Endurance test interim balance: Triumph Thunderbird

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Endurance test interim balance: Triumph Thunderbird
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Endurance test interim balance: Triumph Thunderbird

Endurance test interim balance: Triumph Thunderbird
Balance after 36,000 kilometers

Triumph’s active cruiser has experienced and endured a lot on almost 36,000 kilometers: great vacations in Greece and Italy, but also a serious accident and a few minor defects.

Thomas Schmieder

05/26/2011

The misfortune came out of the blue. In the form of a Renault Clio with a learner driver turning left. This team took the right of way in October 2010, MOTORRAD editor Stefan Kaschel. The result for Stefan: a broken left foot, hospital and crutches. The only one year old Triumph Thunderbird He also suffered significant fractures and wounds, and many parts were damaged or dented.

The good news: the German importer rescued the 1600 thunderbird with 30,000 kilometers of mileage by means of emergency surgery. He transplanted the undamaged, sealed, huge row-twin heart into a new frame. The bad news: after the organ transplant, bad noises came from inside the 1.6-liter engine. The cause came to light after the engine had been dismantled: A piece of the intake bridge clamp had broken off and got into a combustion chamber. Something like that happens. So the pistons, valves and cylinder head are also new.

Until then, the T-Bird took off on many trips to heights. Already on the autumn trip to Lake Garda in 2009, it was noticeable how balanced and relaxed the Triumph drives, despite its weight of 338 kilograms. Apparently it is supposed to save the English steel industry single-handedly.”Comfortable and powerful, with a great sitting position”, A driver wrote her in the logbook. And: “If the footpegs were a little further back, you would have the feeling of sitting on a normal motorcycle and not on a cruiser.” In contrast to almost all other flat irons, the Thunderbird can be moved really quickly, damn light-footed, handy and precise.

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A real curve scraper. That “Kkrrkk, Kkrrkk” the resting position brings you back to reality. Triumph did well to mount a moderate 200cc rear tire on the six-inch rim. Where wide-soled cruisers stand up on asphalt humps and follow longitudinal gullies, the T-Bird pulls its course neutrally and calmly. The conventional, well-balanced chassis works great. The stable fork responds fine, filters out a lot.
The struts work a little more coarsely, sometimes jumping over blatant humps. In the case of bumps in rapid succession, the stern pretty much sags. Then the front silencer comes into play, with the risk of being levered out. The Wilbers shock absorbers offer significantly more reserves. Either way, the Thunderbird is a real driving machine. This was evidenced by a 5000 kilometer tour to Greece. In tow of a BMW R 100 GS, the Thunderbird endured hundreds of kilometers over Albanian and Greek gravel passes. She did it with flying colors, absolutely suitable for long distances. You can endure it for days in the wide saddle, only 71 centimeters above the ground, without any tension. A divine cruiser not only on tour in Olympia!


Endurance test interim balance: Triumph Thunderbird


Blacksmith

Life on the move: with the ferry across the Mediterranean, on the way to Riva del Garda.

The wide handlebars are great to hand, the legs are snug against the fat tank. That’s how it belongs. The manual force of the front double disc brake is high. The controllability and bite of the ABS-reinforced four-piston calipers suffer as a result. So you often brake at the rear. Not without consequences: new brake pads are required at the rear approximately every 8,000 to 10,000 kilometers; at odometer reading 17,445 including the disc. A pure one

The source of joy is the huge 1.6-liter in-line twin. Water-cooled cylinders in truck format guarantee a healthy thermal balance. The 103 pistons shovel plenty of torque to the rear wheel: over 130 Newton meters from 2000 to 4500 tours. So a lot of bang from deep down below.

The engine has “great running culture” (Entry in the logbook), pulsates always noticeably, but never annoying. “The motorcycle hits the heart”, says a driver, “drives unspectacular” another. Its flywheel mass is appropriately selected, the twin runs nicely in the lower rev range, but also easily swings up to 5000 tours and then 85 hp.

The matt black sister Thunderbird Storm with 1.7 liters and 98 hp pushes even more forcefully. The 1.6-liter endurance test engine does not use any oil at all. The 22-liter tank with an average consumption of 6.3 liters allows a full 350 kilometers of range.

