Not one for words BUT...... I,m 50 years old , been riding a variety of bikes since i was 16 years old ( 50+ bikes ), all i can say is why the fuck have i wasted my time with sports bikes!!!!!!! I appreciate some guys say the seat is a possible issue, but i can ride easily until the tank needs filling with no issues at all. Approx 160 miles then fill up, 10 minute coffee break then away, 500 miles + a day with ease . Handling is good if you dont think your Valentino Rossi, ride the bike for what it is.. an excellent tourer, commuting is superb as well as easy to use in traffic. I would recommend the trophy to anybody as a very competant tourer. I will add i,ve owned BMW,s in the past and in my opinion the Triumph is every bit as good if not better, sure the beemer has shaft but buy a scott oiler !!
I know everybody wants different things out of there bikes but you should at least try a Trophy and i dont think you would be dissapointed .

Bought the bike with 3k on clock,& paid £3k; currently 40k, mechanically easy to work on & so far it has been reliable.The worse bit is the seat, after 3 hours your arse is numb & after 10 hours you just want to get home. This is what its good at; when you need to cover ground quickly it just eats up the miles whilst still doing 45mpg plus.
Bit of an handful fully loaded; up Stelvio not a nice feeling [until you reach the top!]
Overall the best bit is the noise even with standard exhaust on, ride it between 4 & 6 k where it pulls like a train & is quick enough for an old fart like me.
Subsequent engine failure at 50K cam chain guide broke allowing cam chain to jump about to the point where it jumped off the cam sprockets with obvious result!

Loved the bike so much just bought £800 worth of part to rebuild it, & its not worth much more.

This is my Triumph Trophy 900 1994(see avatar). It’s the earlier model with the single headlight. This is the bike that I never meant to buy, as I had been looking to upgrade my trusty (and very cheap) XJ600 for something that I could wander around a bit on. I tried bikes such as a Tenere, an XJR 1200 which I loved, and the XJ 900. My biggest problem is that I’m 6ft 5 and most bikes don’t fit. The budget barely stretched to £1000. Consequently, finding the right bike was taking ages. A chance look around a local second hand dealer, someone who I trust having dealt with before, led me to look at the Triumph. It’s a large bike and at first glance it seemed huge, but once you get it going, it is hugely addictive. I had previously looked very briefly at a Triumph. I cant remember which one it was but it was bright yellow, and I didn’t really fancy it much.

Triumph introduced this bike in 1991 and the modular engine is the basis of the Trophy 900, as well as the Trident and the Daytona. From the modular design, the Trophy 900 was gifted with Triumphs’ long-throw motor which at the time was the star of their show. Irrespective of which form you bought the engine in, it has bags of character. Just ask anyone who has ridden one. Future development of this engine went on to produce the first Speed Triple and the Sprint. The 885 cc staying constant and changes that started with cam profiles.

The engine is really distinctive even with the woolly sounding original pipes. It was almost too quiet, so I changed them for some after market pipes which with a bit of a prod or two and no need for re jetting gives this particular bike a very singular noise which beyond 6000 makes my face snap into a stupid grin every time I hear it. The triple engine has a big following which is growing all the time, and rightly so.

But back to this particular bike. It does feel like a big bike when you first get on it. Once you get it going it doesn’t feel so big at all. In fact, I find it easy enough to traffic dodge around central London, on the few occasions I have had to go there. Around town it feels really secure, and on open road it is really stable, even with the Ortlieb luggage on the back. It will happily cruise at 80/90 with no problems at all on the motorway. On average I get 150 – 160 miles to a tank. The clocks are clear, and protection is good. Being a bit taller than some, I get some wind noise but I haven’t fitted a taller screen as it doesn’t make my neck ache. I do however use ear plugs on longer journeys but that’s mostly about the helmet I wear I expect.

I’ve fitted heated grips, which are great. This is about the only mod apart from the pipes.
I couldn’t resist the replica 1939 Supermarine Spitfire markings as the BRG was screaming out for it, especially with the new louder pipes.

The engine has been very reliable. I didn’t have much history when I bought the bike so I have had to sort things out as I’ve gone along. Having said that, I bought the bike with 37000 miles on it in August ’09 and today it has 51007 and during this time, I have done only general maintenance and nothing major, although I did change the inlet rubbers.

Having no history with the bike meant I had to do some sorting of stuff;
Sprockets and chain
Brake pads
New front discs
New tyres (now running Conti road attack front and Bridgestone BT 021 rear)
Valve clearances (which also meant that I had to use helicoil inserts to fix a previous engine cover bodge)
Fixed the clock!
Various oil changes
Fork seals.

The bike does burn a bit of oil, and one day I will strip it down and give it new rings and valve guide seals. I also hope to get a custom seat made up as I have an ongoing back problem.

Other than that, the bike has been superb. Its great fun to ride, it is consistent, comfortable, reliable, turns heads and fits me to a tee. It will fit shorter people than me, so don’t just think it’s a tall persons’ bike. I really didn’t ever thing I would ride a British bike I certainly wasn’t looking for one, but I’m glad that I took the step. So here it is people, never discount a Hinckley Triumph. You’ll be amazed what you get for your money.

Incidentally, I’m not sure if this acceptable to do, but the guy I bought my Triumph from has a Sprint RS for sale. He is a reliable source.


http://www.bikehutbristol.co.uk/used-motorcycles/1534_triumph-sprint-rs.htm

Thanks for reading this.
Cheers
Matt