Thunderbird 1600/1700 Twins

[Watty100]

I'm being drawn towards a cruiser thanks to arthritis staring to make the RT painful to ride (thankfully the GS is still rideable).
The one that catches my eye is the Triumph Thunderbird 1600 and 1700 twins. Went out today with her indoors to look a few, also with a view to her trying the back seats which she hasn't been able to do since a hip operation, thinking she might be able to get on a lower bike.
The dealer had 4 in stock, all with different pillion seats. She was able to get on them and not surprisingly liked the one with the widest seat best.
So whilst I'm giving some thought to buying it, has anyone here got experience of ownership?

 

[squibb34]

No, but passenger footboards often help, whatever cruiser you choose. Easier getting on/off, the foot position can be varied readily & there is less risk of slipping than with a foot peg.

After my wife's full hip replacement, it was a tad nerve-wracking getting her back on a bike, so I can understand your dilemma.

 

[Davey B]

A manxy pal has had one for years, similar reasons, he loves it. We have a weeks holiday with 3 couples, him on that, the other 2 on Africa Twins. It does just fine. Can't recall him mentioning any real issues with it.

 

[Watty100]

Thanks for your replies fellas, we went out to look at a Speedmaster 1200 today, as they look quite nice.
What a tiny little bike they are in the flesh! It had small panniers fitted and her legs struggled to fit over /around them comfortably, and as the pair of us aren't exactly "petite", we simply didn't fit the bike!
So just waiting for the weather to improve to book a test ride on the TBird.

 

[KMD]

After my wife's full hip replacement, it was a tad nerve-wracking getting her back on a bike, so I can understand your dilemma.

Can I ask how that has gone please? I’m in exactly that situation now, my wife has had a hip replacement recently and has yet to try getting back on the bike.

 

[squibb34]

Can I ask how that has gone please? I’m in exactly that situation now, my wife has had a hip replacement recently and has yet to try getting back on the bike.

Well 12years on, after a nasty fall which broke the neck of the femur & the full hip replacement works well (ceramic bearing surfaces). However there was a slight nerve stretch somehow during the op, not uncommon it seems, which has meant her left leg doesn't power her forward quite as well as it should. The muscle had plenty of strength when using the gym bench, just a slight instability somewhere - she copes with it pretty well, but tends to use a stick if she is walking any distance alone. Luckily I had an old HD Electraglide available, with generous passenger footboards so, after about 6 weeks of physio, 8 weeks post op, she was back on the bike. We didn't risk her trying my other bikes for a while though, concerned that a silly slip off a stubby foot-peg could cause a set-back. In fairness, her Consultant thought we might be over-reacting, but they really have no idea of the physicality of riding bikes, so better safe than sorry.

The surgeon reckoned the blood supply to the bone in the neck/ball had been damaged at some stage, probably an old skiing crash or two. Then one has to consider the of question bone mineral density if there was a break, rather than wear & tear. Whilst a simple X-ray will give the surgeon a good idea what they are dealing with, this is normally assessed once the patient is back on their feet & fully active again, using a DEXA scan. This can be something of a blunt instrument IMHO as some loss of bone density post menopause appears to be the norm. The GP's answer is usually to prescribe bisphosphonates (a rather ghastly drug - just check Google/Wiki) but my Mrs found she was very Vit D (& B) deficient, so uses 4000iu of VitD3/day along with B complex, which appears to be working well in many respects - bone health looks good & she hasn't succumbed to any colds/flu/covid/RSV since starting the regime years back.

I hope that helps - take care.

 

[KMD]

@squibb34 many thanks, much appreciated

 

[bun lovin' criminal]

I had a Thunderbird Storm for a few years. One of the best bikes I’ve had - always a giggle to ride and surprisingly good two up over long distances (took my wife who is not a great bike lover over to the Tentreffen in Belgium a couple of times with camping gear and no problems).
One thing to bear in mind is that although they handle well for what they are, they’re long and low so need setting up for corners carefully. Narrow windy roads are not their forte. I always thought that 1700 engine in a decent handling roadster would be the holy grail (for me at least).

 

[beemerboy9]

I'm being drawn towards a cruiser thanks to arthritis staring to make the RT painful to ride (thankfully the GS is still rideable).
The one that catches my eye is the Triumph Thunderbird 1600 and 1700 twins. Went out today with her indoors to look a few, also with a view to her trying the back seats which she hasn't been able to do since a hip operation, thinking she might be able to get on a lower bike.
The dealer had 4 in stock, all with different pillion seats. She was able to get on them and not surprisingly liked the one with the widest seat best.
So whilst I'm giving some thought to buying it, has anyone here got experience of ownership?

After market accessories e.g. screens, light bars are hard to find nowadays. Triumph have stopped selling accessories as the bike is well and truly obsolete. Consumable availability should still be OK in the UK, but call a Triumph dealer first.
Owners seem to love them - but they're way too heavy for me.

I'm a Bonneville T120 owner.