Triumph Thunderbird

A Little History
In or around 1949, Triumph's managing director and lead designer Edward Turner was working on a design for a revamped and larger Speed Twin to sell to the American market. He was traveling in South Carolina and slept in a place named the Thunderbird Motel - and a new icon was born.

The Thunderbird - also referred to as the 6T - was the largest displacement motorcycle that Triumph produced at the time - a 649 c.c. twin. The model went on to become one of the most famous bikes in history after Marlon Brando rode his own personal 1950 Triumph Thunderbird in the film The Wild One. Between 1949 and 1966, there were at least three distinct updates of the Thunderbird 6T. The final Thunderbird produced by the Meriden factory was the Thunderbird TR65; it was sold as an 'economy' model and was a short-stroke version of the T-140 Bonneville.

The Thunderbird 900 is Born

A few years after Triumph was resurrected in 1990 by John Bloor, the new Hinckley plant started producing the Thunderbird 900. At its heart was the 885c.c. three-cylinder on which previous 'Hinckley' Triumph models had been based. This was the first classically styled triple that the new plant had built. The two-tone paintwork, historic Triumph tank badge, and the 'pea shooter' exhausts set the retro styling apart from other models, but it kept the company's history as the center of attention.

The author's 2002 Triumph Thunderbird 900

Built with a rather stable, modern chassis riding on 18" front and 16" rear wheels, the machine possessed a very planted riding character. The upright riding posture made running the Thunderbird through the tightest roads simple and fun, not to mention comfortable. A wide and flat seat helped the rider focus on the road and riding conditions. The 69 horsepower and 52 foot/pounds of torque, mated to a 6-speed transmission, moved the 485 pound (dry) T-Bird wherever you wanted to go, there were few limits. Stopping was also a worry-free affair with large single discs clamped by dual-piston calipers both front and rear.

The Thunderbird was designed to be a laid-back riding platform and it delivered very well on its promises. Many of them were fitted with touring gear from the extensive Triumph accessories catalog. Sadly, 2004 was the last year that any 885c.c. Thunderbird was produced; it was the Thunderbird Sport 900, an upgraded model.

However, things change, and so has the Thunderbird. In 2009, the (2010 model year) Thunderbird 1600 was introduced to an astonished audience … the ride continues.