Triumphrat

UMPH MASTER · 03-12-2010, 03:41 PM

Went to the dealer today to get oil for my speedmaster and sat on the thunderbird man they are a beefy bike . Big gas tank only thing i didnt like was it sort of felt like you sit real high on the bike . When the weather gets a little nicer they told me to come ride one cant wait.

argyle · 03-12-2010, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UMPH MASTER

When the weather gets a little nicer they told me to come ride one cant wait.

Don't get on one unless your checkbook is full and/or your credit rating good. I was at the dealer getting my America serviced last Friday. The guy who sold me the America a couple of years ago noticed I was bored and fidgeting while waiting for my bike to get done, so he said "Why don't you take this one for a test drive?"

I thought I was too old to fall in love, but I was wrong. Wednesday night I rode one home.

M.Guy.Vig. · 03-12-2010, 03:54 PM

I was at my dealer getting my wife's 900 T'bird serviced. The salesman noticed me sat around, and said " Take one of our demo's for a spin." 3days later, I rode home on a new 1050 Tiger! And I didn't think I wanted a new bike! Damn these new Triumphs!!!!!!!!!

UMPH MASTER · 03-12-2010, 03:55 PM

Thats what my wife said you ride it your gona want it.

argyle · 03-12-2010, 06:59 PM

Your wife may be right... for once.

antman · 03-17-2010, 05:14 AM

I've ridden one but I prefer my Speedmaster. The T'bird is too bulky for the daily commute through the suburban sprawl.

dazco · 03-17-2010, 11:27 AM

The seat height is actually LESS than the speedmaster. the reason it felt higher to you is that it's a wide seat which keeps your thighs more parallel to the ground instead of aiming straight down like on the speedmaster. I has a speedy for 4 years and when i sat on the bird i noticed it feels that way because of this right away. But it's a bit lower in reality.

As for the bulky feel, my speedmaster felt very odd to me in several way when i rode it home from the dealer. *Do understand that nothing in life thats new to you ever feels the same at first as it does when you're used to it.* W/o the slightest exaggeration, my Tbird feels no bulkier in any was than my speedy, and in fact because it handles much easier i find it actually MORE nimble in town ! However, i didn't feel that way right at first. It took a few hours or a day of riding to get the feel of it. Again, see above*

Unless you are one of a very small minority (actually i think i've yet to see anyone in this category) once you own a Tbird you will look back on the speedy as a fond memory but in no way feel the Bird isn't superior. IMO worlds superior. It just takes some getting used to like anything else in life. My first ride had me wondering if i made the right decision. One ride later i did a complete 180 and felt i just purchase the bike of a lifetime, and i have since seen many other go thru the same experience.

traveler501 · 03-17-2010, 06:00 PM

I have to echo the comments on how (once you adjust to a new way of riding) tossable the Tbird really is. I was on my T140E yesterday doing a little Spring tuning of the idle...and it was so light it was toylike by comparison. Got back on the Tbird to make a run to the store and instantly felt more at home...laying the bike over more in the turns, flinging it easily from side to side. The vintage bike feels more like something I'd want to take on a dirt trail now...lighter, but not advantageous on the road. I like the stability of the big Tbird with its low CG and wide, conical tires. It still flings nicely, but not as twitchy. I don't know how else to say it...but once you adjust to the Tbird, it spoils you for other bikes (except a Striple, which is just a matter of time *grin*)

regards,
John

PS will somebody please give my T140 a good home? it gets Ebayed next month otherwise, which will break my heart *sigh*

antman · 03-17-2010, 09:48 PM

Sheesh! Did I stumble onto an HD Forum by mistake? What's with the backlash on this forum any time someone says something that doesn't proclaim the T'bird as the bike for all seasons and all reasons? The T'bird ia a great bike so I don't see why you guys need to be so defensive over it.

Anyway, I was just providing a counter to the apparently universal view here that a test ride of a T'bird will lead to an inevitable purchase. It may be that the T'bird just isn't best suited to the particular rider's needs (as in my case) or (shock, horror, cover the children's ears) they just may not like it.

The facts are that the T'bird is bulkier: it's, what, 70-80lb heavier - and feels it. That extra weight means more inertia, which leads to it being less nimble - sorry, just the laws of physics. It has wider bars and a wider tank so it is not as suitable for lane-splitting/filtering. I never said anything about seat height but, now that you mention it, that means that you have less visibility in traffic (and are less visible too). It's just not as good for the urban/suburban commute where you are interacting with other vehicles in very close quarters.

If my riding was mostly out in the country on roasd with nice long sweepers, no battles with cages at close quarters and very little stop-start, then I'd give the T'bird some serious consideration. However, horses for courses means the Speedy is the better bike for my circumstances. Surely you can see that without needing to resort to the hysteria?

Thatch · 03-17-2010, 10:29 PM

Ant... people disagreed with your assessment. There is no backlash, there is differing opinions. If you own a bird it's because you think it's a good/great bike. Lots of bird owners are former speedmaster/america owners. It makes sense that they would think it was a better bike. You don't feel that way and kept your speedmaster. Don't confuse the difference of opinion as blind model Jingoism.

You've got a speedy and you love it, great. Ride it and enjoy it. Others chose otherwise and voiced that opinion. What else would you expect?