Triumph Thunderbird Storm review, test ride

The new Triumph Thunderbird Storm cruiser is big on size, weight, power and price, but also on that special cruiser appeal.

Published on Jan 15, 2014 03:05:00 PM

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Triumph Thunderbird Storm review, test ride

The Triumph Thunderbird Storm is priced at Rs 13 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

One thing’s for sure, the Triumph Thunderbird Storm is not an ideal daily rider. Where this motorcycle comes into its own is on the open road. That’s where you can make the most of the 1,699cc, liquid-cooled and fuel-injected parallel twin’s enormous 15.9kgm of torque, which is produced at a very accessible 2,950rpm. Emitting a purposeful growl, the Storm just pulls forward with urgency in each gear. What’s good is that it does so from very low down in the power band, so you need not shuffle through the positive-shifting six-speed gearbox as you keep alternating your pace with that of the highway traffic.

Out on the highway, you’ll also enjoy the Triumph Thunderbird Storm’s trait of great stability – that beefy 200/50 x 17-inch rear tyre playing a part here. Gentle curves and quick lane changes also pose no problem for the Storm, but in tighter bends you have to roll back on the throttle and plan your moves well in advance. When you do need to drop speed faster, you have the safety net of ABS on the pair of 310mm front discs and the single rear disc brake. Front telescopic forks and rear shock absorbers (adjustable for pre-load) take care of suspension duties. While we couldn’t tinker with the rear suspension settings in the limited time we had on the bike, we found ride quality to be a tad too firm.

So, given the condition of our roads and crawling city traffic, it’s hard to recommend the big Triumph Thunderbird Storm. But as Harley-Davidson has shown, and with great success, there are more than a few buyers for large cruisers in India. The Thunderbird Storm then could be just the bike for cruiser buyers with performance high on their wish lists.