2011 Triumph Thunderbird Storm Review

Refuse to copy the developments in virtually every cruiser in the market today, the boys decided to Hinckley Thunderbird with an engine power in parallel-Twin instead of the venerable V-Twin. Not only that, but Triumph had its expertise in parallel Twins and produced the largest production version ever made - one that left quite a positive impression on our own Kevin Duke, leaving him more impressed that he thought that it would be the global launch of cycling in Spain.

New Year, Triumph take a page from the book America and efforts to raise with the new Thunderbird Storm. In short, while T-Bird is an elegant, friendly cruiser Storm is a certifiable badass.

 

The first thing you probably notice is the dark interior. The storm about the attitude, and nothing defines the position of a cruiser ditching the chrome and go black. Start with the front fork stanchions, stirrups, the Speed ​​Triple style dual headlights, turn signals, bar risers, gauge bezel, hood, chain guard, shock springs, gears and two wheels together to get the treatment in black.

But as they say, not to replace the transition, and an optional 1700 cc Big Bore kits available for the Thunderbird is now installed as the Storm series. This set includes the most obvious pistons, cams reviewed, the largest segments, new cylinder liners, piston pins, and seals. Upgraded clutch springs have also dealt a blow to power. Consider the T-Bird still need to be warned: it is still involved in a smaller engine.

 

What does it mean? Try the demanding 12-horsepower bump (85 vs. 97) and another 7 Nm of torque (108 vs. 115) than the standard T-Bird. Representatives were quick to emphasize the triumph Dyno chart overlay that shows a clear advantage of the power of Storm and torque throughout the rev range than you might expect.

The rest of the engine characteristics remain the same: it is still a liquid-cooled, dual overhead cam head and a range of 270 degrees of fire that especially the accessory exhaust system Triumph sounds strangely like a certain American-twin V exhaust note of Milwaukee. 9.7:1 compression ratio, and fed into the cylinders through the gas fuel injection. In fact, the rest of the Storm is pretty much black-out T-Bird as well.

 

 

Triumph has chosen to introduce the storm North American release near Scottsdale, Arizona, where the tracks provide an excellent opportunity to stretch their legs.

Before you ever throw a leg over the bike, I took a step back and just admire its beauty. Styling is a subjective topic, but my first reaction is that Triumph has done its homework on how to style a cruiser which still retains its aggressive character. To validate my point, sitting outside the hotel, there were some storms draw the attention of hotel guests, which covers almost the entire spectrum of ages, men and women. Curiously, the storm draws attention for its lack of chromium in the same way that T-Bird does for its abundance of it.

 

When all the gawking of the way, I finally had the opportunity to throw the leg over the storm. It is not surprising that the cruise ship to enter the country was not very far 27.5 inches to be exact. Usually at this point I realized that someone in my honor, 5'8 ", 30-inch inseam, not the typical cruise ship built so long bars are typically try in my arms and gear shift lever is a tract too much. Do not like Storm.

Since the cylinders are side by side, rather than the V-angle, the seat can be closer to the bar with the fuel tank, which does not need to be stretched to cover the front of the cylinder as a V-Twin . Storm is also very useful to confirm raised bar, which does not change the distance of the bar, but the status bar tweaks just a smidge. This puts the pilot in my size in a comfortable and natural.

 

But I realized that I was too quick to judge my weight. Both brake and clutch levers have been to pursue my own hands, which I find a cruise down the line. Unfortunately, these units are not adjustable.

Thumb-starter, and is as impressive as it is made up of 1699cc parallel twin engine. Counterbalancers twin engine that naturally suppress feelings Buzzy. My focus is shifting from just the engine moving again. 1700 cc mill is a key part of the bike has everything and needs attention. Each touch of the accelerator to produce a sense of immediacy and strap the rear wheel, it felt like the whole body. No matter which one you have six gears, a wide spread of torque is not accelerating in storm quickly. Enough to pave the way for a short gear teeth are used in the top five quickly, but the high level of indebtedness of the sixth makes it ideal for overdrive.

 

When the engine on, the rest of the storm makes itself heard. The transmission can be notchy at times, but never lost in the change. There are some interesting details, like the instrument panel is located (black, of course) to the fuel tank and the speedometer, which dominates. The interesting thing is the tachometer, which can easily be mistaken as an indicator of the fuel as it is much smaller and is located just below the speedometer. Needless to say, that it was difficult to read, but I appreciate his presence. Excursion would then lead us in Canyon Lake, where the streets, when the coil, could use a little 'maintenance.

In the tight stuff, it was impressive storm (for a cruiser anyway). It balanced turn-in and have a good line, with its track 151mm. Suspension, which consists of a 47mm Showa fork and dual front shocks in the rear, providing 4.7 and 3.7 inches of travel, respectively. The units are not adjustable save up adjusting the preload on the rear.

 

Performance of the suspension was a bit of an anomaly. His manners were perfect highway and provides a comfortable and luxurious. Bits of bumps around Canyon Lake transformed the ways of the bike, however. Both sides are recovered quickly in the movement of the road, but was only given to mount on the worst. Add to that a saddle that is filled with foam firm enough, and it is best to find the road paved with the best preserved.

While the storm is building the momentum forward, occasionally comes to rest is also important, and the Storm offers a worry-free performance and impressive, which is something not normally associated with bikes this category. Dual 310 mm floating disc at the front are coupled to each Nissin four-piston, while the 310 mm rear disc is attached to a fixed twin-piston Brembo. The binding energy compared to only provide decent stop, but press the rear brake lever and also has the power braking feel the sport.

 

Overall, the Triumph is on a roll from the end, with its diversity plan to reach a wide range of riders. Take the fight directly to the Harley-Davidson and the cruiser market by storm (and Thunderbird) is a bold move, but it is, I'm sure will be much closer than people think.

Storm is available in any color as long as it's black, but at least you get to choose Matt Black and Jet Black. One of them will cost you $ 13,899.