Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Other Bikes 2009 Triumph Pics

Last time I checked the ratio was around 2 dollars to 1 pound sterling. That doesn't always translate to bike price though because a lot of times americans pay the same in dollars for items that Brits pay in pounds. If that pricing is correct then I'd expect to see it over here for around $10k-$11k.

Oh and you won't find the pound sterling symbol on any standard US keyboard. UK keyboards are laid out a little differently than US ones (different arrangement of characters on the number keys when you use SHIFT).

Quote:

---

And I keep hoping, in vain so far, that some clever person might find some less vulnerable and visible way to design a radiator.

---

I dont believe this would work on a cruiser. But Benelli designed a water cooled bike and they put the radiator in the tail section and had colling fans attached to it.





But this might look a bit weired on a crusier.

So and this is rough guessing on 2 hours sleep (teething baby)
6200 there and 8500ish here.
So
10000 might be 12-13ish here, but like Greg said I don't think the pricing structure will be that easy to figure out.
And the price point will be the make or break of this bike.

Mark, I thought I had read a while back that Honda(I think it was) was working on a water-cooled cruiser that had it's radiator hidden just behind the engine and in the sidecover area, and it had some sort hidden duct work under the gas tank which would allow airflow to it, and that airflow would exit right next or in front of the rear wheel.

(and BTW...Benelli sort'a "borrowed" that underseat radiator idea from a certain Kiwi motorcycle design genius known as John Britten...may he rest in peace)

Dwight, you could be right on the John Britten bike. I just looked a bunch of pictures of his bike and i cannot see a radiator anywhere. Of course sport bikes have an advange over cruisers, full dressers as well, in that they are covered in body work and so it is much easier to hide unsightly plumbing and radiators. Hiding a radiator and all its plumbing anywhere on a crusier would be a challenge.

I believe the Honda concept bike you refer to is the Honda NAS (New American Sport) from 2004, which i happen to think is a stunning piece of hardware.




Honda NAS

Yep! I remember that Honda concept bike, alright! It was pretty cool . I thought that "A/C landing gear" front end was a neat idea, and I liked the idea of both wheels being "single-sided".

And regarding the Britten(THE greatest motorcycle of all time, BTW...at least in "Mr.Humble"'s opinion here), the idea was to make his racebike as narrow and with as little a frontal area as possible.

(and BTW it worked to great success at Daytona back in the early 1990s)

I see the possibilities of the new Thunderbird... I wonder what Triumph came up with for accessories, anyway I would love to test ride one, I bet it's a fun ride.

Hey! Does anybody know if it has a 360 or a 270 crank?

(just wonderin')

2010 model available late 2009? I am glad I didn't wait and instead bought the best and most enjoyable bike (driving to work each day or 600 miles days) I have ever owned...'07 Tiger.

I assume the new Triumph will look NICER in person. I think the stock America/Speedmaster exhaust pipes are the best looking of ANY bike so I can predict that will be the first MOD. Low, long and mean!

However if I were in the market I think I would lean towards the Rocket Tourer which I demoed a few weeks ago.

I'm glad I went on and did the BB on my America. I decided I couldn't wait another year the end of last year. Now I've got torque and power I didn't have but still have the classic look I love. Best $1200. I've spent on the bike. I can easily wait a few more years now.

Can someone photoshop those pipes down lower so we could see what it should really look like?

I hope that this is some ones idea of a tastless joke! Just can't imagine Triumph doing a Jap knock off

Radiator or oil cooler ??????????

I will be curious to see if this model spawns others... (Thunderbird Classic)

Give it spokes, a larger front tyre and fender... perhaps bags, and big windsheild... and goodness sake, lower those pipes!

Wake me if it happens

The engine looks very "robot-esque" just needs a smiley mouth below the fins. What's with the "eyes" anyway?

Well because I like to be different, I am going to give it a thumbs up. Couple things I'm not really crazy about, upswept pipes, cuts down on saddlebag room and kinda makes it look a little more uh, sport bike like? Bobbed rear fender, mostly the same reason, never did like that look on just about anything, more of a "full coverage" kinda guy.

I'll definitely be wanting to check it out when it becomes a reality on salesroom floor. My biggest curiosity is whether or not it is a bigger bike... as in more leg room and area to stretch out on. If the specs end up being the same as the America or Speedmaster but just a bigger motor thrown in then I got no interest at all.

And finally, so I can offend many.... I gotta throw a big DUH!! out there. Putting up pictures of HD XAMUHWHATEVERS and YondaSawkiUki's in cruiser form and saying the new Triumph looks like them seems quite silly. It's a motorcycle, and a cruiser, uh yeah, they are all gonna be kinda similar in more ways than one,yes? Take all the plastic shrouded crotch rockets, about the only chance I have of telling any of them apart is by the paint, take the badgeing off and throw a custom paint job on there and I wouldn't have a clue what I was looking at. Had the pics of the new bike not had any badges on it or reference as to what it was and you were asked what you thought it was I'm guessing 90% of you would have said a Triumph. Basing this on one thing alone, the engine, it's a parallel twin. As soon as they throw a V-twin in there then I could have alot more sympathy for the "It looks like a _______" crowd.

Soapbox Steve out.

Can I use your soapbox for a second before you go, Steve?

Thanks.

Steve's right you know, folks! ESPECIALLY that part about posting a pix of Brand-X, Y, or Z crusier and saying that this new T-Bird looks like it!

(thank you Steve...here's your box back, dude!)

I'm glad most of you don't like it, just means when they come out in the show room I wont have to race you to the sales person to buy one. If it looks as good in person as it does in the picture to me then thats my retirement bike that I have been serching for.

