Big cruisers are rarely very comfortable on contorted pavement, and the T'bird also prefers straight lines. Out on the road, the wide bars instill a sense of confidence, especially in the swervery. The light clutch and easy-snicking gearshift also contribute to the graceful feel. Opening the throttle produces pulsing power up to around 2,000rpm when everything smoothes out, and the prodigious torque seems to thrust the 'Bird along effortlessly. It's become a bike-reviewing cliché to say that the bulk and weight of a big cruiser dissipate once on the move, but it really is true of the T'bird in spite of some resistance to turning at walking speeds. A bonus (something all bikes should have, in my opinion) is the four-way turn signal flasher. There's a speedometer and (unusual for a cruiser) tachometer, as well as a digital display with a clock, fuel, 2 trips, odometer and range options, plus the usual idiot lights. Instruments are mounted in the tank top, requiring a downward glance to read them, which is less than ideal for consistent scanning of the road ahead. Three additional balance shafts in the motor mop up the residual wobbles to leave just the right visceral "character." Conservative rake and big brakes equal good steering and stopping. Triumph chose a 270-degree crankshaft layout, which gives a V-twin-like exhaust pulse while also reducing primary vibration. The beast fires with a thudding lurch and burbles heartily at computer-controlled idle. ![]() All the controls are where you want them, easy to reach and light to use in operation. To me, the engine has perfect visual appeal, though diehard vee fans may not concur.Ī low seat, with a slender front, and the broad handlebars make righting the 'Bird from its kickstand a breeze. A tiny bucket headlight and color-matched fenders and gas tank complete the visual cues. Especially noteworthy, though, are the shiny alloy wheels which lend the 'Bird a modern performance look. Bulk and chrome abound in the forks, rear shocks, handlebars and exhaust headers (double-walled to prevent discoloration). The engine is unashamedly a parallel twin, liquid-cooled, but with mock cooling fins. So now the new T'bird comes along, looking like a grown-up Speedmaster with a few steroid shots, and as such it checks most of the right cruiser boxes. As on any liquid-cooled cruiser, the obligatory radiator is tough to hide. And the slab-sided Mack-truck look of the R3 turned off the chrome cruiser crowd. Triumph learned two things at least from their R3 experience: While both are important, appearance trumps performance in the cruiser market and if your engine isn't a V-twin, it better appeal to, not repel, the target market. The America and Speedmaster are styled right, but don't measure up on presence and performance - two things the tank-like Rocket 3 has in spades, although it's an aesthetic train wreck. Triumph's success in the cruiser market has been sporadic at best. That it appears on the company's latest cruiser emphasizes the importance attached to the new bike. Like Bonneville, the Thunderbird name carries powerful marketing connotations for Triumph and is used sparingly. The exposed rear shocks are distinctively retro, but limit suspension travel. The last 6T Thunderbird was built in 1967, but the name briefly appeared on an economy 650 produced by the Triumph Meriden Cooperative in 1980, and was revived by John Bloor for a street-standard styled Triumph 900cc triple in 1995. And it was Triumph that licensed Ford to use the Thunderbird name for its sporty 1955 car. Bud Ekins (subbing for Steve McQueen) leaps the prison camp fence on one in The Great Escape (1963). It's a Triumph Thunderbird Brando rides in The Wild One (1953). Ever the showman, Turner launched the Thunderbird at the Montlhéry circuit in France, where three machines completed 500 miles on the track at an average of over 90mph. ![]() market - a new 650cc machine, known until then only by its codename 6T. The evocative image seemed perfectly suited to grace Turner's latest and largest motorcycle, designed specifically for the U.S. On a trip to the Daytona races in the 1940s Triumph's boss, Edward Turner, came across a Thunderbird Motel, and on the grounds there was a totem pole topped with the mythical bird. It's often depicted atop the totem poles of Pacific Northwest peoples. In North American indigenous mythology, the Thunderbird is a supernatural avian of immense power, said to create thunderstorms by flapping its wings. 10 min read Triumph revives an iconic name from its past to launch its heavy-middleweight cruiser.
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