I'd love to hear from folks who have ridden the Warrior, how the Thunderbird stacks up. I asked at RSWarrior and there were only a couple responses that weren't that helpful.
I live in the boonies of Oregon, so it'd be a whole day commitment to ride a Thunderbird. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the two. I know the Yamaha is lighter, but it's quite a bit longer, so I'm curious as to which is the better handling. Also, I'd like to commute and would prefer some wind protection. Is there a difference between the two bikes. If I get a Thunderbird, it's going to have dual headlights--if that's important. Plus any other thoughts: fit-and-finish, comfort, reliability.
I put 14,000 mile on my storm in a year, I found Triumphs dual tour seat fine for 250 mile days but iron butt rides need a better seat, the bike handles really well, better than a cruiser should, The only real reason I didn't keep the storm was cost of ownership and I can't comment on the yamaha.
No experience with a Thunderbird, but I owned an '09 Midnnight Warrior for about 5 years until the cruiser riding position was no longer a good fit for my lower back. It was modified (exhaust, air, PC, etc…no internal engine modifications) and was one of the best bikes I've owned. The torque is amazing, and the support on the rswarrior.com forum is second to none. I'm still a member there and still post there (it's really a Warrior family). I'm sure the Thunderbird is a good bike, but you won't go wrong with the Warrior. If you can test ride each as Blansky suggested, then do so. Just be careful on the Warrior…..the torque surprised me on my test ride and almost threw me off the back end
PS If you do decide on the Warrior, there are usually a few good ones listed on the forum and the folks there are more than happy to answer questions about any possible purchase.
I've not ridden the Warrior, so can't comment knowlegably or anecdotally, but as a general rule, shorter bikes will arguably handle better than longer bikes. But of course frame geometry and a number of other factors will play into the equation, so there's no way to tell unless you ride both. I can say that TBird is well known for its nimble handling that belies its big cruiser identity, so between the shorter length and the known quantity of excellent handling, I have to assume the TBird would be as good if not certainly better handling than the Warrior. But, again, I haven't ridden the Yamaha, so admittedly it's all speculation on my part.
I don't think we have the Warrior in the UK and as the Thunderbird is a parallel twin it can be seen to be "a bit different" than the V twin Harley Market Leaders. I think the blatant copies from japan and USA are great bikes and are trying to steal market share from Harley after my recent tour round historic R66 on a Harley I think that is where I would place my loyalty if I was wanting a V twin cruiser.
Coming from a sports and muscle bike background I looked on HD with scorn (unjustified) but after 2000 miles in the heat, the deserts and canyons I got it. Pretty cool over there but not much good round Cleckhuddersfax ring road in the freezing rain here in Yorkshire. Having said that, we were tempted to buy a road king but at the last minute traded our Rocket 111 for an LT Thunderbird. Most non biking friends just assume its a Harley.
Any way some very important people told us that Triumph are great, really great and Harley are just a disaster so we are off to build a wall round the Harley dealership and make them pay for it.
What ever you ride and wherever you are from its better than a box on 4 wheels.
Yamaha are renowned for reliability & performance so you can't really go wrong. Only you can decide however which one feels better to ride. If you want dual headlights then Triumph have the Storm or Commander. Note that despite the same engine they have a different chassis & the Commander has a much better seat. The Storm motor is tuned differently so gets more power but at higher revs. I reckon the warrior will handle slightly better but realistically it's usually the rider that is the weak link in handling.
Haven't ridden the Warrior, but I take my T-Bird LT on long trips. It's got spot lights, very bright for safety and the tall windshield provides really good protection. It's a very solid, good handling, reliable bike with lots of power. But take a test ride on them to compare which works best for you.
As for the boonies of Oregon, I live in Oregon (not in the boonies--my dealer's only about 7 miles away), but I drive into the boonies frequently and never had an issue with the bike in 15,000 miles. I've also been in the boonies of Montana and Idaho and Wyoming but never a problem. Of course, you'll find more Yamaha dealers, so if that's an issue, it's understandable. Good luck on your search!
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