One would think that after all these years a person would learn about expectations. For some reason, I figured the new cruiser would be based on the America. This bike looks like a blend of a Harley and Yamasukis. What a let down. I will keep my "anemic" 790cc America until it's last breath. Besides, it has all the power I need!

I have to agree with glazer, UM, anyone think about our speedmaster's and america's. Now look at things like the left side engine cover. Anybody think about why it is shaped the way that it is? Huh, have ya. That is cuz it makes it looks more like a Harley Primary Cover!!! Oh, and not to mention the way the battery sticks out there like a sporty!! If they wanted to keep it looking more like a traditional triump it would look more like the standard bonnie cover now wouldnt it. So if you want to complain about things on the new Thunderbird that look like other bikes, maybe you should think about your own first.
Mark

My rant-

I stopped in to the Triumph/Ducati/BMW dealer in Hartford after my appointments this evening and spoke with the manager, who had been one of the crowd to see the new T-Bird. He said that it was about the size of an America with slightly larger wheels on the back and that it looked better in person than in the photos posted on the net. I don't recall if he told me that he actually rode it, but I think that would have led to another series of questions if he had. He and I both agreed that Triumph designers did their best to add as many things as people wanted but that some compromizes always have to be made. One of the things that people don't like, for example, is that the new tanks don't have the knee indentations, but this is because they have to hide the EFI (which lots of people asked for) under the tank to enable some semblance of fake carbs to be incorporated to keep the 'classic' look of a carbed bike. If they kept the tank indented and stuck the EFI downstairs, people would have complained about that, too.

Personally, I think that we all pretty much are getting 99% of what most of us we asked for on the new bike. A larger engine? Done! EFI? Done! Belt drive? Done! 6-speed tranny? Done! So what if all of the design isn't up to 'your standards' or if you think the T-Bird looks like a Harleyhondayamakawazuki cruiser! I think that Triumph will continue to listen to design wannahaves and continue to improve on a very (to me) attractive design. If you don't like what you see, then stick with your Speedy or America, ya buncha uppity whiners. Or - better yet - go buy a freakin' Harley like the rest of the 'unique' people out there.

Dear Triumph designers,

Looks to me like you have a winner there! Keep up the good work!

There, now. I feel MUCH better...

Yup..ummhmm...I like it....lots of potential...really want to see the accessories....maybe lower pipes are an option...marketing ploy...buy the bike and spend $$$$ more on pipes....I think they have a winner here. Good job Triumph

PS - Can I get a discount on my new one???

Wow, that sure is ugly, and like everyone else said just looks like every other Jap cruiser. What a shame, I'd never consider one of those, as it looks ugly stock, and like it doesn't have much potential to be customised either.

I liked it when Triumph built retro bikes, not metric rice.

Lemme use that box for a minute

OMG!!!!!
It has two wheels and an engine and slightly raked forks
Look at that FENDERS, a GAS TANK.

It looks like everything else .



Bet it's the same folks who complain that the Rocket is fugly when Triumph does do something radical.
Get over yourselves

It's different. It's unique. Things to change? Sure. That's what the aftermarket is for.

I like it Gobs of potential there

Don't we all customize them anyway?
Seriously, I don't know what all the fuzz is about. Seems to me that Triumph wants to reach a wider demographic and seems to want to keep up with the times. You know, when I bought my America I had no idea who Triumph was or their track record, I bought it cause it was different and liked the looks...

If this bike helps bring more new people and those that hesitated into the world of Triumph then we are all better off, right?

The more I look at it the more excited I am to see it in person, ride it, see the accessories available, and of course find out the price. There's a few things I'm not huge on, like the chopped rear fender, but unless you design it yourself it will never be perfect! If only I could afford this and a new Indian Chief Vintage model...

someone asked if somebody could photoshop a straight pipe... here it is, a quick job but it works. I also removed the pillion which is something I would do if I had one. I like the straight pipe better

Looks like rice to me, don't like anything about it except maybe the displacement.

Here, im gonna get on the band wagon.
Look at that front end,how dare they take the fork shrouds off of a speedy front end and put it on that bike, rim and all!!!
Not to mention those Header pipes!!! they stole those from the speedy/america line too!!!
WOW, looks like they even stole our rear shocks!!!!
Not to mention the basic layout of the vertical twin motor!!!
Heck I say we boycott Triumph now!!!
There, do I sound as rediculous as some others out there????
Mark

Hey Angel, do me a favor and photoshop some black cooling fins around those cylinder barrels too, would ya?! Just a inch or so out all around, that's all. Thanks!

Quote:

---

---

(now I ask you Mr.Bloor, how hard would that have been, huh?! You see, one can always bolt on a different tank or fender to their liking, BUT one can't do too much to an engine casting, can they?!...and remember Mr.Bloor, the engine IS the heart of any motorcycle, ya know!...alas, so close...so close!)

Ok Dwight, It's done but I can not post it until I get home... can somebody host it in the meantime? I can email it.

edit, ok I used my flickr accnt... I hope this works.

Okay here's my thoughts.It could use a larger headlight,maybe spoke wheels for us old school guys and I like the photoshop straight pipes.Now that being said would I own one? Absolutely.Besides if Triumph had never introduced the America would this site be called Thunderbird .com??? Would Brent's business be NewThunderbird .com???Think about it.

Hey, I just found where they got their dash idea from.

basically took it from a bike they already had out there.
Not to mention that the tank is very similar in shape with similar filler cap and placement. And similar new style badges too.
Mark

Hey, how'bout a bigger picture? Sheesh.

Well you know FJ, that rocket is a big bike!!!
Mark

going to say it again... very nice bike I like what I see..
I don't want it to look like my america..I give triumph a
for what they have done.. with this bike..

ED

Ahh shudap...in 5 years we will all own one