2015 Triumph Thunderbird - nice bike.

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I posted last week about considering a new Yamaha Raider. During my last visit to the dealership, I also looked at a 2015 Triumph Thunderbird commander and was very impressed with how the bike felt in terms of ride position and overall fit and finish. The Triumph Thunderbird was given the title of best cruiser in 2010 by Cycleworld magazine.

The Triumph also has ABS braking, LED lights, a fantastic seat (the best I've seen on a stock bike), and liquid cooling.

I remember the reputation of Triumph back in the 70's and 80's and wondered if there are any Triumph owners willing to share their experiences with the "new" Triumph Thunderbird Commander, or any experiences with the Triumph Motorcycle company.

Thank you!

757 Guy
 
I have a 2011 Tbird ABS, Great bike, no problems. I did get a corbin seat for it. Very nimble handling, good power. Mine is a keeper.

Do get a battery tender. My factory battery is still going strong. I use the Castrol 4T 10w50 oil and purolator MC filter and change 1x every 15 months.
 
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I've owned several new generation Triumphs and they are excellent bikes, well made, handle great and very low maintenance, nothing like the older generation bikes.

Buy and ride with confidence.
 
I have owned the following;
1. 2002 speed triple, 44k miles, still going strong. fast,light, nimble :)
2. 2008 sprint, all of the above plus comfortable for a 300 mile day, great hard bags, comfort for 2, 28k miles and 49mpg
3. 2009 Bonneville, ( wifes bike ) easy to ride, more power than you would expect (865cc) fun,fun 12k miles
All 3 have been absolutely trouble free. I cant recommend them highly enough.
Saw an article one time that Triumph has the highest RFT (right the first time ) engine build in the industry.
Buy one, you will not be sorry.
 
I have a 2011 Speedmaster. It has been excellent. I had one issue with an oil cooler hose that failed a year out of warranty. They still fixed it free of charge for me because they admitted it was installed incorrectly.

Very happy with the bike and it is just different enough to stand out at bike nights. I also have TONS of old timers who grew up with Triumphs back in the 60's come up and ask me about it.
 
Bought my 2013 T100 in 6/2013, racked up 13k miles since. The only issue I had was that it was delivered with an improperly calibrated TPS which caused a stumble/occasional stall at small throttle openings. Fixed at 1st oil change in 10 minutes. Still, I can't say enough good about the bike (though riding it 1000 miles in a day is not ideal)
grin.gif
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My dealer has been great as well. I am not a regular there but they have not hesitated to answer every question I've asked of them. Their tech gives me a debrief every time I get service done and doesn't seem to mind when I bend his ear.

Small maintenance is easy to do, though setting valve lash is a small PITA.

The Castrol 10W-50 syn the manual calls out is frequently available on Amazon for about $42 for a 6 pack. 4 quarts per change and a Puro L14612/equivalent and you're set. Manual calls for a 6k mile oil change, though my left foot says it's pretty used up by 3k-3500 miles.
 
Yep...the TPS sometimes benefits from a reset. You can download Tune ECU and get a cheap 15 dollar cable and put in new tunes and reset the TPS yourself with a laptop.

The lash is not that big of a deal. The real bugger is they use Torx fasteners for the cams. I replaced them with hex heads to make it easier. You have to take the cams out to put in new shims.

The T-bird, being a different engine is not one I would do the clearance checks on myself. I guess it is a real bugger.
 
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i have a 2012 bonnie mag wheel model, great bike that i should have bought instead of a hardly. got rid of the Hardly for a Victory Hammer, can't believe how light it feels + how good it handles! Triumph Rat is the forum for Triumph owners
 
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