Well, my new Triumph Thunderbird 1600 arrived last August and I have already sold it after only 531 miles. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the bike, but first impressions left me under whelmed. I was expecting more torque than was readily available on tap and I was never impressed with the initial colours available. It’s not all bad – well, apart from the after market handlebars playing havoc with my wrists – the riding position is great, it’s a lot more fun accelerating off the lights and over taking than using the Triumph America. Although cornering is smooth, the footpegs scrape the ground a lot sooner than on the America, but for such a big bike with such wide tyres, cornering was effortless. Compare cornering on the Rocket III Tourer which has a smaller 180/70 rear wheel and you’ll see what I mean.
The only reason I sold the bike is because Triumph are releasing a special edition of the Thunderbird with a factory fitted big bore kit taking it up to 1700cc. They are also releasing two new colours; Phantom Red Haze and Phantom Blue Haze. I have already put my name down for one of the limited SE’s in Phantom Red, so watch this spac
Comparison of Aftermarket Handlebars
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