, I didn't like BMW's R1100 S either when it first came out - but now I do, so time will tell.

Incidentally, the Triumph engine looks great with the black side covers and the contrasting case bolts, much better than some Japanese engines in naked guise.

The bodywork, suspension and the twin spar aluminium chassis are essentially unchanged from the one Mark Fattore tested back in February 2000 (Vol 49 No 15), as it's only the engine that's benefited from major changes in 2002.

The RS now has a 10ps increase to 120ps, largely gained by a redesigned cylinder-head with 1mm larger inlet valves and 1mm smaller exhaust valves set at a narrower included angle. There's also an increase in compression from 11.2:1 to 12:1.

On the fuel delivery side of things new smaller injectors, now in larger diameter throttle bodies, are controlled by totally revised engine mapping to keep a smooth and torquey power delivery.

NOISE WORKS
Noise reduction has been gained by relocating the alternator to the lefthand side of the engine, eliminating a gear train, and the starter motor drive is now on the right with its gear train only turning when the starter is actuated, not running all the time as before.

It's nice to see Triumph not rest on its laurels and pay attention to detail engineering improvements like this as not only is there noise reduction, but benefits are gained in reduced power loss along with the revised crankcase breathing that makes for a more efficient engine.

New exhaust headers, now with a balance pipe designed for even more midrange torque, round out the performance modifications for the new 2002 engine.

Triumph claims the new engine is 2.5kg lighter, so with the new thinner radiator and the smaller, lighter fuel injectors the weight should be down. But the claimed figure of 199kg dry remains the same.

DISTINCTIVE TRAITS
On the road all the traits of the distinctive Triumph triple engine are still present, the three-cylinder burble and the smooth linear power delivery that makes the RS more of a sportsbike than its looks suggest.

Our chosen test route was out west from Triumph Australia's Melbourne HQ along the mind numbing 60kmh and 80kmh zones the length of the so called Geelong 'Freeway' then the scratchers delight of the Great Ocean Road to Lorne, inland to Forrest with fast open corners and down from the mountains to Apollo Bay.

With a relatively long wheelbase of 1470mm - a Suzuki TL1000R is only 1415mm - I expected the Triumph to be handful in the very tight twisties, but it steered very well with no tendency to understeer. The standard fitment Bridgestone BT020s were certainly well up to the task.

Even though the suspension package is basic, with only preload adjustment on the forks, preload and rebound damping on the rear, it was well set up for the variety of uses I subjected it to.

The new engine is not only powerful but very smooth, with no discernable flat spots in the power. It was easy to hold a constant speed, unlike some big-bore bikes I've encountered.

I didn't need to rev it or change down to get good acceleration, as it pulled well from low down. That's always been a Truimph triple plus, but now it's even stronger.

BUZZING ALONG
Using the triple's power exiting the fast open corners near Forrest was a buzz, and by this time I'd swapped my standard mount for one optioned up with the soft panniers, colour-coded bellypan and the carbon performance muffler.

I would recommend every RS owner gets that muffler ($775.00) as it sure makes a difference, especially in the midrange. And that distinctive triple sound is just magic. Plus I could ride past Mr Plod on part throttle and he wouldn't bat an eyelid.

New for 2002 are the colour choices of acidic yellow, my favourite, and jet black. Gone is the lucifer orange of our long-termer.

I'm not keen on the colour-coded bellypan ($500.00), not just for this bike but for all partly faired bikes. I think they look a bit 'cobby' and hide the engine, which is after all the attraction of a half-faired bike.

But I do like the quick-removal soft panniers ($415.00) that have a nifty protection cover to prevent them scratching the bike's side panels.

BARGAIN PRICE
I can now see why everyone wanted to take home the AMCN long-term RS. It's powerful where it counts in the midrange, very comfortable, quite nimble for a big bike and actually feels smaller than it is on the move.

The new 120ps engine provides more than enough power to put it ahead of most of its competitors, such as the BMW R1100 S, which has 98ps, weighs 229kg and is priced at $17,950. The Triumph RS weighs in at 199kg and is a bargain at $14,490.

Why Triumph sold more STs last year than the RS I don't know - it must be that fairing....