Two trip masters, the detailed fuel gauge and the remaining range display help you plan your refueling stops. The latter, however, got stuck on the way, reported a remaining range of 75 kilometers with a dust-dry steel tank.

The clutch is easy to pull and easy to dose. Well, especially when changing aisles one to three, it tends to limber out of the aisle box. But the six gears always snap in exactly despite the 40 centimeter long shift linkage.

When the ship is standing, the Big Twin dies out sonorously, hums and bubbles discreetly from the elongated exhaust bags. With its 270-degree firing order, the 17-kilogram crankshaft imitates the tone of a 90-degree V2. Another sound characterizes the thunderbird: it chirps, so it tweets in English. Twitterbird instead of Thunderbird?

The reason for this is the easy-care toothed belt, which is well shielded from potentially penetrating stones. It always pulls it a little out of the middle when driving. So it rests against the edge of the rear pulley, usually on the right – and then squeaks regrettably. That doesn’t seem very cool when you start the traffic light. Treating with silicone spray only brought short-term relief. The pulling-on-the-belt did not damage the durability, after 36,000 kilometers the first copy is still working. Which brings us to the small peculiarities of the high-quality, finely crafted Triumph.


Endurance test interim balance: Triumph Thunderbird


Blacksmith

The brisk touring cruiser proves itself with plenty of luggage at an ancient site (Mycenae) as well as in northern Germany.

On the one hand, everything here is metal that shines, including turn signal housings with elegant white glasses. The rear light shines brightly and reliably from many small light-emitting diodes. The two-tone paintwork is of fine quality, with wonderful white vertical stripes. On the other hand, both hand levers are not adjustable, the naturally thick chrome-plated screw tank cap cannot be locked. The steering lock, which is separate according to the old fathers custom, currently no longer fulfills its protective function.

Well, the Thunderbird had a few minor ailments in the meantime. In 2009 her cooling system became slightly incontinent. This could not be remedied by tightening hose clamps alone. Therefore there were new coolant hoses at 5061 mileage. On this occasion, the rather stiff throttle cables were also swapped.

In the middle of Albania, at 23,339 kilometers, the tunneling stopped completely. The throttle cable, which opens the throttle valves, broke off on the throttle grip. After improvised repairs in the Balkans, there was a new throttle at home. Its heating function failed shortly afterwards; probably because of a badly laid cable.

Hoses slipped on the injection system caused uneven idling with temporary death after around 33,000 kilometers. Perhaps also a consequence of the engine conversion after the accident. It is regrettable that time and again Cent components have brought the great cruiser T-Bird back to the ground for a short time.

Defects in the test


Endurance test interim balance: Triumph Thunderbird


Blacksmith

Throttle cable routing broken off.

Engine failure
After the accident through no fault of one’s own, the intact engine was planted in a new frame. It came to the workshop GAU. Apparently a badly welded inner cover strip on the clamp of one of the two intake ducts had come loose. Small cause, big effect: the part was sucked into the combustion chamber, landed on the piston crown and quickly dismantled the cylinder head and piston. An engine overhaul had to be carried out.

Throttle cable routing broken off
A cent component stopped the high-quality thunderbird after 23,339 kilometers on tour. The retaining lug of the opening throttle cable broke off on the throttle grip sleeve. The improvised repair was to shut down the closing gas cable and hang the opening one in its guide.

Crack in the headlight
After 10 245 kilometers, a long crack cut across the headlight glass, a smaller one from top to bottom. There were no recognizable signs of falling rocks. Presumably it was a question of stress cracks, as a result of not 100 percent exact fit at the supplier. There was a new glass under guarantee.

Throttle cables replaced
The throttle cables, one to open and one to close the throttle valves, were difficult to pull, even though they had been laid according to the regulations. Therefore there were new ones at 5061 mileage. The repair was guaranteed, as were the coolant hoses that were renewed at the same time.

