Triumph Thunderbird LT - First Look Review

From retro classics to naked streets to supersports and on to the larger adventure bikes, Triumph has a range of eleven different bikes on offer in India. But there’s this thing that the average big bike buyer in India has for cruisers. 

In India, the average, well-to-do 40-something biker wants a ride which has attitude – a bike on which one can do a longish ride in comfort and style. And nothing quite makes the cut than a cruiser with loads of chrome, comfort and performance. 

The LT is Triumph’s twelfth bike in India and third cruiser offering after the Rocket III Roadster and Thunderbird Storm – and Triumph says this bike has been launched after overwhelming customer feedback – demanding a premium cruiser with oodles of chrome and packed with touring features.

Triumph already has the Thunderbird Storm with the same engine as the LT – a 1699cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin with a wide torque spread for effortless highway cruising with minimum gear shifts.

The engine on the LT though is tuned slightly different – making marginally less power and torque, but good enough with 94PS on tap at a little over 5400 revs and 151Nm of torque to lug in a bike weighing over 400kg with luggage and rider.

Striking machined fins with chrome engine covers offset the jet-black barrels and crankcases and a pair of wide and shiny chrome exhaust pipes complements the parallel twin cruiser styling.

What the LT also gets is a pair of removable leather saddle bags, quick-detach windshield, auxiliary spot lamps and white wall tyres. They are a first – the tyres; first in class white wall radials for a motorcycle and they ride on wide, wire-spoked rims.

Ergonomics have been redesigned on the LT for that laid back, relaxed riding posture and dual-layer foam seat with lumbar support for maximum comfort, with a low seat height of 700mm to accommodate riders of different heights.

Front forks are shrouded 47mm Showa units and at the rear – twin 5-way preload adjustable shocks, also from Showa.  Braking is taken care of by ABS-enabled four-pot Nissin callipers on 310mm floating discs at the front and a single Brembo calliper also on a 310mm disc at the rear.

The Thunderbird LT certainly gives Triumph very capable and high calibre ammunition to take on the luxury cruiser segment. And it’s going to give the cruiser lovers a very capable alternative – and a very good looking one at that.

Triumph claims the Thunderbird LT is designed to make each and every journey the trip of a lifetime. Well, that’s one claim we have to take up with Triumph very soon. So keep watching this space for a full test ride and review of the Thunderbird LT.