To win ‘cruiser of the year’ in the definitive USA market takes a very special bike indeed and the Triumph Thunderbird is exactly that and then some.
North America adores the cruiser theme more than any other country in the world. In fact cruisers out sell all other classes of motorcycles in the USA by a considerable margin. Perhaps the cruiser’s sale success is down to nothing more than the burgerites consistent and topical expansion and a big fat low machine is the only thing the bloaters can swing a giant thigh over, or maybe not? But, whatever the reason for vast sales figures, the cruiser market is worth more than a billion patties.
If you want to make the best cruiser in the US that doesn’t begin with ‘H’ you’re in for a hard time. Triumph has already been through hard times and for them to flick the finger at the V-twin fans and ‘dare’ to change the rules with a parallel twin was a brave move. It’s worked though because their Thunderbird is a fantastic motorbike and even if you don’t like cruisers I guarantee you’ll enjoy this more than a double cheese burger with extra cheese on the way home from the pub.
The massive 1600cc engine is near perfect for cruiser duties and even though 85hp doesn’t sound much for the piston size 146Nm @ 2,750rpm more than compensates. Just a twist of the throttle thrusts the Thunderbird forward at an alarming rate and if you can hang on for long enough you’ll see 200km/h on the big chrome speedo. Plenty fast for something that weighs the same as a youth who frequents the Milwaukee McDonalds.
The fuelling is also spot on and no matter where the rpm lies the engine will briskly haul yer ass towards the horizon with no hesitation, unlike some of the ‘others’. It also sounds like a Thunderbird should, assisted by the genuine Triumph aftermarket silencers from their extensive bling parts catalogue. This gorgeous bark is undeniably a big twin but you can tell it’s something different from its competition and I like that.
So the engine is five star but what about the chassis and ride quality I hear you say? Well it’s as good as the motor and I haven’t ridden many huge cruisers that give you the confidence to throw them around like a bike with half of their dimensions. Triumph have chosen to use Showa suspension front and rear and attached them to a stiff frame, nice. Sure you can induce a weave when pushed hard into corners, which is quite entertaining, but when does one ever push a cruiser hard into corners? You see where I’m coming from here because the Thunderbird has that affect on you where cruising is cool but, if you want an adrenalin hit, it also delivers.
Now one of the most important aspects of any cruiser, to some the most important of all, is how the bike looks. If this is the case the Thunderbird again gets a gold medal because it’s a beautiful thing to behold especially in this new pearl white and blue. Wherever I went it brought out the ‘professional’ iPhone and blackbush photographers with accompanying vocal ooohs and arrrs. “This is the most stunning Triumph I’ve ever seen”, came from the mouth of a +/-100kg woman as she arched over the ‘bird whilst cramming another pie into her cranium. For once though I didn’t offer ‘this’ female a ride on the back for fear of being absorbed, but she was right about the bike.
For once I have to (but hate to) agree with the Yanks because the Triumph Thunderbird has no faults I can think of and deservedly lifts the trophy for the best big cruiser around. It’s easy to live with on a daily basis and the longer you ride it the better it becomes. The rest of the manufacturers certainly have to raise their game to produce such a complete package combined with stunning build quality. And perhaps if they changed the name to Thunderburger they’d sell even more?
Now check out the accompanying video from 2Wheels TV in the video section.
Log on to www.triumphmotorcycles.co.za for more information and the accessory’s list. 
