When I was much younger, I did a bit of trail bike riding. Now that I am retired, I am planning to start riding again. I did a lot of road biking (the kind without a motor) for years. I have started to look at options in earnest and have been told to avoid larger bikes which is fine with me. I find I am mostly attracted to nakid/cruiser type bikes. I have sat on a lot of bikes over the past week or so and in terms of looks and comfort, the triumph bikes are the best for me so far. I will be asking some questions in the other areas. I live in Santa Fe, NM.
Thanks, I think you are looking at the post I made in the general discussion about Speed Twin 900 vs. T120. I look forward to your comments. Thanks
Thanks, I see that you also have a V Storm. I have sat on a lot of bikes including many Suzuki's recently. I found the Triumph models to be much more comfortable overall and the seats/position were much more comfortable as well. How would you compare your experience with the V Strom and your bike? It may not be fair since the Thunderbird is a lot older.
Welcome in Jon, a cruiser sounds like a good option for where you live, they can be a bit heavy so make sure you can move what ever you choose around without too much problem.
Thanks, the heaviest of the three Triumphs I am looking at is the T120. In US spec it appears to be about 520 pounds which is about 40 more than the Speed Twin 900. The Trident 660 with the same twin as the 900 is about 70 pounds less than the 900 which is a surprise to me.
I started (at 56) with a 2004 Speed Triple 955 at 460 lbs. It was easy to handle, but not terribly comfortable for longer rides. I then bought the Sprint GT 1050 at 590 lbs. It took a bit to get used to the weight, but now find it plenty agile on the road and easy to move about, including riding it up a ramp into my pickup. Recently (at near 62), I bought a 2013 Trophy 1200 at 662 lbs. I bit heavier around the garage and parking spaces, but much more comfortable on the road (wind protection is second to none with the adjustable windshield). Since I almost always have a passenger, the last two have been much more comfortable for my wife. You get used to the weight pretty quickly, although there's no way to avoid the ballast when flat-footing the bike around at walking speed. Good luck!
I love the Thunderbirds, nothing like the V Strom. The Thunderbird puts a massive grin on my chops every time I go out on it. The V Storms best for long distance touring, and at 80mpg it's cheap to tour on it too. Having said that, I've booked up to go to the Black Forest in Germany next year. For pottering around the German countryside, for me at least, nothing comes close to being on my Thunderbird.
