Triumph Thunderbird Sport reviews

I have put a few thousand miles on a used T-Bird. Previously owned a Honda Shadow. The paint and chrome are excellent and I always get compliments when out and about. The aftermarket seat , winshield and bags have been added. Forward pegs from Great Bay and Kurakyn grips have completed the package. Pickup, lack of vibration and smoothness are positive features. The bike handles well with two up with little loss of pickup. A great choice. Show less

After 30+ years of riding and eight motorcycles this one ranks at the top. It currently hast 32K miles on the clock and the engine feels stronger now than it did when I bought it. Smooth operation and plenty of torque. This bike doubles as a cruiser and a tourer. I've been on several 3+ day rides and the T-Bird always functioned flawlessly. Stock seat was way too hard. Triumph King/Queen seat fixed that problem so staying on the bike all day now is no problem. Only down side is I haven't figured out how to adjust the chain without removing the mufflers. Show less

Bought new in April '03. Too bad it's the last year for this machine. Fun to ride, fast and smooth. Lotsa compliments on the sound and the looks. Definitely a keeper. Show less

I own a thunderbird sport 1998 on. A reliable bike it is, and never the slightest trouble. The only thing I don't like is the exhaust system. Two cylinders on one pipe, and one cylinder on one pipe makes a brutal sound. It likes if the engine is running well on all cylinders. The one on one pipe sounds louder. I'm working on an extra balance pipe, maybe that will improve the sound. Further NO COMPLAINTS! Show less

I bought the 1st one in 2002 and liked it so much that I convinced my son to get one. He is not into cruising and wants a sport bike. Now I have 2, one is set up with bags and fairing the other stock with a little extra chrome. I love them both and can't bring myself to sell either of them. Thunderbirds are great touring bikes for twisty Mt. roads. Harleys are a dime a dozen, but if you stop with one of these t-birds everybody wants a good long look. Show less

Rode a Yamaha 1100 for 20 years - Now that I have the Trumpy, I dont know how I survived!! Great Handling, nice finish. Minus side - no self cancelling indicators, low fuel light, helmet lock & centre stand. King/queen seat is essential for long trips. Will add "competition" silencers for the Triumph sound - and to get rid of the high pitched whistle it does when backing off under compression. Im very happy! Lots of admiration from older generation ex-Triumph owners. Show less

Well it was bought new in fall y2k- I had the summer screen and off road pipes and Chase-Harper saddlebags. breaking in was quick as i ride around 4 of the buroughs of NYC and parkway runs in L.I. the first complaint is the seat SUX BIG TIME, as it slides me foward into tank causing temporary scrotal scrunch that I remedied at a local auto reupholsterer. the second problem was the fuel petcock had leakage replaxed by dealer as ut was new. I had the dealer add the 1 tooth larger sprocket for improved hiway running and had the handel bars replced with the S3 bars due to a minor back problem I have for improved comfort and even improved cruising the streets and malls. At ;ow speeds the bike feels top heavy and its long wheelbase and wide turning radius makes for dancing around in rush hour traffic not as gracefully nimble as the sportbikes can. But on open streets and on the Hiway its even comfortable for 2 up riding (since the seat mods anyway) is good for both my wife amd myself. tho she wants a backrest for longer rides for 65 to the recommended 80mph (as/per manual) is easy-even passing w 2 up is a no problem--even up hills, if more go is needed a downshift is all thats required. Solo hiway blasting is een better . Speaking of Hiway blasting cruising at 110 is a tank after tank comfort-tuck behind the summershield and run tank after tank 80-115 mph no problem ecxept for the hiway patrol.-the cruiser crowd just fades away in the mirrors very fast. Sportbikes and racer clones on the hiway aren't hard to run with until speeds get over 120mph but I believe if my heart beats faster than the speed-I'm going way too fast. It starts everytime--really great gas milrage @40 in city-50+ open road cruise mode. great hi way top gear sprinting past everybody.-the suspension is very good with almost infinite adjustments-for me at 200+ and my wife of 30 yrs since women tend to grow bigger then men do I'll leave the weight alone nut we do meet the max weight when we ride. What I like the most is it looks like a real motorcycle not a plactic toy, old timers bringing them a smile and fond memories os their youth and moderatatly knowledgeable riders like the retro look, The sportbikers are impressed by the performance. especially the torque curve. Brakes are great 2 up and solo. The tires are good on dry but the back reaks in the rain. serivicing os ok but the no centerstand is not what i call good product packaging. I love the triple sound at all speeds-to bad the off raods rusted at the mounting bolt holes-but the dealer kept my original mufflers and i happened to have a 7/8 inch concrete drill bit and hammer drill available. (those mufflers are heavy). Accesspriries are hard to comeuy other than the factory stuff which is a little conservative or hard to come by as well as pricey as most Triumph parts. my minor peve is the 3000-4000 rpm buzz which i believe is from the center carb having a different jet size from the outboards. The orange and cream looks good as well--too bad i'm not into cleaning my rides often--who wants to clean when the road becons?? Would I buy another? Most definately-just with better tires for foul weather riding. When will they make a black knight version?? Guy Show less

This is my first real bike and I must say I have enjoyed every mile. Handles exceptionally, great looking and also very comfortable riding position (I am 6') I also find that the bike could use another gear at highway speeds but it does very well. Great buys on these bikes too. Safe riding. Show less

After twenty years on middle weight japanese machinery this is a definite step up. I'm not a cruiser or crotch rocket rider. This is a serious motorcycle. The triple is a terrific powerplant. Very smooth, excellent quality. Suits my style of riding. Handling is fine for the real world. Although I would like the dbl disc upfront like on the Sport. I just took delivery so i will update later. You won't see yourself coming & going either. Draws lots of attention even though the Tbird has been around awhile. Show less

Having ridden various bikes on and off since I was 16, starting with an LI150 S3, elevating myself finally to a Triumph Trident (96) brand new (my first), I have to state that the Trident was brilliant but getting too heavy for my back to haul in and out of the garage. So looking for another bike, hopefully Triumph I was really taken by the look of the Thunderbird-Sport, particularly in its original "two-pipes one side" form.. but alas with the occasional wife to carry(+baggage?) this was not practical, therefore I settled to look for a later model TSport. 12 months ago I purchased second-hand a 2000 model, just 5000 miles on the clock.... so far in terms of ride it has been excellent (just 2000 miles on admittedly), everything that I could have wanted... starts everytime, easy to move, easy to ride, simple maintenance, great style, my only problem was recently when I had an "oil warning light".... this turned out to be the switch, a quick trip to local Triumph dealer and $11 lighter in the pocket (seems slightly expensive for such a cheap part.. but there you are). To "speak as you find" ... this is my second Hinkley Triumph, my wife also has the "new" Bonnie... I can only recommend them... keep it going Triumph!!!!! Show less