Featured Hello - From Annoyed Uk

Annoyed cos I've only found this forum after selling my NIghtStorm.

Bought it new in 2015. Joined the other two Triumph forums but never found this one which looks far more useful and active. Was told about it ercently from someone on BMW forum when I was trying to sell my Storm spares. Popped over here a couple of weeks ago with the intention of selling the parts and just been browsing and rekindling my love for the Storm.

I think I will return to a Storm in the future, just need the prices to come down.

So why did I sell after 3 years and 12,000 miles? I wanted to do more touring and the guys I go with don't ride cruisers and after 4 days in the Vogues region in France last year I traded in for a GSA (had a 1100GS for 10 years and love um as well). I have read on here how some of you tour happily on your Storms, but the long distance motorway miles became painful. Chucking the big girl round the mountains was great, but 7 hours on motorway at 80mph was painful (lower back). In hindsight I could have bought more accessories and got it to work, but it wouldn't have been the bike I wanted.

I always ran an 1100GS alongsdie the Storm and for long journeys and winter riding I'd take the GS, but being 23 years old I didn't trust taking it abroad, so they both went and got replaced with a 2016 GSA 1200. Don't get me wrong, the GSA is a fantastic bike and for the riding I do now is the best bike for me, but there are days when I really miss the Storm and hopefully in the future, when prices come down I can get one to run alongside the GSA.

Now I know the GSA is not going to set the world on fire visually, but for me I loved the muscle look of the Storm and I'm not a fan of touring cruisers, so I didn't want to change the appearance too much.

So, what did I add and what could I have added?

I added:

Triumph 2 piece touring seat - great, but I did like the look of the original NightStorm one
Triumph panniers - great, but not quick release. Need to undo 4 screws to take them off. Spoilt the look of the bike IMO
Dart fly screen - seemed to help. Bought after my French trip so didn't get properly tested. Didn't spoil the look too much
Triumph tubed rear rack - useful when only needed one seat
Triumph Sissy bar - makes bike look like a tourer, but the wife liked it
TOR shorties in black (and tune) - bloody brilliant

What I could have done:

Triumph QR screen - would have make touring easier, but bloody expensive and like the panniers, and Sissy bar, made the bike look like a tourer
Triumph sing piece touring seat - this can take a back rest (or a corbin with back rest)
Triumph Foot Boards - Again, changes the look too much. but could have helped with motorway miles. Strangely, I find the forward pegs on motorways painful after a while. I even tried using the pillion pegs.

I dare say I could have bought an LT and found it a perfect tourer, but for me a bike like the Thunderbird is bought as much on heart as it is on head. The GSA on the other hand was mostly a head decision.

So I though I'd just hang around here and keep up to speed with the Thunderbird for when the moment comes that I can afford one again.

 

Not much different from stock, but didn't have to be cos there ain't many around.