Thinking about moving from a Norge to a Sprint St

[radlefty]

I have put 29,000 miles on my Norge in the last 3 years and has proven to be the best all around bike I've ever owned. After years of riding standards & cruisers, it's the first sport-tourer I've owned and the ergos have been virtually perfect for me. I can ride 700+ mile days in relative comfort, attack the twisties beyond my skill level, easy to commute on and the motor is absolutely intoxicating.  So why am I thinking of switching to a Sprint? Before I bought the Norge, the Sprint was my leading contender for my first sport-tourer. I love the looks and the sound of the triple engine. I was waiting for the snow to melt too get a test ride when I discovered the Norge and found a great deal on the Norge and the deal was done. So now, as much as I love the Norge, I find myself thinking, wouldn't it be fun to have a little more HP, a little more torque and a little more clearance to attack the twisties...  I've done a lot of research and it would appear I would get all that from switching to the Sprint, with the downside being I probably would lose some comfort and abiltiy to haul long distances due to the more "sporting" ergos of the Sprint. The snow has finally mostly melted here in MN and I am hoping to get a test ride a Sprint soon, but until then I would appreciate any feedback from Sprint ST riders what they love about their bikes and especially how far they feel they can comfortably ride in a day.

[Croak]

I opted for a Sprint over the Norge several years ago, mainly because of the value proposition and higher level of specs.  I love the Sprint.  For me, it's been very comfortable for long distance, after some farkling (seat, factory higher bars, MRA Vario screen for colder weather).  For the last couple years, I've been taking three week (mostly) camping trips on the bike in the West.   Setting up camp after 700 mile day is no problem, no worse than after a 400 mile day really.

All that said, I've never quite gotten over my twin-envy.  A good friend and former co-worker bought a Norge year before last, and when we ride together, there's no doubt I have the better performing bike, and the more comfortable bike for longer distances and/or higher speeds.  But he's a lot more comfortable around town thanks to the almost cruiser-like seat height and the much higher pulled back bars.   Said ergos would probably kill me after a couple hundred miles.

And I think his bike sounds much better at anything short of my triple howling at WOT near peak RPM.  We're just hardwired to respond to the pulses of a twin.

[MadOzodi]

The most I've ever had the opportunity to ride in a single day is in the 400-500 mi range, which has been the twisties of Southern MO, Northern AR and any combination of the two.  In all those cases, the distance travelled was limited by the other riders in my group.  I can see a 700 mile day being possible and hope I get the chance to do one eventually.

I went with the Spencer's seat mod and also have an MRA Vario Touring screen.  In my case, going from the higher factory bars on my '09 to the lower bars from an '06 actually made the bike more comfortable for me.  I did my first 300+ mile day on Sunday with them and no sore wrists!

[Thunderbox]

Sounds to me like you better not sell the Norge until you actually get some time in the saddle.

[radlefty]

Sounds to me like you better not sell the Norge until you actually get some time in the saddle.

I would love to rent one for a weekend, but no one around here does that. Going out to the local dealer here who has a couple of used ones listed and see if I can set up a demo ride.  They've been pretty good about test rides in the past.  By the way, how are enjoying your Norge?  Been able to ride it yet this year?

[Thunderbox]

I would love to rent one for a weekend, but no one around here does that. Going out to the local dealer here who has a couple of used ones listed and see if I can set up a demo ride.  They've been pretty good about test rides in the past.  By the way, how are enjoying your Norge?  Been able to ride it yet this year?

No I haven't.  Thanks for asking radlefty. We still have a lot of snow and the temps here still go down to 10 C at night.  Thee are a few bikes running around but not many.  Thanks again for the help.  It made an awfully short season a little longer.

I got a new GPR muffler to install and a chip to richen it up a little.  I am hoping to get rid of the pop on decel.

Is the weather good in Mpls.  You must be riding already.  360 days till retirement then I will be riding 12 months of the year.  Yahoo.  Good luck with that Sprint.  Triumph makes a pretty good machine.  I like the blue ones myself.  Talk to you latter.

[Rincewind]

Like Croak, I sometimes suffer from twin-envy, specifically of the Italian variety.  It's bad sometimes.  

