Triumphrat

Ben Rawlinson

I bought a TBS last year (main bike T'dent 309, fun bike Thruxton) and I finally decided that it is, unfortunately, slow.
Not just "not very quick" - it looks great but performance is painful and nothing short of SHABBY - I rode a couple of others and had the thing Dyno'ed to be sure.
Like all the T309 based derivatives it is heavy and has a high C of G but 80ish bhp is just not enough so I have transplanted a "proper" 98bhp motor from a 1995 Speed Triple and it is HUGELY better - also an easy job - since all the motors fit all the bikes.....a bit of fiddling required but nothing beyond a headscratch and a cup of coffee difficult .
I had the spare motor anyway and I guess getting one up to the original T309 power would not be too hard (they can't be that different) but I was seriously thinking of selling - I can't understand why the power is so poor on a "Sport" machine.
The Thruxton is also slow but has the benefit of being light and flickable...

TBSstunta

Its a sport version of the Thunderbird, not a Sport bike, and FWIW your Speed Triple engine is slow compared to a proper sportbike. Gotta remember that everything is relative and power is just a set of cams away. Or a spare engine if you just happen to have one.

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2000 TBS Cafe Racer :: 2000 Frankenmille

Ben Rawlinson

OK - Relatively speaking a TBS is very slow compared to a 1993 Trident which is slow compared to a Daytona. That's the relatives taken care of....

But then the TBS and the Trident share the same engine basis and the name Thunderbird Sport and styling evoked power and pazazz....
I was hoping the Thunderbird "Sport" was going to be "Sportier" whereas it is not sporty unless compared with an HD "Sportster" ! , it is merely pretty.

Each to his own - I seek not to impugn the fine body of TBS owners.

Cheers old sports !

TBSstunta

It is sportier, I consider the better suspension and brakes an integral part of and more important than some extra power to make a bike sporty. But that's just the kind of riding I do.

As you said to each their own and you solved the problem nicely.

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2000 TBS Cafe Racer :: 2000 Frankenmille

coppi0_3

I suppose it´s sportier than my Legend but with my brief tale you´ll see how this is relative.
This afternoon I had the opportunity to ride on a circuit (Albacete) and while having a friendly duel with a friend of mine on his old RD 350 LC we had to bear being overtaken by several super sport japanese motoRRcycles but at the end of our series some others with similar bikes must have been wondering how an old Yamaha RD and a Classic Triumph could pass them. Greetings.
Emilio

scooterdoodler

I pretty much accept my bikes as what they are, and usually 'modify' my brain and attitude to accomodate the particular machine....this isn't always the easiest thing to do but I manage, and it has allowed me to enjoy many VASTLY different bikes over the years. I fairly recently went from a 37,000 mile Hayabusa to a 43 rwhp 650 Burgman 'super-scooter', with a short stop in between for an 8000 mile ride on a VTX1800R....now...I'll be looking for a very pretty Thunderbird as soon as my '07 Burgman sells.

Once again, I'll just adjust my mind to the T-Bird this time, polish all that chrome, listen to the triple sound, and make do with 69 hp for a while.

Tbirdnz

The TB class have very strong well built engines and can be modded for performance along with the rest of the bike. My modded TB has blown away a stock TBS.

However it wouldn't compete against a 98bhp motor, but even if I had one I wouldn't swap it, I'm happy with what my TB gives me.


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Ride on !

BRG-BIRD

Just yesterday my daughter and I were discussing our two motorcycles (Triumph T-Bird & Honda VFR) and she asked me which one I liked best. The best answer I could give her is that I like each one equally for different reasons.

I am very happy with the T-Bird's power.

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"You are either on something or onto something"........The Common Man

scooterdoodler

I'm probably going to get a T-Bird if I can buy a near perfect, stock machine for 4Gs, no more than $4500 absolute tops. I'm after the whole Thunderbird triple 'package', which I'll admit is mostly visual and emotional rather than based on raw performance, as long as the power is useful in the 'real world' of traffic and touring I'll be ok with it. Hopefully, later on, I can pick up another monster sportbike for those days when just nothing else will quite 'do' (I miss the Hayabusa), and it can share the garage with the beautiful Thunderbird...for those other days when nothing else other than it will do, in turn.

The only thing that is keeping me off of the T-Bird Sport is that I so dislike the appearance of exposed, blacked-out engines that it's a 'deal-killer' for me in this case. I'm a 'two-tone paint and chrome guy' when it comes to the British retro bikes, probably tracing back to my older brother's blue and grey 1965 Bonneville as my nostalgic influence in the matter.

musicisinmysoul

If its the need for speed thats floats it for you then you have definatley bought the wrong bike including the Thruxton, although personaly I find the Thunderbird and my T100 more than fast enough, How fast do you want to go anyway? Suggest you sell both and get yourself a Jap cruise missile, (not that I have anything against Jap bikes) Perhaps you are missing the point with Retro bikes.

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