Triumph Thunderbird review - Telegraph.co.uk

[JustNews]

Triumph Thunderbird review - Telegraph.co.uk
22 May 2009, 6:05 am

Telegraph.co.uk

Triumph Thunderbird review

Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom

So Triumph commissioned Californian designer Tim Prentice to produce a bike that would more directly rival Harley, and he came up with the Thunderbird. The 1597cc engine capacity is right there with the Harley twin's 1584cc, while everything else about ...



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[DaveM]

Very nice review they are really starting to come out. However I am still waiting for an owners review as that is the one that counts in my books :y18:

 

[CarlS]

I agree about the owner's review. However, this is the best review I have written. I agree with the author's skepticism on the T-Bird's ability to rival HD. I think he summed it up well when he said that HD owners will appreciate it - and then climb back on their Harleys.

 

[DaveM]

Well when ever I have been around Harley owners on my Speedmaster I always find the very interested and having good things to say about it :y18:

 

[dazco]

I think he summed it up well when he said that HD owners will appreciate it - and then climb back on their Harleys.

W/O a doubt. I've been saying this all along. harley guys ride harleys not because of the performance, and aside from performance what other reason would they have to go to triumph? I doubt more than a fraction of a percent, maybe 1 out of 1000 HD riders will switch, if THAT much. So in that sense the bike will fail, and i'm glad ! Last thing i want is the dreded harly syndrome where every corner you turn you run into a mirror image of yourself and your bike.

EDIT: Oh my ! 54 MPG with mixed riding ?! Thats 10 MPG more than the best i ever got with my speedy ! That can't be right can it? If it is that would be a huge bonus. But they said 44 at 75, so they must have got it backwards. Still, thats much better than my 900.

 

[CarlS]

That is about what I get with my T100 solo.

 

[dazco]

I think the 900 cruisers seem to get about what i do. Mine seems average. The bonnie is what, 50 lbs lighter? That may account for your mileage to some degree, but still thats really good.

 

[CarlS]

I have an 18 tooth front sprocket which helps the mileage on freeways and I have the air/fuel mix dialed in. I would go to a 19 tooth; but when we ride two up, we use my bike.

 

[dazco]

Well, that makes more sense. Add to that the lighter weight and i can see how you could get over 50 on the highway.

 

[Thatch]

Will the t-bird convert the unwashed HD masses? Of course not, but the numbers of bikes the two companies sell is really not comparable. Even a small percentage of converts would be a major win for Triumph. I feel very confident that the tbird will be a BIG win for Triumph but that won't translate for a major loss for Harley.

Triumph has significant respect across the various cycle cliques and is not considered in the same light as the Japanese bikes. Because of that I think the tbird will get acceptance where something like the vulcan (is it just me or does that thing just get uglier each year) or vtx doesn't. Ultimately the tbird will be for those that are looking for something more out of their cruiser, better performance and or a desire to be different and since much of HD ownership is about buying friends and being in the club it has little chance to affect the majority of that market.

J