Triumph Thunderbird 1600 Review

Used Buyer Review

The Thunderbird 1600 is Triumph's answer to the Harley Softail crowd, and honestly, it's a more convincing argument than most people give it credit for. The 1597cc parallel twin punches with genuine authority — that low-down torque is real and it sounds properly meaty without resorting to aftermarket pipes. Build quality is solid British throughout, and used examples from 2009-2016 tend to hold together well if the previous owner wasn't completely negligent. That said, go in with your eyes open. The wet clutch can get grabby in traffic and the gearbox isn't the slickest Triumph ever built — early models especially. Check the final drive belt carefully, inspect the forks for pitting, and make sure the electronics package hasn't thrown any gremlins. These bikes sat in dealerships for a while before Triumph discontinued the line, so some examples have surprisingly low miles but dodgy old fuel in the tank. Servicewise, Triumph dealers are generally more accessible than they used to be, but budget for the 12,000-mile valve check — it's not cheap.