Triumph Thunderbird 1600 Review was revealed would be an understatement. Now, it seems that Thunderbird’s depressingly mediocre nature is all part of Triumph’s plan; they want customers to be lured by the potential of a 1600cc bike that’s neither Japanese nor a Harley, but necessitate the purchase of expensive aftermarket accessories in order to get it to look and perform like it should. Taking a page directly from Harley’s playbook, Triumph will offer in excess of 100 add-ons for the Thunderbird, available directly from dealers or a website specifically created for the purpose that will launch next month.
Thunderbird devours curves and laughs in the face of those who say cruisers don’t handle. From the very first corner you take, the Thunderbird will pay you the ultimate complement, flattering the rider with its impeccable handling and dynamic qualities in acceleration, handling and braking. An ABS braking option has been offered as an option too, offering additional security in all conditions.
Seat height, at 27.6 inches, is quite low. The seat itself is comfortable, with no complaints after well over 100 miles in the saddle and this coming from a notorious whiner when it comes to motorcycle perches! Looking down from behind the saddle is a circular instrument cluster, with analog speedo on the top half and matching tach underneath – a small LCD display is housed to the middle right. The instrumentation looks good, but rests on top of the 5.8-gallon fuel tank and requires looking down from the road ahead to glance, at least for me while wearing a full face helmet.
The real test of the Thunderbird will be on the sales floor, where its attractive $12,499 base MSRP compares well with the H-D Dyna line and has the potential to make the British firm some serious dollars. True, some, strike that, most of the H-D market is sewed up for life – with riders having inflexibly strong opinions about where their motorcycles are made, or at least the nationality of the brand even cutting into a small portion of H-D Big Twin sales would be a remarkable coup.
