Triumph Thunderbird: A British rival to the Harley

Triumph's new 1,597cc Thunderbird is superior to a Harley Davidson in just about every way.

"If this is what a midlife crisis feels like, then all I can say is, bring it on," says Simon Roots in SuperBike magazine.

The new Thunderbird is Triumph's latest attempt to derail Harley-Davidson's monopoly on the mid-sized American cruiser market, and it certainly looks the part: a "stylish vision on wheels", beautifully made, with lashings of chrome wherever you look.

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The Thunderbird is superior to a Harley in just about every way you can measure, says Kevin Ash in The Daily Telegraph. The engine "does everything you'd want from a cruiser", and the handling is better too, with a stiffer frame and improved suspension.

In particular, the steering at low speed is very impressive: most cruisers tend to drop in to corners, and stand up if you brake while leaning, but the Thunderbird "does neither, remaining neutral and, as a consequence, is very easy to handle".

Add this to the comfortable riding position, which is "upright and spacious", along with the generous 4.8-gallon fuel tank, and you have a "genuinely useful motorcycle as a well as a cruiser, a too-rare combination". You "really can go places on this bike", and can choose from a range of accessories to turn it into exactly the machine you're after.

Price: from £9,499.

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