2011-2018 Triumph Thunderbird 1700 Review: Specs, performance and ride dynamics of Triumph's cruiser

From the saddle, the Storm is pleasing, effective and surprisingly unthreatening to ride. While the rider’s-eye view is all bad-attitude gloss black, once levered off its side-stand and prodded into first gear the Storm is refreshingly light and welcoming.

The ergonomics are natural; the clutch, gearchange and throttle are light and crisp; and the pick-up from the big parallel-twin motor meaty and instant without being fierce. It’ll rev-on to a 7500rpm redline, at which point it starts to sound meaty enough too, but there’s no real need. Instead, it’s all about low and mid-range urge – and there’s more than enough of it to satisfy.

The handling feels even better than the stock Thunderbird – a big improvement on the class convention. The suspension, like most Triumphs, is well set up and the brakes are excellent.

• Related: Keep you bike shining with MCN's round up of best cleaning products.

The whole plot is taut enough to pleasingly swing through a series of country bends. It’s no sports bike, of course – the slow steering and sheer bulk mean that corners have to be planned and steady – but it’s more fun than most cruisers when you want to get hustling along.

In fact the Storm, despite its sheer size and bulk, only ever becomes a handful during dead slow manoeuvring, when there’s no getting away from the fact this is a big, hefty bike. But it’s nothing to get unduly concerned about, either.

Comfort and all-round usability is its forte. Its seat is well padded and the bars and pegs set to be acceptable for a tank’s worth of riding time. A decent, all-round cruiser with an extra helping of menace. Whether that makes the Storm a true hot rod, though, is a different matter…

You probably expect a true hot rod to have a big, beefy V-twin engine and you’d be right in thinking the Triumph’s parallel twin has its work cut-out to keep up. But there’s an authenticity here, too, although it’s British rather than American authenticity.

Look at the T-Bird engine and think ‘Bonneville’ – if it wasn’t for the ugliness of the rad, it could so easily be mistaken for an air-cooled lump.

The Storm’s added performance, courtesy of using the Triumph Thunderbird’s optional 1700cc big bore kit - delivering 12 more bhp and a healthy wodge of added grunt - means it has the extra go to match its hot rod image.

On the other hand, there’s no getting away from the fact that the Storm can’t quite match the competition for sheer punch. The Triumph unit’s virtue is in being a beautiful creation to use day-in, day-out.

There have been no reported reliability issues with the Triumph Thunderbird so it’s fairly safe to assume the same will be true of the Thunderbird Storm.

Our Triumph Thunderbird owners' reviews show one reader had six problems that were fixed under warranty, but he was pleased with how Triumph dealt with it. That appears to be an isolated issue at time of writing, though.

Priced between the standard Thunderbird and Rocket III Roadster of its day, the Storm represented fair, if not startling value.

Custom bikes enjoyed a boom in popularity in the ‘00s perhaps due to a generation of erstwhile sportsbike riders looking to ride in style (and more importantly comfort). These bikes exert an appeal on anyone who likes chromed parts, dark paint and has a desire to be different from the hordes of plastic rockets and desert rally look-a-likes.

Harley achieved great success with its Dark Custom range, particularly with the style-conscious and cash-strapped youth of America - something Triumph noticed, no doubt.

A contemporary rival of the Storm was Harley-Davidson’s Muscle; a seriously cool… erm, muscle bike. Especially in yellow. It excites in every quarter (looks, performance, pulling power and resale value). And it’s a Harley-Davidson which, in this category, matters. A lot.

At the time you could also go for the Victory Hammer S, a blacked out hot rod version of the Victory Hammer.

So how do they compare? Well, if you’re looking for a genuine slice of hot rod heaven, the Triumph – good though it is – isn’t the one to go for. It’s far too diluted for that.

Instead, Harley-Davidson’s Muscle and the Victory Hammer S are the bikes to have – and not just because they actually look like hot rods, but because they perform like them, too.

If you want the mostest in a straight line, it’s the Muscle, but the Victory’s all-round aplomb elsewhere means it puts it at the top of this hot rod tree.

A modern equivalent would be the Triumph Bobber Black, Triumph Speedmaster or if you wanted something with a bit more poke and modern styling, the Ducati XDiavel.

You can find the Triumph Thunderbird and all the bikes mentioned above in MCN's classifieds.  Additionally, try MCN Compare for a competitive insurance quote.

Dressed in black paint – matt or gloss black, your choice – with a drizzle of chrome-plating, the Storm carries off the mean and moody stance with ease.

Flat bars and dual headlights add individual style and the capacity hike of 102cc, taking the Storm up to 1699cc from the standard Triumph Thunderbird’s 1597cc, confirms its hot rod status.