GEAR:
HELMET: SHARK EVOLINE
JACKET: FIRSTGEAR TPG RANIER
GLOVES: SHIFT TORRENT SS
PANTS: TRIUMPH KEP JEANS
BOOTS: CANYON GORE-TEX
2010 TRIUMPHTHUNDERBIRD
MSRP: $12,499 $13,299 ABS)
COLORS: Black, blue, silver
WARRANTY: 2 years, unlimited mileage
ENGINE
TYPE: Liquid-ccoled parallel twin
DISPLACEMENT, BORE X STROKE: 1597cc, 103.8x94.3mm
VALVE TRAIN: Dual Overhad Cam
COMPRESSION RATIO : 9.7:1
FUEL DELIVERY: multipoint sequential fuel injection
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed
FINAL DRIVE : Belt
CHASSIS
FRONT SUSPENSION: 47mm forks w/120mm travel
REAR SUSPENSION: Twin preload-adjustable shocks w/95mm travel
FRONT BRAKES: Dual four-piston calipers w/310mm
floating discs
REAR BRAKES: Two-piston caliper w/310mm disc
FRONT TIRE: Metzeler 120/70-19
REAR TIRE: Metzeler 200/50-17
WHEELS: Cast aluminum 5-spoke
DIMENSIONS
OVERALL LENGTH: 92.1 in
SEAT HEIGHT: 27.6 in
WHEELBASE: 63.6" in
RAKE/TRAIL: 32 deg./151.3mmM
FUEL CAPACITY: 5.8 gal
WET WEIGHT: 746 lbs. (claimed)
INSTRUMENTS: Tachometer, dual tripmeters, fuel gauge, range to empty, clock
PERFORMANCE
FUEL MILEAGE: 49 mpg
AVERAGE RANGE: 284 miles
CLAIMED HORSEPOWER: 84.8hp@4850rpm
CLAIMED TORQUE: 107.7 lbs/ft@2750rpm
THUNDERBIRD SPORT
If somewhere in the back of your head you were thinking that Triumph has used the Thunderbird moniker more than once before, you'd be right. And it just so happened that in our travels aboard the new Thunderbird, we found one, parked in a monastery lot (don't ask, we'll explain later). Based on the universal frame that all of the Triumphs of the mid-90s were equipped with, the Thunderbird sport was the first of the modern Triumphs to attempt to recall the glory days of the brand by striking that familiar classic standard Brit-Bike pose. As it turns out, far less successfully than the new Bonneville did a few years later. While coping a pose like the bikes of yore, underneath it all was the same water-cooled inline triple that powered most of the other 90s Triumphs like the Speed Triple and Tiger.