Triumph Thunderbird Storm: Agile and powerful like a whale in the sea

It takes a while to get to grips with the Triumph brand, as for many Swiss bikers it is still an exotic, marginal brand, which is actually unjustified, as it offers some really impressive bikes. So, I must confess, it was with a certain skepticism that I approached James Müller of Hafner's British Bikes in Eschenbach/SG (www.triumph-world.ch), Triumph's flagship dealer in Switzerland, to test a bike. The former Harley dealer has revamped the Triumph digs and turned them into the Swiss flagship of the English brand and is now considered the No. 1 Triumph dealer in Switzerland. For many, Triumph offers itself as an English alter- native to the American Harley-Davidson, after all, Triumph also has a certain chopper range on offer quite unlike the Japanese, who are not really at home in this segment yet. Since the Rocket III Roadster was not available, I was to try a Thunderbird Storm. The "Thunderbird", as the English have so lovingly christened the thing, doesn't look that huge in person, I would have guessed it to be a small 800cc and was then quite surprised to hear James inform me that it was a 1,700 cubic machine with a rare parallel-twin engine. Something was certain, my curiosity was piqued.

The deep, powerful sound pleases every biker heart
But what does the Triumph have to offer, can it hold its own alongside the other choppers? Yes, my friends, and how it can. The best thing right away, the sound is tremendous in the truest sense of the word. A deep, ultra-powerful, almost pith-piercing sound like that of a steamer thunders quietly and powerfully from the two big 850-cubic cylinders through the exhaust pipes and always floats along as an accompanying sound carpet while riding, announcing the appearance of the Thunderbird Storm to other road users from afar. The heart of every cruiser lover goes full on here. Especially at 2'000-2'500 rpm the engine develops its best sound, then the slow and powerful chugging of the engine is well audible. And you like to get used to this sound and quickly miss it when you're no longer sitting on the machine.
You sit very upright, almost like on an enduro, almost sovereign, just as the Brits probably like it. The wide handlebars seem almost a bit thin, especially compared to the mighty-looking tank, and you have to keep the grips on the outside so that you develop the strongest traction, especially on the brake. But it does strike me that the brake and clutch levers are made for larger hands. From the rider's point of view, the speedometer with the touring, tank and trip indicators is placed a bit too far back on the oversized tank. If you have a bit of a belly or are a bit taller, you'll have to lower your head to see anything; keeping your eyes down isn't quite enough here. The "i" button on the right handlebar grip probably stands for information: if you press it, you are guided through various displays that show the time, the mileage or, for example, the kilometers of a trip. Read More Here. The button can be pressed while driving and thus zip through the menu and retrieve information without having to get off, very elegantly solved. A gear indicator does not exist on the Thunderbird Storm, but it does not need it, this is a heavy cruiser machine and lives on the feeling. As soon as the good sound is gone, because it gets into higher revs and starts to vibrate, accompanied by a slight bassy roar, you shift up; so here you still shift with your hearing and feeling. This is also what the Thunderbird does best: Awaken feelings. A feeling of calm, balance, freedom, peace and harmony. You don't have the feeling that you are sitting on a rocker's chair and have to start a brawl at every corner, rather you have the feeling that you are on a vacation trip through the land of freedom and enjoying the being of the movement and the freedom.

Curves are a pleasure
For all the joy of its strong sound and its "good vibrations", the Thunderbird Storm also shows clear driving advantages over other cruisers, which frankly surprised me a lot. At the same time, the Thunderbird Storm is surprisingly maneuverable and easy to handle in the corners. In a cruiser of this size and weight, I have never experienced it in this pleasant way. Certainly the wide handlebars and relatively narrow 200mm rear "fins" also help here. Often, big cruisers that impress with mighty 240 mm rear tires feel like you're pushing a tank around corners. It's not a true joy. With the Triumph Thunderbird Storm, it's completely different. It's a real joy to take corners with it, because it likes to be laid into the curves easily and dynamically, and it does everything here willingly. The dynamic cruising experience is unique and better than some other competitors. Amazing! Pass rides are therefore a real pleasure with such a heavy cruiser. It's like riding a whale and gently gliding through the seas, powerful and agile at the same time. Compliments to Triumph's design team, the people not only design on the drawing board, but obviously ride the machines themselves and obviously think like bikers. Less impressing and more riding pleasure was probably the motto for the set-up of the Thunderbird Storm. So not only fun at the deep "TuckTuckTuck...", but also at "swinging around the curves".

Does it also have weaknesses?
The Thunderbird Storm shows weaknesses as a freeway mobile, firstly - and this is somewhat typical of large cruisers - the rider holds up the wind like a sail due to his upright position and the lack of wind protection, and this leads to noticeably strong drag, which is tiring in the long run, and secondly the "chug-chug" sound ends at around 3,000 rpm, which in 6th gear means around 110-120 km/h, and changes to a fast "BrrBrrBrr" that matches the vibrating of the bike. Gear means around 110-120 km/h, and changes into a quick "BrrBrrBrr...", which matches the vibrating of the bike, but this also ends real, relaxed cruiser feelings. Up top, the Thunderbird could even use a little more power. The touring range up to about 6'000 rpm is not really big even for a low-rider and with 98 hp it is not the strongest in the competition, although it must be added that a cruiser does not want to be and should not be a speed machine. Especially for those who are not familiar with cruisers with large displacement: A small downer is the consumption, actually logical with 1700 cubic displacement. During my test drive, I had to refuel with 14.49 liters after 210 km, which corresponds to an average consumption of 6.9 liters/100 km. That's actually not that much for the size of the bike, but you can feel it in the till! And a small detail that could be optimized: Finding and unfolding the side stand with your foot is almost a small feat.

Visually, the model is not a designer piece worthy of an award, according to my taste. But it has sides to it that can really please like the voluminous tank, the sweeping line, the chrome exhaust pipes or the dual headlights, which from the driver's point of view, look very powerful. If you don't really like it right away, you have the slightly smaller Thunderbird as an alternative, or about 90 accessories that can be used to not only customize the model, but make it extremely pretty, as James Müller from Hafner's British Bikes explained to me in conversation, and as I discovered while doing some research.

Conclusion
With the Thunderbird Storm, Triumph is giving Harley-Davidson & Co. a run for their money. If you don't fancy an American bike and don't want to know anything about the Japanese, you'll find a real alternative in the Triumph. It may not be so well known yet, but that's only because it was previously undiscovered. This reminds me of the understatement that the British display with their Rolls Royces and Bentleys, they don't flaunt their horsepower even if they have it under the hood, they know it and appreciate that only insiders know about it. Triumph is probably also embedded in this philosophical culture. One probably doesn't want to bang the drum and hang on the bells what it has so on it. But guys, people never know, don't make too big a secret of it! If you can call a Triumph Thunderbird Storm your own, you'll have a strong appearance, a killer sound and a lot of fun even around tight corners, and thus a bike that will please not only you, but everyone else as well. The biggest minus point is probably the somewhat low profile of the Triumph Thunderbird Storm, because it certainly has the potential to be a star.