Triumphrat

jaz

Hi chaps,

In search of an alternative to my S3 which is capable of carry a passenger I had a test drive on a new TBird and had a few questions.

1 - Vibrations. The one I tested was stock and the seat sent lots of unwanted vibes (not helped by my sports back protector that came down and caused pressure with the back of the seat), does this get any better with the touring seat. Though on the + side there were not as many though the bars as my s3 so my bum was num but the hands were fine

2 - Controls. Can they be adjusted ? they seem to be set for people with huge hands !

3 - Brakes. Are these as bad as they felt or am I just spoilt from the S3, i suppose what I'm asking is are they as good or better than other twin cruisers on the market ?

4 - Performance engine kit. Is it wort it ?

Overall I liked it, enough power to overtake in top and can actually get to 100 without effort (unlike the FatBoy i hired a few years ago), nice handling and looks/sounds great.

Thanks

MikeS

I found there was a lot of vibration, but it wasn't an unpleasant buzzy vibration as on a sports bike.
I found the performance a bit flat, but only realised days later that I had been turning the throttle gently, which activates the 'gentle riding' engine map. Apparently there's much more poke if you snap the throttle.
Comfort was great, and I loved the fat levers, but couldn't see how they could be adjusted for span.
The brakes were much better than I expected (not having ridden a cruiser before)
Mike

DruAde

The breaks on this bike are brilliant compared to any other cruiser. Vibration is sort of an added extra for a cruiser but I have to say I thought the bike was very smooth on the test.

You are coming from a sports bike and the TBird is a different animal entirly. Dont try and compare it just find out if you like it.

hypervista

Jeez jaz, it sounds to me you had a pretty poorly set-up demo machine, either that or you were actually riding a HD..

I've not noticed any untoward vibrations in the seat. The braking is something everyone I've heard comment on them as an outstanding differentiator.

I don't believe the controls are adjustible, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

Since the BB kit isn't out yet, it's hard to say if it's worth it. I stongly suspect it will be worth every penny.

dazco

yeah, the vibes thru the seat thing....i have never noticed anything whatsoever in that regard. kinda took me by surprise. I have noticed vibes in the pegs and bars that at first were slightly bothersome. But those seemed to have settled down to maybe 1/2 of what they wer and the bike is now about as smooth as you'll find. The one issue i take with it in this regard is the vibes are buzzier as opposed to lower frequency thumpy kind of vibes like my speedy had. But thats nit picking to the nth degree.

You're right about the controls. I can see how small hands would find them an issue. they felt a bit large for me and i have hands that i would say are a bit larger than average. But you'll probably get used to them. This may be an opportunity for Brent or someone else to cash in....shorter throw levers via a sharper angle where they bend in.

Brakes....uh, i'm not sure where you got that one from, but i found them to be some of the best i've ever used. If you however are talking about the rear, then yes, it's VERY weak. But thats a GOOD thing. I really think triumph did that on purpose and i'll tell you why. My speedmaster's rear was strong, but because of that when i first go it i had the rear slide out a number of times in a turn because you could lock it just thinking about how strong it was. And in a straight line emergency sto it would lock up so easily it was scary. And the thing is, the rear is NOT for stopping, the fronts are for stopping and the rear brake is to stabilize the bike in concert with the front's stopping power. Therefore i find the rear perfect. I wished for this on my speedy and finally got it with my Tbird. Look at it this way....ever try to stop withthe rear alone? If you have you know that unless it's a very very gradual stop you will lock the tire trying to stop in any fashion more than extremely gradually. so in short, the brakes are perfect IMO. The mag reviews all praise them to one degree or another too.

No one yet has gotten the BB kit because it's not yet shipped. But from what we've heard and by looking at the numbers it should be good. My mechanic said he rode one and he said it was quite a different bike with the extra power. But till we start getting user reviews i think we won't know for sure. Good luck.

jaz

Thanks for the replys.
I think I was probably being overexpectant on the brakes but that to be said I didnt find them lacking when needed.
The dealer said I could take it out again at any time so I might pop down again (with a my smaller back protector on) and have another ride. I really want to like it as it's not just another hog on the road.

dazco

I've said this many times, but i'll say it again. I wasn't able to test ride it, so my first ride was the delivery of my new bird. The first ride was from the dealer to home, 30 miles. When i got home i wasn't exactly disappointed, but i also wasn't thrilled or sure i'd made the right choice.

Now heres the kicker....within 2 rides from then i felt this was by far the best bike i've ever ridden, and today i wouldn't part with it for anything on the road. The point is, being a very unfamiliar feeling compared to my last bike it was impossible to wrap my mind around what i was experiencing till i started to feel at home on it. And at that point i was almost shocked at how good i felt it was, especially compared to that first ride.

So yes, go ride it again and try and put some miles on it. Try and get to some twistie roads because that will make you realize how fantastic it handles even more than you first thought. then ride it again after that if possible. just try and get used to it to the point where if you still aren't sure then you are probably one of the few for whom it's just not the right bike.

Derby Boy

I must have gotten the same set up tech on the brakes. The bike handled brilliant, and ran strong, but I even complained to the salesman that it felt like someone had just smeared axle grease on the rotors. It took a lot of lever pressure to even get them to react. Salesman said "Oh you have to break in the pads" There is truth in that, but I still think someone didn't clean the packing grease properly off the rotors. All the Magazine road tests I read that the brakes were above standard for a cruiser.

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dazco

Thats odd because when mine was new the brakes were a lot stronger. I bet i coulda locked them with my pinky. then as they broke in they decreased in strength. But thats PER amount of pull you apply. they're still strong enough to lock them without a lot of strength at all. You could be right tho. And it could even be something else like possibly when cleaning it up they got some detailer or such on the rotor(s). that real common bike detailer called by many names, originally S100, has a very waxy base and gets all over the place when you spray it unless you cup your hand around the spray. They could have gotten some on them. many shops i believe use that stuff. just a thought. but i gotta think somethings going on because mine are great.

mad_angler

how many miles were on the demo bike ? my front brake is far from perfect at the moment and i have had some vibration as well, however i have only done 450 miles, these things take time to settle in, the vibration has settled rite down now, just need to get the front brake to bed in.

i rode my old speedmaster last week before i sold it and the front break was far better,in fact i was shocked how good it was compared to the T-Bird and i had always found the speedy quite poor, i have noticed i do have a bit of grinding with my front break so i may have something in there, perhaps some packaging, im going to get mine off this weekend and check, i cant moan to much as i put the front wheen on so if their is anything in there is my own fault

anyhow if the milage was low that could explain these issues, as always things take time and milage to ware in.

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