When you roll off down the road on the powerful, smooth-riding Triumph Thunderbird, you really feel like the king of the road.
Before you pull away, of course, you’ll have noticed the high build quality, lustrous paint, the painstaking attention to detail and the way it blends retro charm (bulbous headlamp, tank-mounted instruments) with a dash of modern (beefy front forks, showy exhausts, fat rear shocks). There’s something slightly Flash Gordon about this chromed cruiser.
It gets even better when you fire it up and enjoy the deep rumble from the huge 1,600cc in-line-triple engine and give the nice, fat throttle a bit of a twist. Not only does it sound great, it pulls like a train too, so ease the light, perfectly judged clutch out and hold on tight.
Peak torque comes at just 2,750 revs, and don’t you know it. At slower in-town speeds it’s well mannered although, of course, it’s still a 339kg giant and you have to remember that when you’re trickling through traffic or parking. But it’s well-balanced, the low seating position feels just right and I liked the suspension too.
When things speed up it all flows beautifully. The gearbox is a sweet-changing gem and the switchgear works perfectly too. The front brake is reassuringly powerful although the rear one needs more of a shove. The test bike also had (optional) ABS.
Some hardcore cruiser fans might find the T-Bird is a little too refined and ever so slightly derivative, with looks that will likely fool those untutored in the ways of the famous Harley-Davidson V-twin engine
into thinking it is a Harley.
Already, however, the T-Bird has its own legions of fans. No wonder one in five bikes over 500cc bought in the UK is now a Triumph. An astonishing testament to the marque.
Fuel tank capacity: 22 litres;
Seat height: 700mm;
Weight: 339kg;
Torque/Power: 146 Nm/85bhp
Price: £10,495 (+£600 for ABS)
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