All Duels – The two big arms … of iron! – No season for showing off!

The two big arms … !

All Duels - The two big arms ... of iron! - No season for showing off!

When a Harley plays the scoundrel to make European bikers gracious and a Triumph releases XXL chrome to bait American fans, it inevitably results in a duel rich in testosterone! What big arm is needed? Comparative test.

No season for show off !

It is not a few degrees below 0 that cool the enthusiasm of real bikers! The site therefore brought out the jet helmets – but not the cowboy boots – to scour the cities and the countryside on the handlebars of these two Anglo-Saxon cruisers: Harley-Davidson Fat Bob and Triumph Thunderbird.

But what do we really mean by "cruiser"? It is undoubtedly an American conception of the motorcycle which consists in dragging the b … to circulate peacefully on the handlebars of a large rewarding machine, a way of navigating the road as one would casually do at the helm of a beautiful sailing ship…

But at a time when the road repression is in full swing and when motorcycles are particularly in the crosshairs of the authorities, it is an approach that is increasingly defended. But what to choose: the American Fat Bob that appeared in the Harley-Daidson catalog at the end of 2007, or the all-new English Thunderbird 100% unique ?

Conquering Uncle Sam

By baptizing its 2010 novelty "Thunderbird", Triumph is reviving a famous name which dates back to 1949! But this new bike has nothing to do with these ancestors, not even with the last T-Bird and T-Bird Sport of the years 1990/2000. The latter, which gave themselves the air of retro roadsters, were driven by the modern and sparkling 3-cylinder 900 cc of the brand..

The new large cruiser of 339 kg (full weight) therefore only uses this name to better seduce American customers, for whom the name Thunderbird evokes many good memories..

In addition to the Triumphs of the Belle Epoque, "l’Oiseau de Tonnerre" (in French in the text) is also associated with a mythical Ford model of the 1950s. This is not innocent on the part of the English manufacturer, who intends to titillate Harley-Davidson on its own ground.

13 small cubic centimeters

Thirteen small cubic centimeters separate our two cruisers of the day. This is to say if the target aimed by the Thunderbird is the Milwaukee firm. However, the English does not opt ​​for the V-twin normally required on this type of motorcycle: it stands out by acquiring a brand new parallel twin of 1,597 cm3 set at 270 °.

Despite the cooling fins that adorn its cylinders, this block is very modern in its design, with notably liquid cooling and particularly advanced electronic injection..

The Fat Bob, for its part, is one of the first productions of the US brand to be released directly with the new "big block" of 1,584 cm3. With its dirty look, good ground clearance and two front brake discs, it is designed to meet European expectations and use..

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