Triumphrat

chrismcg

currently ride a shadow 1100, have put deposit on new thunderbird. Took one for a demo ride was most impressed with the handling and braking. I am interested in any discussion concerning the TB before i part with any more hard earned money.

I have read some forums and they have raised more questions than answers. had hoped TB seat might give less bum ache but apparently i will still need the airhawk. also want a screen - looks like the windvest are better than the triumph originals. also want to fit a topbox for touring - any suggestions regarding this will be greatfully recieved.

Catenaccio

Welcome to RATnet! I'll send this over to the Cruisers-Thunderbird forum for answers to your questions.

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DruAde

Welcome Chris.

The stock seat is surprisingly comfortable. As in all these things it is subjective of course but I find the stocker good enough for a 60 minute ride with no trouble.

Check out the touring seat with riders backrest for longer journeys. Of course give it another 6 months or so and the third party stuff will start coming out.

As for the screens , yes some people seem to like the windvest over the Triumph one . Personly I think they look cheap but they do the job . There seems to be some issue with buffeting with the Triumph screens , but hey, when are there not buffetting issues with screens anyway?

Again there will be TBird third party screens even though, even now, some third party screens fit anyway.

Top boxes I have seen and there is one on another TBird site . Again all prety standard fair.

By the time you get your ride a lot more third party stuff will be out even if the Triumph stuff is fairly comprihencive

dazco

I thought the stock seat was hard. But i assumed they made it like that on purpose because i'd heard in the long run it can actually be less tiring. Whether i actually heard that ot not i dunno, but it's certainly true. No 2 @ss's are the same, so YMMV. But i have put in several 6-7 hour days with very little fatigue. in fact, the rest of me was more fatigued just from sitting that long then my arse was. I find the seat more than adequate. theres a long haul seat triumph sells if it bothers you, but i'd suggest giving the stock seat a fair chance first.

AZfun

I just ordered the 16x16 Windvest "Smoke Screen" for the Black Bird and there's nothing cheap about it! Well, I'll admit...it's cheap because Windvest HAS GREAT PRICES, ask for Doug!!!!

willyt

I agree with Daz....Stock seat is very comfortable

Took a nice trip down to the Skyline Drive in VA and was very pleased with how the bike performed.

Was in the saddle for about 6 hours with no problems.

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chrismcg

thanks for all the comments.

dazco and willyt, I'll go with your assessment which agrees with the review i read in the "motorcycle cruiser" mag. 5 hrs would get me the 500 km from my home town of Mt Gambier to either Adelaide or Melbourne - that far without butt ache would be fantastic.

Azfun the only thing i noticed with the windvest was that there doesn't appear to be much cover between the bar and the headlight. when you get yours fitted lets know if that causes any problems.

i also noticed the windvest is a third of the price of the tbirds

not doing much riding here at the moment it's been 37 deg cel last couple of days probably thje exact opposite of your locations.

drdarren

hi there, i have not posted too much in this forum but as a relatively new tbird owner and rider, i thought i would give my 2 cents. I was not immediately in love with the bike upon purchasing it but 2000 miles later,i do love it. it handles great. as for the seat, for me, it is comfortable for about an hour, but them becomes bothersome. i have ridden on it for 4 hours and i have to keep shifting by butt. i want the longhual dual passenger seat, but it has not been released in the US yet. As for the windshield, i have the tall triumph windshield and i love it. i dont get any billetting. i am 5'9" so it works for me.

hope this helps.

engage

I've done a handful of all-day rides with the stock seat and have not had any issues.

Congrats on the new ride.

KingOfFleece

There is no "one size fits all" answer to seats or screens. It really is trial and error-however expensive that may be. There are tried and true guidelines however.

Most true long distance riders I know prefer by far a firm seat. Key point is one that lets them shift a bit every now and again to change the pressure points. For screens, nose high seems to work well for plenty-and again, most long distance riders I know adjust the screen to let some air enter from under the screen to lessen the low pressure area that amplifies any buffeting. A screen that lets you vary the height is quite helpful in finding the sweet spot. Lowers also seem to assist in this for many.

As for the Thunderbird-simply a wonderful machine.