Cooling water hoses
Already after 2110 kilometers there was a loss of cooling water due to a loose clamp. Even after these and other screws were tightened, slight splashes of cooling water still appeared behind the cylinders. Ultimately, cooling water hoses were exchanged at 5061 mileage due to a tissue breakage.

Right of way disregarded by motorists
In autumn 2010 (mileage 30039), a woman driver overlooked the mighty Triumph and its pilots, less than two kilometers away from the editorial office. The result: The editor in the hospital (“Weber B fracture”), the Thunderbird in the workshop. She needed plenty of new parts to be able to fly again – frame, tank, fork, front wheel, headlights, fender, handlebars, exhaust, pegs, levers, indicators. The consequential damage of the visit to the workshop had a worse effect.

Accessories put to the test


Endurance test interim balance: Triumph Thunderbird


Blacksmith

Sissy bar / luggage rack for the Triumph Thunderbird.

function

Sissy bar / luggage rack
Well, the sissy bar received criticism for its supposedly bulky appearance. But the fact is that it increases the comfort for the passenger. In combination with the docked luggage rack, it only allows touring with cargo for two. It costs 431 euros and can be dismantled in no time without tools.

Heated grips
The two-stage (“warm”/”hot”) Heated grips for 189 euros make driving in the cold a pleasure. However, despite the cables running inside the handlebar, the switch looks badly retrofitted.

Roadster disc
When it rains, the huge retrofit windshield from Triumph blocks the view, from 90 km / h and above, turbulence occurs that sucks the helmet. In return, it relieves the neck when driving on the highway. Once installed, the 415 euro disc can be removed in no time.

Wilbers struts
The best thing you can do to the Thunderbird for touring are the Wilbers TS struts (order number: 640-0968-00) at a pair price of 949 euros. They are around 1.5 cm longer than the original parts, thus increasing the freedom from inclination. Above all, they respond more finely and are more fully muffled. They offer much more reserves for pillion rides. Its spring base can be varied with a hook wrench and the rebound can be varied without tools using knurled screws. Info: www.wilbers.de.

optics

Chromed wheels
The chrome-plated aluminum wheels with five double spokes each cost 845 euros and are shiny. Thanks to the clean toothed belt drive, the rear rim remains spotless for a long time. Triumph also offers true orgies in chrome for customizing: panels, levers, covers.

Lamp mask
The pre-painted one offers a completely different look, wiry, in the direction of muscle bikes “Cover for the main headlight” from the factory accessories program. Price: 185 euros.

Driver opinion / tire recommendation

Jorg Lohse, test editor:

A cruiser without a V2 is not a cruiser? Not at all. The Thunderbird goes its refreshingly different path, does not want to be a Harley copy. With the gigantic row twin, it relies on an unmistakable appearance. That fits. The rest comes on board. The thunderbird pulls off in an astonishingly sporty manner. And how much he likes curves. Where others have long since given up with scratchy notches, the Englishwoman still has a few degrees of inclination up her sleeve. Typically, cruisers look comfortable, but aren’t. Here, too, the Triumph is different: it is extremely comfortable, and is fun even after 600-kilometer stages.
 

Rainer Froberg, fleet manager:
 
First of all, it is usually not that easy to bring the cruiser to the man for longer journeys. At the beginning, the skepticism about the 338 kilograms probably predominates. But anyone who sits in the comfortable, fat saddle quickly notices how well balanced the Thunderbird is. It drives light-footed, can even be moved almost sporty. Even in bends, the Triumph stays in line, even on gravel. The series twin offers a wonderful speed range, comes powerfully from deep down. The only things that bothers me are the rather thick (heated) handles and the high manual force of the brake. Conclusion: a completely underrated motorcycle!

Tire recommendation:
 
Tire monoculture
The Metzeler Marathon ME 880, specially developed for the T-Bird, works well, handling, grip and mileage (front approx. 15,000 km, rear 10,000 km) are all right. However, it is not always available. The dimensions 120/70 ZR 19 and 200/50 ZR 17 hardly allow any alternative pairings; only Avon Cobra AV 71 / Storm 2 Ultra AV 56 (test to follow) and old Dunlop Sportmax D 208 F / J.

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