Sprint Looking For a Sprint For the Winter...and Next Spring/Summer Trips

I'm thinking of putting my Bonnie under wraps for the winter and buying a Sprint GT as a winter 'hacker' and then for longer trips next better weather. So I'm all over Ebay and Gumtree getting a feel for prices, and as happens with a big kid in a sweet shop I just have to have one now. Trying to decide whether to spend £1500-2000 on a lowish mileage 2001-2003 model There are three or four look good deals, all pretty much excellent condition. Or maybe a 2005 low mileage that has a cracked side fairing from a low speed drop, for £2200 (before barter), panniers and aftermarket seat, so so a cracking good price apart from the cracked fairing. Or go for one I'm in email discussion about. The latter is a 2000 Xreg, near 36k miles, so soon needs its 'C' service, and also needs a new tyre soon. Had quite a few owners, has a weird brown snake skin-effect seat with a slight tear in the front. Haven't seen it in the flesh yet but assuming some elbow grease and colour-coded Simonise will bring it up nicely. Anyway I reckon the guy really wants to sell quickly. He took it in p/e in the summer and has hardly used it. Now having to transport it to his temp home for the next couple of months and passing near me. He's asking £965, no bartering. I told him I'd be interested for less and will take it off him tomorrow if we can agree, and subject to me seeing it. So he asked me how much I'd pay. So now we're bartering lol. WiseBuyer's guide says £1180 in avge condition, £580 in poor. Think I'll offer £750 and see if he bites, and go to £800. At that price I reckon it's worth a punt to see how I get on with a Sprint.

 

He wants £850. Thinking. I see it's got aftermarket levers, which suggests it's been dropped at some stage. Yellow ones too on a red bike!

 

I got those short stubby fingers too - must be catching.

 

Whittled my short list down to a reasonable few. Using WiseBuyer's Guide for comparison, looking for best value (gotta think of possible resale). One in Leicester, asking £1400 for 16k miles 2001Y, seems in top nick, £60 above WBG trade value, but of course v.low mileage. Hoping to see it next day or two. One in Leeds also top notch asking £1750 for a 2003/53 with 29.5k on the clock, so £100 above WBG trade value. Then one at a dealer up north, 2002/02, 21.5k on the clock, reduced to £1450, so £100 under trade value, but has some scratches on one fairing - looks like a drop on gravel. For what I really need it for I'm thinking either of the two at £1400-odd will do me just fine. Gonna have to get to one to try sitting on it before committing to one from up north - be a shame if my dodgy hips don't let me get my leg over (nudge, nudge).

 

Must say I do like the look of the short-lived RS version, without the lower fairing. Reviews well. Much sleeker and sportier looking. Any owners able to comment on the wet weather protection without that lower fairing?

 

Ah decisions, decisions. Trying to decide between two atm, so long as they stay available. Blue one 2001/Y 16k asking £1400, private, says it's ex condition, but he needs to MOT it. Or green 'un from trade, reduced to £1450, 2002/02, scratches on one fairing, ready to go. They two are the best value, though there are a few others out there look pretty good too, but generally newer and costlier. Gonna try to shoot over to Leicester and sit on one today or tomorrow just to check for size. Less keen on green, but 2002 is the 'improved' model year.

 

Got over to Leicester and sat on the blue 'un and it fits nicely. Got to see a green 'un over there too. Looks okay too. So did some checking on Ebay and found that Sprints were going for less in the summer just gone than all current asking prices - it seems there were many more with low-ish starting prices and no reserves back then. So done me a spread sheet, factoring in mileage vs WiseBuyr's Guide 'book' values (I'm a nerd for this analysis sh1t). Then asked Auntie Google what she though and she reckons that gen3 (2002-2005) is the way to go. Now seen a couple of highish mileage RS's (high being 4k-5k pa, which is nothing really). Like the look of the RS and its slightly lighter weight, and lower values. So have a couple of those in my sights now. Now gotta think about the more aggressive riding position on these beauties.

