Went for a test ride on new Triumph Thunderbird this morning. I was totally impressed with the power, balance and handling. Very smooth ride with next to no vibration and the gear shift was smooth and precise.

The exhaust note from the in-line twin suggested there was some potential with after-market pipes.

The look of the bike won't appeal to everyone, simple lines and not overdone. The headlight bucket looked a bit out of proportion when looking over the fuel tank but hey now I'm really trying to find fault.

If you haven't already, I'd recommend you all to arrange a ride on one of these and see what you think.

Last weekend,i also went to the triumph dealer and test road the 1600 thunderbird .Nice bike plenty of power,but sound from the pipes could have been better. Aftermarket pipes if they make them would have been a LOT better.Couldnt get the full effect though,missouri has a helmet law and i have one of those german style helmets.At65 mph the wind up under the skid lid felt like it was ripping my head off my shoulders.With windshield would have been better.On the other hand i also rode the rocket fast. they dont call it the rocket for nothing. Has a small windshield,so 90 was nothing w/my style helmet,w/lots of throttle left to go.Cadillac smooth,shaft drive,well balanced,but imho floorboards to far back,and radiator to big for anywhere to put hiway pegs. Ive rode just about everything out there in a cruiser model,and i believe ill stick w/my 1700 roadie .

Did you say radiator??? Good God, No... another two-wheeled sports car!!!

Real motorcycles are air-cooled!

(aren't they? )

I believe youre right.Dont think ill have a bike w/a radiator.Radiator on that thing was big and wide.

Questcap wrote:
Did you say radiator??? Good God, No... another two-wheeled sports car!!!

Real motorcycles are air-cooled!

(aren't they? )

Mate, they thought the world was flat once I'm quite happy with liquid cooled 140cubic inches

A couple blocks down the street from my shop is a Wal-Mart. Today I went there to get a few things. When I came out one of those Triumphs was parked right next to me.

Clifford

Some of em are only half sports cars. They only water cool parts of the motor and the rest of the engine is air cooled. I think kawasaki and honda have a few like that.

I have not gotten to ride that one yet but... I did ride my brothers Triumph Rockett III. Wow, 2300 cc and super smooth. I am not a speed freak on two wheels but 100mph was silky smooth. At one point on our recent trip I thought a stealth fighter flew by me at ground level. I was runnin 75 and I saw those two head lights change angle in my mirror and "swoosh" was the next thing I felt and heard as he blisterd by me at over just over 140 mph bumping the revlimiter. I still like my shake'n and noise make'n road star but will eventully have a Triumph in my stable. Most likely the Thunderbord or the Rocket Touring. I will say Triumph is back on track and doing a mighty good job with the engineering aspect. I like the fact that on the 2300 you can pull the sleeves and pistons and just pop in a new set when the time comes. The nice thing about a liquid cooled engine is you can handle slow traffic and intown riding without worring about engine temp in the Texas heat. I hope to test ride the Thuderbird in the next couple weeks.

The liquid cooled also helps in COLD climates. There is a point when the water or coolant in the radiator is warmer than the air and will help the engine warm up to temp quicker.

The Triumph Rocket is a nice looking bike! Never rode one, have no need to do 140, bugs hurt enough at 80.

The Rocket is a beast.....that being said , the guys who abuse them (and that ain't a short list...) are finding that that overwhelming power is giving the bikes trouble. Things break under that kind of stress. BB