Triumphrat

DiscoStew

With some choices in life—especially non-essential issues—it seems the heart always has a voice on the matter. Desire and the strong urge for instant gratification often bully our impartial, logical side, leaving us perplexed and frazzled when we would otherwise make a snap but prudent decision.

A scenario plays out in our head: "Should I go with affordable and sensible, or shiny and expensive?"

On the matter of looking for a new motorcycle, well, that's when the heart adds its passionate complexity.

To get a sense of what some manufacturers other than Harley-Davidson think the American consumer wants in his or her cruiser, we looked to Kawasaki's Vulcan 1700 Classic and Triumph's Thunderbird.

Our choice of Japanese and British mounts resulted in similarly priced and unexpectedly well-matched scoots, yet we found this duo differ enough in their interpretation of a cruiser to make for an interesting pairing.

More: 2010 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Classic vs. 2010 Triumph Thunderbird on Motorcycle.com

tba-golfer

Quote:

"...parallel-twin configuration (a layout prone to buzziness...)"

I haven't a clue as to what that means.

Visually, for me, he Vulcan is over done, heavy looking, and gaudy.
I do prefer the tank profile over the Triumph though.

__________________
"And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose."
A. E. Housman

Tbirdnz

I think it's a throw-back term to the old Meriden twins, meaning bee-like vibrations, my '62 AJS which was made during the same era has it but the new Hinckley twins inc this huge Thunderbird do not due to better counter balancing.


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Ride on !

Spades

Both are not my cup of tea.

Jefflee1

I have ridden both last year, I would have to pick the Thunderbird. The Kawasaki Did not fit me at all.........
I felt I was sitting on the tank and my knees were bent to much and up to high.

magicdave

I haven't ridden the Thunderbird yet but I have ridden the Vulcan and I will buy the Thunderbird. I am a Triumph lover since I bought my first one back in '73. It was '65 Bonneville. I loved that bike and didn't care that it had some vibrations. The only thing I didn't like about many British vehicles (I owned a bug eyed Sprite too) was Lucas Electrics, The Prince of Darkness. I owned a '62 T-110 in the '80's that was extensively modified and when I was finished I had a vintage T-110 with cast iron 800cc after market jugs and forged aluminum pistons, stronger aftermarket connecting rods, a flat slide Mikuni carb, triple disc brakes, fatter tires, adjustable forks, adjustable shocks and a modern electrical system with negative ground. I accidentally discovered that modification while working on a Honda 350 twin that I got for free. The alternator fit the Triumph perfectly so I took all of the electrics off the Honda and installed them on my T-110. Voila I had an almost stock looking T-110 that would literally eat 1000cc Sportsters all day long. Those cylinders were rounded like the originals so the only way you could really tell it wasn't a 650 was if mine was sitting next to a stock 650. I suppose someone that is into restoring vintage Triumphs is having a heart attack right now but I am a rider and wanted something that I could jump on give it a kick and ride off from California to New York without so much as a thought about it ever breaking down. The increase in power and torque was so good that I changed the sprockets to a much taller gearing so the gas mileage was around 50 mpg. An excellent ride that I wish hadn't been stolen because I would venture to bet that I would still be riding it. Oh yeah I also replaced all of the Whitworth fasteners with metric and eventually sold my Whitworth Tool set.

magicdave

Something not mentioned in the comparison review. Lots of people buy Harleys because of the heritage that the motorcycle enjoys. Triumphs have that very same advantage that no Japanese machine can match. When I was too young to even think of having a driver's license there were guys around town that rode Harleys and Triumphs. The Harleys were all Pan Head Dressers and the Triumphs were much sportier looking and were the machines that caught my eye. 'Nuff said.

Grumbler

It's all a matter of perspective. Would it be fair to surmise that those who
acquire Harleys or Triumphs have deep-rooted insecurity complexs due to
having a 4x8 up their arses about brand names? ;^)

Harley-Davidsons, to me, have been too heavily commercialized to retain
much their purported mystique. Triumph, fortunately, doesn't have that
dubious distinction.

Then again, are owners of Japanese motos to be looked upon with disdain
and contempt for indulging in pragmatism? =8^O

That said, the Vulcan 1700 Classic does nothing for me as it's just another
generic Japanese cruiser. Albeit with cramped ergonomics compared to the
older models like my '01 1500 Classic FI which looks more like a stripped
Shovelhead.

While I do fancy the Thunderbird, am not thrilled about the weight which is
heavier than that of my obsoleted meatball steed.

Hit www.twinlinemotorcycles.com which is a shop in Seattle that works on
Japanese motorcycles from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Don't tell me that the
Black Bomber CB450K or sohc CB750K don't have any class or heritage.

Regardless of brand or model, it's more about WHO you are that counts as
opposed to egomaniacs sucking all the oxygen out of the room.

__________________
Grumbler
Boise, Idaho
www.grumbleronwheels.blogspot.com

magicdave

Making comments like that certainly demonstrate exactly WHO YOU are and the one with the complex. I didn't make ANY comments about your character however if you want to start a pissing contest I will oblige you to a point. First of all the heritage of H-D and Triumph started decades BEFORE there were ANY Japanese motorcycles ANYWHERE on the planet. Got it!!! I have owned LOTS of Japanese motorcycles and maybe some of them BEFORE you were old enough to ride. I currently own a CB750. It would run and run well except at this time it is disassembled and in boxes in my shop. Incidentally, I had one when I also had the Triumph T-110 I will describe later in this post.

