Glenn Goes to Barcelona

lunedì 15 giugno 2009

After winning a competition to join the Thunderbird’s world press launch in Barcelona last month, Australian Triumph rider Glenn Middleton, owner of an America and a Sprint ST, tells us what it was like being the first member of the public to ride Triumph’s new cruiser.

Imagine my surprise when at 9.30pm one Thursday evening I receive a call on my mobile with an overseas prefix. “Hi it’s Sam from Triumph magazine. Sorry to call so late but it’s about the Thunderbird competition you entered...”

Following an uneventful trip I arrived in Barcelona to cloudy skies and impending rain. I was free to do a little sightseeing and enjoyed getting my first hand experience of the European way of life, but the real purpose of the trip was to get to know the new Thunderbird, firstly from the people who gave birth to it and secondly to experience it first hand. I was welcomed to the same presentation as the visiting international motorcycling journalists, which was a comprehensive and entertaining insight into the vision and execution of the idea that is the Thunderbird. A full press pack was provided, that as a pending purchaser of the bike, gave me a compendium of research to answer any question I might have had. At the dinner following the presentation I was pleased to be seated next to Simon Warburton, Triumph’s Product Manager, as well as the North American journalists, who are too close to being like Australians in their attitude for their own good!

Simon appeared genuinely interested in my views as an amateur rider and owner of Triumph motorcycles. We seemed to agree on the hits and misses of some of Triumph’s previous efforts however he was so enthusiastic about the Thunderbird that any questions I had were simply answered by “wait ‘til you ride it.” A most fortuitous phrase that did in fact answer many questions and without exception all positive.

The following day dawned with blue sky that remained unblemished for the whole day's riding and we headed off from Barcelona on a 200km ride in groups of six.

The placement and relative dimensions of the riding position felt pretty similar to the America, with maybe the forward controls a little closer and riding position a little more upright and less laidback. Certainly for a big guy like me, 195cm tall, it in no way felt cramped in any dimension, yet less reach to the foot controls will appeal to the shorter pilot.

The sound of the engine on the standard pipes is deep and resonating without being particularly loud, although the sport pipes were sensational, providing a noticeable rise in volume without losing the hairy chested base baritone note.

Escaping the traffic and heading out of town on the freeway, the low down grunt of the new 1,600cc parallel twin was immediately apparent. With crisp fuel injection, opening it up from idle made dragging my 135kg around effortless. A smooth and accurate gear change, and good feel from the brakes front and back, inspire confidence in the machine straight away.

Off the freeway we took a route up the mountain that would have any Australian rider salivating at the prospect of a ride. The smooth bitumen surface flowed from one hairpin to the next as we climbed higher than I have ever been without a stewardess nearby to serve drinks. People familiar with Europe will scoff, but for an Aussie used to the local scenery it was a revelation and breathtaking.

We stopped for photographs with Triumph’s professional photographers and after a short discussion the technicians, Jon and John, we added two clicks of pre load, affording me more ground clearance and better attitude through the bends.

After some more riding through the mountains we headed off to a superb Spanish villa for a seafood lunch. Animated discussions and lots of smiling faces among the journalists at the table made it apparent to me that Triumph had ticked their boxes with the new machine. Whether it was later represented in print or not, they were having a great time on the Thunderbird.

After lunch it was out on the flowing roads around the countryside where the top end of the Thunderbird could be enjoyed, while riding through rush hour traffic back into Barcelona showed off the stability of the Thunderbird. A lot of cruisers have an overwhelming propensity for the raked out front end to fall over at low speed, resulting in less than admirable low speed handling. This becomes a bit of a problem for feet up navigation between lanes of cars, trucks and buses but, true to Simon’s prediction of ‘just wait until you ride it’ the Thunderbird is the most stable low speed cruiser of this category I have ridden. The balance and precision allowed everyone to negotiate the gridlock with ease and not a close call to be seen.

Was I blinded by the friendly, sharp and savvy Triumph team? I don’t think so. I think this is the bike that many have been waiting for and anyone who is in the market for a big bore cruiser will not walk away from a ride unimpressed. The boys from Triumph were at pains to reaffirm the Thunderbird is not an attempt to take on the traditional American motorcycle company, however it is filling an obvious gap in the product range. Make no mistake, this is a motorcycle that excels in every area over the American company’s product. It’s a cruiser with the tough looks and presence of a real deal machine, with characteristics and precision you would find on much more sport orientated machines. The engine, brakes, accommodation and handling are everything you would expect from such a clean sheet design.

I tried the 1700cc big bore kit too, and it’s going to rush out the door. All the feel good stuff from the 1600cc, power delivery, torque and responsiveness, cranked up quite a few notches on the performance dial.

All in all it was a fantastic trip of a lifetime and I could go on and on about the people that made it happen. My thanks to one and all from the Triumph Magazine, Triumph UK staff and Triumph Australia. It reaffirms your faith in fair and open competitions when the person furthest away, and as a result by far the most expensive in transport costs, could win such a sought after prize!