![]() ![]() I got equal time on each bike, riding the LT on the first day and the Commander on the second day. After a day in this saddle at the launch of the new Commanders in San Diego, California, I can attest that it is one of the best cruiser saddles I’ve perched my backside in, nearing the comfort levels of a true touring-bike saddle. The seat is a unique design, including a separate bolster insert designed not to pull down when a rider is seated, thus providing added lumbar support. The frame has been lowered in the midsection, so the Commander uses 30 mm more seat foam to achieve the same 700 mm seat height as the Thunderbird. Steering geometry is less relaxed, with a steeper rake angle and less trail than the Thunderbird, to improve handling and steering feel, although the wheelbase has been stretched by 50 mm to 1665 mm, which adds some room for the passenger. These are not just T-birds with a bunch of goodies bolted onto them they are new motorcycles with a revised undercarriage that includes, among other things, a different frame, suspension and wheels, and an increased emphasis on touring comfort. It is this larger version of the parallel-twin that powers two new variations of the Thunderbird, the Commander and Commander LT. Liquid-cooled twin, which got a larger bore and grew to 1699 cc with the introduction of the stripped-down Thunderbird Storm in 2011. Introduced in 2009, it featured an all-new, 1597 cc, But let’s face it, there’s no replacement for displacement, and at 865 cc, by cruiser standards, the America was and remains a lightweight.Įnter the Thunderbird. Triumph was a latecomer to the cruiser party, originally introducing the aptly named America in 2002, breaking from cruiser tradition by using the Bonneville parallel-twin engine. Even European companies jumped on the cruiser bandwagon, including Ducati (remember the ill-fated and long-forgotten Indiana?), Moto Guzzi and BMW. One trademark feature of the American cruiser is the V-twin engine, and each of the Big Four has at least one variation of this engine in its line-up. The Japanese began producing these motorcycles, with buckhorn handlebars, stepped seats and laid-back riding positions, to capitalize on this American trend, and it caught on the cruiser class has grown to dominate the motorcycle market, at least on this side of the ocean. They were actually developed starting in the late 1970s by Japanese motorcycle makers for the American market, and at the time, they were dubbed “customs” or “specials.” Before that, there was no real cruiser class, though Harley had the chopper-inspired market cornered with the laid-back Low Rider, introduced in 1977. Modern cruisers are a purely North American invention. Triumph may have been late jumping into the cruiser pool, but they’ve made a commanding statement with a pair of new Thunderbirds ![]()
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