I have been turning wrenches on motorcycles since I was a teenager working on my 1948 WLH that was military surplus. I was lucky enough to find one that had never been assembled. It was still brand new in the crate having never been fully assembled so in 1966 I purchased a brand new 1948 WLH for $350.00. That was my first bike and while it was slow and a bit "clunky" and sometimes hard to start it did get me where I needed to go at the time. I was still in high school so I didn't have too far to ride. Then I owned a 350 Yamaha 2 stroke, then my very first Triumph Bonneville, then a YAMAHA XS-1100 that I converted to chain drive, then I had 5 '60's vintage Triumphs but only rode 1 of them, the other 4 were for parts because I was building and servicing chopped Triumphs back in those days. At the same time I also had 4 H-D Shovelheads in various stages of rebuild from 1 complete and 4 being built. I rode one for a short time but it just wasn't what I wanted in a motorcycle and bought them all as basket cases with the intension of rebuilding them for resale which is exactly what I did. I have had a few CB750's over the years which happens to be my all time favorite 4 cylinder motorcycle. I am not too sure but it is possible that when I modified a fuel injection system (throttle body injection) to fit on my CB750, it may have been the very first one anywhere (1983). Have you ever seen one of those? Back in the early 80's an aftermarket FI retrofit system didn't exist for a motorcycle so I made one work that actually came from an automobile bone yard. That CB750 was a daily rider that I installed a big bore kit to make it essentially a CB1000 with fuel injection. I used all of the electrics from a Honda 350 twin to convert my '62 T-110 to "modern electrics" thanks to accidentally discovering that the alternator would fit. Have you ever heard of ANYONE ever doing that? I doubt it. A point about the CB450 you mentioned that you may not realize or even know but having owned both of those Honda models I speak from experience that the CB350 was a better motorcycle than the CB450 from a handling standpoint and the 350 was actually much quicker than the 450. I owned them both and rode them both so I am speaking from experience.

You are the one that has a 4x8 shoved where the sun don't shine.
I have built more motorcycles from basket cases than you have ever thought about and MANY were Japanese scooters so don't make ANY comments about me you JERK! It is easy to make stupid comments on a website that include ridiculous insults. I am making some derisive comments here but ONLY because I will not ever allow ANY BUTTHEAD LIKE YOU insult me with such garbage. THE HERITAGE OF THOSE TWO COMPANIES ACTUALLY STARTED BEFORE I WAS BORN WHICH WAS 1949 in case you were wondering. When I was riding my Yamaha 1100 while living in California in the 80's I heard lots of insulting remarks about riding a "rice burner" but frankly I would not have owned a Harley in those days. That Yamaha was bulletproof. I got hit by cars on it in LA and rode it to the emergency room BOTH times after getting smacked pretty hard.

I only had all of those Triumphs because I got them for very little money. Neither brand (H-D & Triumph) was known for coast to coast dependability. I did have 1 that was super dependable after I made extensive improvements to it such as changing the electrical system to negative ground with an alternator thanks to the Honda 350 and my discovery that the parts would work on my Triumph. When I was finished with building that motorcycle it would eat 1000cc Sportsters all day long and I would not have hesitated riding to the east coast and back to California. It was an extensively modified 1962 Triumph T110 that looked bone stock but had an 800cc big bore kit that I had forged piston built for plus I modified the intake to accept a Mikuni carb for better breathing, installed a triple disc brake system on it and new front forks, better shocks,a hotter cam too but it still started out as a Triumph.

The point is though that when H-D and Triumph were developing the heritage that I spoke of, it was before I was in elementary school. I don't know your age but the Japanese bikes weren't even a pipe dream in those days. You kind of jumped into the fire when you accused me of ANY kind of motorcycle snobbery. When I am out there "in the wind" it isn't what you ride but rather THAT you ride so keep your insults shoved up YOUR butt where they belong and while you are at it go pound sand too.

Grumbler

Actually, my post was misconstrued as I had absolutely no intention of calling your
character into question nor insulting you in any shape or form. Was speaking in
general terms with a dash of humorous satire thrown in.

Unfortunately, what I posted and what you saw obviously spiraled off into, shall
we say, different directions. In retrospect, I was bit too obtuse there. I'll take
the blame for lighting your fuse. That was quite an explosion there, unfortunately.

One thing I've learned over the years is not to take any posts too seriously nor personally which is easier said than done.

Have been riding since '66 and have a comparable background to that of yours. Am
with you on the Shovelheads as mine turned into a paintshaker at higher speeds.

3 college friends of mine rode 3 CB350s around the perimeter of the USA back in '69. In fact, those twins had slightly more top speed than my '67 TR6R. They stopped by my place in Carmel Valley, CA for a night.

Again, was *not* trying to insult you nor anyone else.

__________________
Grumbler
Boise, Idaho
www.grumbleronwheels.blogspot.com