Incoherent babbling by Kenn Stamp

Beautiful photos from Triumph

Triumph chose this year's BikeWeek in Daytona, FL. to introduce to the press their new for 2010 Triumph Thunderbird. There has been a lot of info available on the web for awhile now but this was our first chance to actually see the bike in person and sit our butts on the seat.

We all gathered at a small restaurant in Ponce Inlet, FL to check out Triumph's biggest twin yet. The lighting was dim so photos were not very easy to take, though there were some insistent journalists there that tried; probably told to come back with photos under pain of death by their Editor-in-Chief. I decided to rely on stock photos and there may be some video soon if I can clean it up enough.

First impressions of the bike:

It isn't that big. After seeing/riding the Rocket III I was expecting a much bigger bike. Very comparable to a Harley Davidson Dyna Wide-Glide in size which makes sense but for some reason I was still expecting something more massive. Dry weight is listed as 678 pounds so the bike is no featherweight but not heavier than its classmates either.

It is very well balanced. I could lift the bike off the side stand with very little effort. In reality it felt more like a mid-weight cruiser than a heavy-weight. This means that Triumph not only did a good job with keeping the mass low, but also with the overall chassis geometry. Unlike what some journalists apparently believe (judging from their comments) 

It is very comfortable. Sometimes cruisers either stretch you out too much or cramp you. Sometimes they do both at the same time; stretch your arms while cramping your legs. Luckily, it appears the Thunderbird was made by people who actually understand how the human body works. Make no mistake, it is still a cruiser that places your legs out in front of you but the handlebars are positioned well and are wide enough to make the whole seating work. It actually reminded me quite a bit of the Victory Hammer S that we tested....no they aren't direct competitors as Triumph says the Thunderbird is NOT a muscle cruiser.

In pictures the bike has a tendency to look "open" as there appears to be a lot of room around the motor. Some people like that look but I always thought it was like looking under the hood of a full size car from the 60's and finding a 6 cyl. there; big frame, small motor. In person that "open" look is diminished due to the overall massive look of the motor itself and how it is designed.

Triumph claims that the 96 cubic inch motor (1597cc) puts out 84.8 hp at 4850 rpms and 107.7 lbs ft of torque at 2750 rpms and if this holds to be true will make the bike very competitive in the heavyweight cruiser market. OK, OK, so it will be down on power slightly from the big 1800cc Japanese cruisers out there but Triumph has that covered as well; a 1700cc kit will be available. Slap that sucker in your new Thunderbird and the power supposedly jumps to 100 ponies. While no torque figures where forthcoming, I was told that the number "will have the Japanese bikes covered even though we are giving-up 100cc's to them". Sounds good to me and proves how good vertical twins can be.

Probably one of the most impressive things about the Thunderbird is the level of fit and finish. Even on the two pre-production prototypes, the level was easily the same or better than any of its competitors. The paint appeared to be glossy and deep with nary a fish-eye or flaw to be seen, but the lighting wasn't the best so a better look may be in order. If Triumph builds the Thunderbird to the same levels as the rest of their bikes (and why wouldn't they?) then I doubt anything untoward will come to light in the light, if you know what I mean.

When the bike is released for public consumption this Spring/Summer not only will buyers be getting what should be a great bike, but they will also be able to choose from over 100 accessories available at the same time the bike is launched. New owners will be able to transform their Thunderbird from a stripped down cruiser to a full dress cruiser before it ever leaves the dealership floor. The transformation of the the black bike on the left only brought the price to a little over $16k; about $1500 less than a comparable Heritage Softail. Having over 100 accessories available may not seem like a lot to those used to the Harley Davidson cataloge but for any other manufacturer having 100 accessories available at the same time the bike is launched is huge. I would expect the aftermarket to also jump on this bike pretty quickly as well.

I really like the overall look of the bike and I can't wait until we can ride ride later in the year. The only part of the bike that leaves me feeling blah would be the exhaust. They aren't bad looking but on a bike that has such good body lines they look a little plain.

Stay tuned to 2WF.com for our first ride on the 2010 Triumph Thunderbird.

Specs on page 2

Head over to Triumph.com to see even more photos and info on the 2010 Triumph Thunderbird

Want to talk about the Thunderbird? Go to our Thunderbird thread on our 2WF forums .