The bling’s the thing - Triumph Thunderbird (From Free Press Series)

The bling’s the thing - Triumph Thunderbird

2:06pm Friday 3rd July 2009

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TRIUMPH is officially the world’s fastest-growing motorcycle manufacturer.

Sales have boomed across the board, with a substantial 22 per cent of the company’s 50,000 bike sales going to the USA.

If the British manufacturer is to continue that growth and encourage new buyers from across the pond, it needs to address some glaringly obvious gaps in its motorcycle range.

There are certain segments where Triumph isn’t represented at all. There isn’t a small adventure sport bike for example or a litre sports bike (despite constant badgering from UK journalists). But for now, the Leicestershire-based brand has decided to concentrate on filling the yawning void between its entry-level, 865cc Speedmaster and the humongous 2.3-litre Rocket III.

Statistics show a massive 50 per cent of cruisers are powered by engines between 1400 and 1700cc. So it’s no surprise that Triumph has invested a lot of time and energy into producing the perfect-sized plug to stem the flow of escaping bike sales.

Of course, that means competing directly with the king-of-all-cruisers, the legendary Harley-Davidson, but Triumph is quick to point out that it is by no means expecting to knock the established Americans off their proud pedestal, or even challenge them to a head-to-head of bike sales. Triumph is more concerned with expanding its own range and offering an alternative to the Japanese low riders.

The first step was to dismiss the notion of using an air-cooled V-twin engine (the traditional choice for a cruiser). In order for the Thunderbird to stake a realistic claim on the market, it had to be totally individual and not just another Harley clone. It had to show dedication to the British heritage which is largely a world of parallel twins.

So Triumph has built a new parallel twin, which is liquid cooled and displaces a massive 1597cc. It isn’t a bored-out Bonnie or a Rocket III minus one cylinder; it’s a completely new engine and has been built specifically for the Thunderbird. American designer Tim Prentice was also assigned to the project, which started five years ago with a blank sheet of paper and now I’ve ridden the result of his efforts through the Spanish hillsides outside Barcelona, I have no doubt that this isn’t the end of the story. This engine will definitely be seen in other bikes.

The Thunderbird is pleasing to the eye. It looks proportioned and neat, with plenty of cruiser styling cues, but it’s hardly the lairy chromed cruiser that middle-aged dreams and cashed-in savings policies are made of.

I’m sure Triumph sees the bike as a blank canvas that it hopes buyers will make their own by splashing out on lashings of chrome, leather saddlebags or stylized footpegs. There’s a catalogue of more than a hundred accessories and £7,000 worth of extras available for this bike.

Triumph is dipping a cautious toe in the cruiser pool with the bike’s intentionally conservative styling, because they already consider the engine configuration to be a radical step away from the norm. Despite that, the Thunderbird still manages to capture a sense of quiet elegance and unmistakable quality. It feels and looks like a finished product. Not all cruisers do. The dash fits snugly on top of the wide 22-litre tank and incorporates a chrome-trimmed speedo, two trips, a fuel gauge, clock and distance-to-empty, which should be quite impressive as Triumph claim the Thunderbird has 20 per cent more fuel efficiency than most other cruisers.

Where Harley-Davidson is famous for its air-cooled V-twins, the water-cooled parallel twin is Triumph’s new signature dish - and it’s delicious. The low revving, muscular mounds of heavy torque are served in a smooth, faultless delivery that satisfies a really lazy appetite to gear changing. There’s no need to stir the box endlessly to find flavour and punch as you can taste the potential from as low as 1,500rpm, with the 85bhp peaking at 4,850rpm and 108 ft lb of torque poised at lowly 2,500rpm.

The transmission uses the first belt drive seen on a Triumph for 85 years. It’s as smooth as the power delivery, totally unobtrusive and dismisses the need for a grimy, high-maintenance chain.

While cruisers often feel as unsteady as a new-born foal at slow speeds due to the raked-out front forks, the Thunderbird’s handling feels confident and reassuring at any pace. Triumph has focused its attention on making it easy and rewarding to ride and as a result, it feels neutral and remarkably manageable.

The brakes are strong without being potent, and for extra security, an ABS version is available for an additional £600 (and a two-tone colour scheme for £295). Tight and tricky U-turns are easily executed, as long as your arms are long enough to cope with the bike’s ample steering lock and wide handlebars; and it feels relatively stable in the faster sweepers.

Of course, there is a softness to the suspension which becomes evident if you’re intent on riding as though you’ve straddled a sports bike, but the flip side is a plush comfort that encourages a more relaxed ride. The footpegs will start to drag as your confidence grows and you expect more and more lean from the bike, which is inevitable because it handles so well. But although you’ll touch down as often as a good American football player, you’ll still be scraping the pegs (or aftermarket footboards) less than a typical American cruiser for the same lean angle.

The Thunderbird fits the gap in cruiser market as neatly as it was intended to. It certainly has competitive performance and handling within the limitations of the genre. It also has a stronger identity than many Japanese customs. Performance, identity and a string of bling on offer É what more could you ask?

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Model: Triumph Thunderbird, £9,499 (ABS £10,099). Engine: liquid-cooled, parallel-twin of 1597cc, producing 85bhp at 4,850rpm and 108 ft lb at 2,750rpm. Transmission: belt drive through six-speed gearbox. Dry weight: 308kg. Seat height: 700mm. Fuel capacity: 22 litres. Contact: www.triumphmotorcycles.com

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