

The engine let go at 20mph (thankfully), when the RH conrod snapped, the piston bent 2 inlet valves and the rod end came through the top casing. We were told about small end wear by a specialist and were sceptical as it only happened at certain revs and not all the time. We reshimmed the valves and replaced the clutch basket but it still ticked.

After 2 years of ownership, my mates trumpet developed a tick on the overrun between 3 and 5 thousand revs. On attempting to restart the motor, the subsequent hydraulic lock causes engine damage. The reason for this is that when Triumph triples get dropped, oil flows from the sump breather circuit into the airbox and through the throttle bodies into the cylinders. I am currently rebuilding a Daytona 595 triple which threw a conrod. So I'm keeping the 1150 for a while, but with the sales success of the 1200 it's only a matter of time before the big boys like Honda design something that beats it. I gave up, if they are like that when you may be putting nine grand their way, what kind of service do they give when you have problems? One guy was having a cup of tea with what looked like a mate, another disappeared into the back the showroom and the third, who actually managed to speak, politely asked me to go to one of the other staff as he was busy. I suppose mentally I'd already bought one when I decided to ask for a test ride. They had a Sprint demo there and it looked the business. I dropped in on the horribly-named On Yer Triumph near Aylesbury one quiet afternoon last week. I think the GS1200 is massively overpriced so decided to look at an alternative.Īll the reviews of the new Triumph Sprint rave about it, and as I don't go off-road on the GS I thought I'd have a look. After five years of 1150GS riding I'm ready for a change.
