I went to the dealer on Thursday afternoon with every intention of leaving on my new black Thunderbird, but I came home with fresh oil, Rivco risers, and a gel seat on my America instead.
At first look, it's a sharp bike; so sharp that it reminds me a lot of my America. It handles well, plenty of power and shifts very smooth. But, the speedo is hard to see and the font they chose for the numbers makes them difficult to decipher. And you can't see any of the indicator lights unless it's dark out. And that ****** Triumph badge is so small. But, man oh man, they made the center console out of real METAL rather than cheap chromed plastic that scratches every time you look at it!
Ultimately, half of the decision came down to money and half to time. If I were to trade in the America I would still be out about $8,000 to accessorize the T-bird to match my America, and the ONLY real complaint I have about the America is that I would like more passing power when I ride two-up. The $8,000 price tag equates to $10 per cc to fix my one complaint.
My other reason for deciding against it is the fact that my 2007 America has 5,000 miles on it, I'm ashamed to admit. Medical school has kept me too busy to really enjoy it and I start residency in just over a week, so my free time will become even more limited. It just doesn't make sense to buy a new bike now that will be ridden even less than my current bike.
As it stands now, I do want a Thunderbird eventually. I think I'm going to give them a year or two and see if any problems pop up and let the recalls be dealt with. Hopefully by then they'll release some other color options and all of the accessories will be available rather than backordered until who knows when.
