Triumph Thunderbird: a brief history

Triumph Thunderbird: 1995 ~ 2003

The Triumph Thunderbird was introduced in 1995 and was the first time the Hinckley factory had produced a retro-styled model. The name Thunderbird was revived from the Meriden range of bikes.

Triumph Thunderbird: a modern classic

The motorcycles promotional literature described it as a Traditional Roadster and although based on the same modular components, the Triumph team managed to change its appearance by restyling the crankcase covers and cylinder head. The cylinder block was also modified to include different fins. Finally the retro look was completed by including spoked wheels and ‘pea shooter‘ exhausts.

Other cosmetic changes also included the introduction of the “mouth organ” styled tank badge and it was the first Hinckley Triumph to carry this older style of tank badge.

When Triumph launched this bike they were in effect covering two bases; firstly they were designing a bike that would appeal to those customers who wanted to see a classic looking motorcycle. Secondly by lowering the seat height they were trying to break into the cruiser market and was aimed at those customers who might be inclined to purchase a Harley Davidson.

Some of the most significant changes were to the engine, which was detuned (down to 70PS from 98PS) and delivered its torque further down the rev range. The compression ratio was dropped from 10.6:1 to 10:1 making the bike very flexible through the gears and able to pull smoothly from 2000 rpm.

Producing a retro styled cruiser certainly paid off for Triumph; it was the best selling model in 1995 and was awarded ‘Cruiser of the Year’ by the prestigious American Motorcyclist magazine that same year. The Thunderbird family subsequently grew to include the Adventurer (1996 ~ 2001), Thunderbird Sport (1998 ~ 2004) and Legend (1999 ~ 2002).

In fact it has become a lasting success story as whilst some of the Hinckley Triumph models may look a bit dated now (i.e. Trophy & Sprint), the Thunderbird family have very much become modern day classics with a build quality that would be hard to find these days. These are the qualities that Triumph enthusiasts appreciate when they buy and own these bikes.

Triumph Thunderbird time line