#TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD PLUS#

And if you were tempted by the Rocket IIIвЂ™s poke and pose, but not its bulk and brawn, the Storm could be for you, too.ДЇrom the saddle, the Storm is pleasing, effective and surprisingly unthreatening to ride. So, the standard ThunderbirdвЂ™s spec and manners appealed, but not itвЂ™s style, hereвЂ™s the solution. In terms of how it looks, how it goes and how it feels, it truly is a вЂjunior Rocket IIIвЂ™. On the other, the Storm plugs a useful gap in TriumphвЂ™s range. By doing so, it offers a tempting, вЂbad boyвЂ™ alternative to the stock Thunderbird which, good though it is, has always been a bit too вЂvanillaвЂ™ for my tastes. On the one hand the Storm is better вЂhot-rod variantвЂ™ than most, being both thoroughly done in terms of cosmetics and performance. ThatвЂ™s something that canвЂ™t be said of the Nightsters and Black Spirits of this world.

#TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD PLUS#

So, aside from predictable black paint and metal finishes plus subtly minimalistic styling (the Storm boasts more aggressive, flat bars and extended risers as well as chic clear glass indicators compared to the stock Thunderbird) Triumph has gone the extra yard by giving it a completely different headlamp arrangement, more performance and a host of neat detail touches.Д«lackness aside, itвЂ™s the StormвЂ™s twin-beam headlamp which visually distances it from the stock Thunderbird and reminds you of its Rocket III Roadster big brother вЂ“ no bad thing in itself when youвЂ™re after an image thatвЂ™ll strike consternation throughout suburbia.Д«ut the StormвЂ™s added performance, courtesy of using the ThunderbirdвЂ™s optional 1700cc big-bore kit which delivers an extra 12bhp and a healthy wodge of added grunt means the Storm has the extra go to match its hot-rod image. And the Storm, although developed from an existing model вЂ“ the 1600 Thunderbird вЂ“ is the latest example of this.

Hinckley has become particularly adept recently at delivering well thought-out and crisply-executed machines that are both thoroughly developed and wanting for little.

Riding it, however, reveals the new Storm to be pleasingly more than just AN Other fashion victim. In recent years there have been Harley-Davidson Nightsters, Victory 8-Balls, HondaвЂ™s Black Spirit, even KawasakiвЂ™s VN900 Custom, so the Storm is not so much a case of Triumph jumping on the bandwagon as shouting вЂRoom for one more?вЂ™ and squeezing onboard among everyone else. Related: 30 years on - the story behind Triumph's rebirth.

Its route of taking an existing cruiser model and spinning off a pared-down, mean and moody, all-black, вЂhot rodвЂ™-styled variant is a well-trodden one. It would be easy to be cynical about the Triumph Thunderbird Storm.

Triumph thunderbird