Stunning Triumph Thunderbird

Lord Snooty

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I was in Cradley Kawasaki yesterday as the Z1000SX was in for service. I noticed this on the showroom floor. A 1997 Triumph Thunderbird with just 1300 odd miles on it! it has spent most of its life in Spain where obviously it was never used. The owner returned to the UK and sold it to Cradley K who then recommissioned it, the fuel system was leaking, carbs bunged up, there was an oil leak and some other issues. It was then wheeled into the showroom, they hadn't had chance to put a price ticket on it when some old boy wandered in while I was waiting for my bike to be sorted, took one look at it and offered £5250 - sold! Lucky man, I was quite glad he bought it as my credit card was starting to twitch uncontrollably. :D
 

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Looks great. People who own those really seem to hang onto them, and prices always seem to remain high. There aren't too many bikes like them.
 
Prices on Thunderbird models are not as strong as they were 3 years ago but that one is particularly nice and IMO well worth the £5250 :thumb2
 
Prices on Thunderbird models are not as strong as they were 3 years ago but that one is particularly nice and IMO well worth the £5250 :thumb2

That looks great, love that tank badge. I looked at one about 10 years ago for not a lot of money. Guy had quite a few Thunderbirds and Tridents. Took it for ride and just couldn't make myself like it enough to buy it. As a youngster in the late 60s early 70s I'd always lusted after a Triumph big twin (yes, I know it isn't) but I just haven't caught the buy-something-older or retro bug. Still a Triumph fan and I've had a Speed Triple and have a Street Triple now, maybe still have time to get a Bonneville.
 
I had one of the first ones made, I bought eddys in Leeds demonstrator. Was I nice bike but had issues for me. The main thing was the weight, very heavy! This led to other issues. The front single disc wasn’t really good enough, the front forks dived and weren’t adjustable. The rear shock was awful, really choppy and uncomfortable and again un-adjustable. It also desperately need a 6th gear to reduce revs when cruising. Still a nice bike though. Triumph did then start producing the Thunderbird Sport which did address some of the issues, 6 gears and twin discs, but it didn’t quite have the same look/appeal.
 
I've had a couple of Thunderbird Sports and an Adventurer I bought from Brain Maslin of this very Parish

This was my favourite TBS :thumb

TBS-001.jpg
 
I've had a couple of Thunderbird Sports and an Adventurer I bought from Brain Maslin of this very Parish

This was my favourite TBS :thumb

TBS-001.jpg

That is very nice, this was one I regret selling.
 

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A pal of mine has a mint thunderbird sport in red/black, I always wanted first refusal on it, that is until he ran it without oil :blast

it's still gathering dust in his garage :(
 
He had drained the oil, changed the filter, got distracted by something so didn't put oil in. It was late on one evening. Next day gets up for work, starts engine and leaves it to tick over while he gets his gear on and.......... :D such a shame as the bike is in such good condition otherwise. It will run, but puts out a fair bit of white smoke and has a strange noise.
 
I remember doing a Triumph tour not long after they opened the 2nd Hinckley factory and being told that if you ran one of their a motors low on oil you couldn't regrind the cranks due to the nitriding process that they went through during manufacture

At that time, Triumph were the only motorcycle manufacturer that nitrided their crankshafts & camshafts inhouse
 
He had drained the oil, changed the filter, got distracted by something so didn't put oil in. It was late on one evening. Next day gets up for work, starts engine and leaves it to tick over while he gets his gear on and.......... :D such a shame as the bike is in such good condition otherwise. It will run, but puts out a fair bit of white smoke and has a strange noise.

What a shame, sounds like the engine is well and truly lunched.
 
I've had a couple of Thunderbird Sports and an Adventurer I bought from Brain Maslin of this very Parish

This was my favourite TBS :thumb

TBS-001.jpg


That really does look lovely - it just looks SO right...:cool:

I've done the Speed Triple, which was faster than me, but I've always loved the idea/look of the TBS.

I've always wondered why Triumph haven't done a modern 'Hurricane' - three pipes up one side n'all that ??....Please don't give me 'impractical'...:blast
 
Hurricane

Looks like someone’s had ago. Not quite as good as the original imho but a good effort. ;)
 

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The Thunderbird is back for sale, it seems that the old boy who "bought" it hadn't consulted his higher authority back home and she has put the kibosh on it:D Ooooops!
 


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