 

So, got these two RS's in view. Almost identical mileage, green 'un's two years younger than blue 'un, both on gumntree. Blue £1295, Green £1200 (fairing a bit cracked). So reckon I'd see if the blue 'un would come down a bit, as he says in his add 'ono'. No email address! Texted him, 'sorry, don't do email'. Okay I know email is a bit old skool, but blimey how'd he join Gumtree without an email address? That's apart from not being very 'buyer friendly'. I want to see replies to questions about the bike in writing. Anyway, made an offer of £950, he says £1000, which is about right for me. So decisions.

Blue: 2003/52, plate hidden so assume 03/52. 53,000m. £1,000. Scott oiler, heated grips, grab rail, hugger, alarm.
BRG: 2005/54, 52,000m, £1200, belly pan, seat cowl, hugger, slightly cracked rh fairing (repaired but shows a tad), fuel warning light always on. Broken front mudguard he has replacement for. Price sounds about right on both. A little better on the green 'un perhaps, but blue has oiler and heated grips.

So decisions, decisions, prevarication, prevarication. I like the look of both. Need to see in the flesh of course. Which to go see first? Blue in Newcastle or green near Plymouth. I like the belly pan on green, but blue isn't damaged. Virtually equi-distance from Bedford, and same price on cheap advance train tickets. Buy a return for a a little extra in case I decide not to part with the cash. Gonna sleep on it.

Green has a nice sales video.
Blue:

 

Nothing clean in this price range anywhere near, especially since Auntie Google convinced me that a 2002+ bike is the way to go because of the engine mods. RS are cheaper than ST, but not many about. ST obviously has higher resale value. There's an 03/53 ST in Leeds, wants £1750 for it, 30k miles, no service history since 18k. I'm going to email a £1500 offer to see if he bites - he bought it for his DAS and now realises it's too much for him. There are quite a few cheaper earlier model year ST's, some with untidy damage to fairings and re-listed on Ebay after failing to sell. I thought of making some low-ball offers just in case any are desperate to sell. In fact I think I will. The £one grand RS in Newcastle does appeal though. With a belly pan added it will look the business.

 

Okay crispey, you've persuaded me that the train and possible return bike hikes from Newcastle and/or Plymouth are a bit serious, so those are now on the back burner. I went back to playing around with my spread sheet analysing the winning bids on 20 Sprints sold on ebay. Using WiseBuyer's Guide avge condition book values I reckon factoring 2.5p per mile against an annual mileage average of 2500 is a good rule of thumb on estimating going rates, at least for bikes up to 40k, before considering any adjustment for condition and extras. The best values on that basis are the blue 'un I saw in Leicester (he has a keen buyer looking today) and the green 'un from a trade seller near Preston. The latter has no handbook or service history, but I see on the plate and key fob that Webbs of Peterborough supplied it originally, so I just emailed their service manager to ask if they have a record of any service history. My analysis is probably all complete bollox, but it's all good fun sat in the pub over a lunchtime pint.

 

A wee update on the Sprint-hunt. That blue RS pictured above on Gumtree, I offered £950. He said he wanted nearer £1000 on the other side of the grand. I left it. All by text btw cuz he doesn't do email :shrug shoulders + raised eyebrows:. So he puts it on Ebay. Given the weather's turned not so nice, and it is a 240-odd mile ride back I put in a cheeky snipe bid of £815, just in case. Anyhows it just sold for £915, so less than I'd offered when the weather was nicer. The buyer got a very good deal I reckon, and that's with the price driven up by loads of bids from two bidders with their anxious 'it's my bike' leapfrogging every day.

 

The book on that bike was between £1210 and £1580. Knock of a bit for the high-ish mileage, add a bit for the nice extras and so at £915 I do reckon some Triumph enthusiast has got a tidy bargain.