So the kit that bumped the Storm’s displacement up by 102cc was recruited for both of these cruisers, and improved. The standard Thunderbird’s liquid-cooled, 1,597cc DOHC parallel twin is a fine mill, but as with the gargantuan Rocket III triple, Triumph decided that if enough was good, then more was definitely better. The Light Touring ’Bird features long-haul amenities like a quick-detach windshield (by National Cycle), removable leather saddlebags (with liners), and a passenger backrest and floorboards, while the Commander has a tougher, stripped-down facade, including dual headlights and low-profile tires. The muscular Commander and the light-touring LT are nearly identical mechanically, differing mainly in styling and tire sizes, with each bike stylistically true to its fat-custom purpose. They’re less two brand-new motorcycles than two versions of the same bike. To create these “fat customs” (Triumph’s term), its designers obviously worked with one eye fixed on the U.S. The Thunderbird LT is the highway-ready “Light Touring” model. So the company went back to the drafting board, and now the new 2014 Thunderbird LT and Commander seem to have the goods to stand proud in the distinguished brand’s legacy. Both offered well over a liter and a half of torque-laden parallel twin power, but neither has managed to draw enough attention to make Triumph happy. In the tradition of the original, the Thunderbird is a well-built, good-looking bike, and it was followed with a blacked-out, bug-eyed, hopped-up version called the Storm. But it wasn’t until the introduction of the liter-class Thunderbird in 2009 that the cruiser lineup really made heads turn. It’s also building cruisers, and its Bonneville-based customs have been best sellers.
Triumph’s return has succeeded because the company is producing excellent motorcycles, from eager sportbikes to first-rate dual-sports to an exquisite line of modern classics. Designed to appeal to the American cruiser market, both new Thunderbird models combine big-inch power with plush appointments. The 2014 Triumph Thunderbird Commander is a streetwise power cruiser.
0 kommentar(er)
