Triumph Thunderbird 1700 Big Bore: Specs, Features, Background, Performance, & More

The Triumph series was initially established by Triumph Engineering in 1885, making Triumph one of the oldest motorcycle-manufacturing companies in the world. In 1983, the company had its name changed to Triumph Motorcycles, Ltd. From the early 20th century, Triumph made many remarkable motorcycles. One of the interesting facts about Triumph motorcycles is that they continuously evolved in design and technology over time and in every era. Every Triumph motorcycle was made according to the needs and interests of the riders.

In 1983, John Bloor established Triumph Motorcycle. In 2009, the company launched the Triumph Thunderbird with both a 1600 cc engine and a 1700 cc engine. The Thunderbird 1700 was later called The Big Bore because of its large engine. Even in 2009, the U.S. magazine Cycle World awarded the Triumph Thunderbird 1600 as “Best Cruiser” in the yearly “Ten Best Bikes” category.

The Triumph Thunderbird was first released in 2009 with displacements of both 1600 cc and 1700 cc. The Thunderbird with a 1700 cc engine was named Big Bore. Other than the engine, both bikes were exactly the same. This bike looks like a modern-day cruiser with a mix of old and new designs. While retaining a traditional look, the Triumph Thunderbird 1700 has an appearance that appeals to modern riders. An appropriate amount of chrome plating is applied to all the right places. The bike’s silhouette looks amazing, with bold curves suitable for anyone who needs a bike that draws attention. The Thunderbird 1700 has an instrument cluster mounted on its tank with an analog speedometer and a digital screen to show information about your bike’s condition.

The Triumph Thunderbird Big Bore’s engine is a modern water-cooled unit that helps the motorcycle’s dynamic performance. This 1699 cc engine delivers a ground-shaking torque of 156 Nm @ 2,950 rpm and has an impressive horsepower of 96 bhp.

The Thunderbird Big Bore has disc brakes at the front with four-piston calipers and a single disc brake at the back with two-piston calipers, with all the discs having a diameter of 310 mm. The Thunderbird Big Bore has a reliable braking system.

The Triumph Thunderbird has a six-gear manual transmission system. It was the first Triumph motorcycle that came with a belt drive transmission system rather than a chain drive. It also has a wet multi-plate clutch system.

The Triumph Thunderbird has twin shocks with 47 mm telescopic forks at the front and twin shocks at the rear with an adjustable preload shock absorber. The Thunderbird Big Bore’s transmission is very comfortable and is easy to handle when turning despite this bike weighing 355 kg.

Triumph motorcycles are definitely one of the most reliable bikes in the world. Most riders don’t feel the need to change or add parts to their Triumph motorcycles, except if they were damaged due to any mishaps. The reason why not many motorcyclists customize their Triumph behind this is the reliability of the motorcycle and its parts.

The Triumph Thunderbird 1700 is a good bike for riders who have experience riding heavyweight bikes with powerful engines. But if you are a beginner when it comes to riding, a cruiser bike with a less powerful engine and lower horsepower may be the better option. Both Honda and Yamaha have made many cruiser bikes with engines with displacement less or greater than 500-cc. These types of vehicles can be ideal options for novices.

The Triumph Thunderbird Big Bore has excellent engine performance, suspension, braking, and durability. According to riders and reviewers, the Triumph Thunderbird Big Bore is considered the perfect cruiser. Give the accelerator a little twist and the engine will roar like a beast.

Well, that’s not entirely true. In 2009, the Triumph Thunderbird 1600 was awarded as the Best Cruiser Motorcycle of the Year in the “Ten Best Bikes” category. However, it is overlooked in other biker magazines because these magazines tend to mostly discuss more modern and stylish bikes while Triumph motorcycles have a more traditional look.

The exact reason for why the Thunderbird series was discontinued has not yet been revealed by Triumph Motorcycle, but a possible reason was that the Triumph models were having emission issues. The Triumph models failed to meet the emissions regulations set by the government. Triumph attempted to make changes to the exhaust system or carburetor system but was unable to do so without compromising the performance of the bike. There are rumors that Triumph might bring The Thunderbird series back but this has l not been confirmed yet.

Yes, there are variants of the Triumph Thunderbird. The first Thunderbird was released in 2009, and following its success, Triumph motorcycles released four variants of the Thunderbird. Triumph ruled over the cruiser motorcycle from 2009 and onwards. The other variants of the Thunderbird are the Thunderbird SE, the Thunderbird LT, the Thunderbird Storm, and the Thunderbird Commander. All of these variants were released with 1600 cc and 1700 cc engines.

The problem that most tall people face while riding a bike is the placement of the footrests as their long legs may have trouble adjusting to their sitting position so they can ride comfortably. The Triumph Thunderbird does not have this problem as its seat and footrest are perfectly placed for both tall and average riders.

From the day the first Thunderbird was launched to the current day, many riders still consider the Triumph Thunderbird Big Bore as one of the best cruisers. Triumph should try to make an alternate solution to the problem which their Thunderbird series to stop and relaunch their series in the market again.

Without any doubt, the Thunderbird Big Bore is one of the best-looking cruiser bikes on the market. With such a great engine, many riders like to use this bike for long trips. Unfortunately, there is no equipment attached to the standard bike that is needed for a long trip. For long rides, people need to be able to sore extra luggage that may come in handy in the event of an emergency.

Therefore, people like to add equipment like saddlebags, sissy bar bags, tank bags, tail bags, trunks, tool bags, handlebar bags, and backpacks.