[vtimm]

Wait a minute!! My boyfriend and I have 6 Triumphs - two of them are 2006 Sprint ST ABS's. I've got to say that in my opinion, The Sprint ST is the perfect bike!! It's sporty, yet comfortable. The torque is AMAZING!! I love the triples!! No more searching for gears to get into the power band like the four cylinder bikes.

What's especially nice about the Sprint ST is that it's ready to carve up twisty roads at any given moment, yet comfortable to do so for four hours or more. It's naturally great on long distance rides. The suspension is forgiving in all the right places and reactive enough for optimal performance riding in the twisties.

Lately I've ridden all types of bikes (BMW's to Hondas), but for me nothing is better than the Sprint ST. It fits like a glove and is very responsive. I recently had the opportunity to be an official Triumph USA Team rider at our local bike shop for their yearly demo days rides. I rode all but two of the current Triumph models available (I'm not into cruisers). The most comfortable and fun bike was still the Sprint.

As for any issues with the 2006 model, there was a problem with heat coming out of the right fairing, but Triumph came out with a fix for that. Just make sure the bike you're looking at has the heat fix kit on it. Reputable dealers will already have it done. Other than that, you're good to go!!

As for the panniers, my boyfriend has them on his bike. The only problem is that you cannot fit a helmet in them. I have the Givi V46 top case and I love it because I can fit two helmets in it. They changed the bar height in 2007 to make it more comfortable and came out with a refit kit. I had the bar kit and the new windscreen installed and find it much more comfortable than the stock version. Considering the new cost on that bike is well over $10,000 I would say the price you posted is a great deal.

Good luck and I hope this helps!!