Radlefty, have you ridden a Sprint yet?  A demo ride will really help you make a determination.  Though the Norge and Sprint are in a similar class, they are very different bikes.  You may like or you may hate the lower, more-sporting ergos of the Triumph.  The Norge ergos are touring-neutral in comparison.  

Performance-wise, the Triples are hard to beat for sheer riding enjoyment.  In my limited experience, the Guzzi twins are nice, feel natural, and friendly.  The triples are all banshees.  

[St_rydr]

I've done some very long days in the Sprint ST saddle. 1100mi was my personal best...I rode 300 the next day. It's all a matter of likes and dislikes. I am tall 6"4 so if the Sprint has some pretty good ergo's from the get go to accompany my size. I traded in for a Tiger 1050. It will accomplish most any thing the ST will do up to 100mph..after that I would rather have the fairing and lower center of gravity...how often do I ride at triple digits? Not much any more. Made the switch pretty painless. The Sprints will always hold a place in my heart. I still have my 1996 Sprint and have owned them all until the GT.

[radlefty]

Well, I have been unsuccessful in finding a test ride. So being a person of very little patience, I ended up buying a 2007 Sprint off of ebay  in Florida for a very good price. Was able to talk to both the buyer & dealer who has service the bike and I am confident the bike is in excellent condition.  So I am flying to Florida on Saturday morning and riding home to Mpls. Taking the whole week off so my tentative plan is to head to northern Georgia & then some of the glorious roads in North Carolina & Tennessee. I figure a week should give me a good test ride of how I like the bike! If I like it, I will probably try to sell the Norge & wait for the 8V Norge to arrive in the States & see how I like it. If I don't like the Sprint, I will sell it and consider it an expensive test ride.  I will report next week how I like it.

[Rincewind]

Now that's a test-ride!  Good luck, radlefty.  

[Calabrese]

I opted for a Sprint over the Norge several years ago, mainly because of the value proposition and higher level of specs.  I love the Sprint.  For me, it's been very comfortable for long distance, after some farkling (seat, factory higher bars, MRA Vario screen for colder weather).  For the last couple years, I've been taking three week (mostly) camping trips on the bike in the West.   Setting up camp after 700 mile day is no problem, no worse than after a 400 mile day really.

All that said, I've never quite gotten over my twin-envy.  A good friend and former co-worker bought a Norge year before last, and when we ride together, there's no doubt I have the better performing bike, and the more comfortable bike for longer distances and/or higher speeds.  But he's a lot more comfortable around town thanks to the almost cruiser-like seat height and the much higher pulled back bars.   Said ergos would probably kill me after a couple hundred miles.

And I think his bike sounds much better at anything short of my triple howling at WOT near peak RPM.  We're just hardwired to respond to the pulses of a twin.

I'm also considering a Sprint GT Vs Norge, and if I go the Sprint route it would be my first water cooled bike.
Your post is not clear to me how the sprint engine is better below 8000rpm than the Norge. The Norge has a bigger displacement by way of a 90deg. V-Twin Vs an inline three, that would tell me the Norge has more Torque to the rev line. The Sprint may make 15-20 horse more but that's above 8000rpm. I'm also confused how you consider the Sprint more comfortable for long distances, I would think the opposite is true by sitting on the bikes. I have not test ridden the bikes so others opinions are important, I am familiar with the Guzzi engines but not the triples.  

[Croak]

The Sprint actually has more torque on both sides of the peak than the Norge, 4v or 8v.  

The 1050 is a more modern, more efficient design than even the 8V 1200, and manages to make more torque with 150cc less displacement.   That's one of the many benefits of water cooling for you.

Sprint, 80 ft/lbs at 6300 RPM, and 70+ comes on in the high 2k range.  Torque curve is more like a torque prairie, a few dips and rises but mostly flat from bottom to top.

8V Norge, 77 ft/lbs at 5500 RPM, with noticeable peak.  The first generation Norge is a bit lower than the 8V peak, but with more below the curve.

It's more comfortable feeling on the Norge at first, but in reality putting all your weight on your ass is only good for short haul comfort.  The Sprint ergos split your weight between legs, ass, and arms better, and wind pressure helps as well.

[Orson]

the difference is that inline triple torques are like baby chicks chirping at your feet while v-twin torques are like holding on to two 120 pound bull mastiffs straining at their leashes