2014 EICMA: 2015 Triumph Thunderbird Nightstorm Special Edition Preview

Evans Brasfield
by Evans Brasfield

The Triumph Thunderbird is a well-known entity in the company’s motorcycle line, and now, the 2015 Triumph Thunderbird Nightstorm Special Edition brings blacked out styling to the playing field. To get the Nightstorm, you take the Thunderbird’s formidable 1699cc Parallel-Twin engine that delivers a claimed 97 hp and 115 lb-ft of torque wrapped in a stout twin-spine frame and remove as much chrome as possible.

The Nightstorm improves upon the relatively dark Storm by attempting to replace as much chrome as possible with black paint. So, the exhaust receives a special high temperature heat-resistant black paint coating. Then the usual suspects of handlebars, mirrors, control plates, rear brake and gear levers lose their shine and embrace their black hearts. However, the cam bore inserts and the cooling fins offer a nice bare metal counterpoint to the darkness.

The Triumph Thunderbird Nightstorm Special Edition will look good regardless of the time of day.

A special paint scheme, featuring silver ghost flames, adorns the tank, along with a hand painted Triumph logo. The two-tone tank paint switches from Phantom Black to a sparkling Silver Frost. The seat, which hovers just 27.6 in. above the tarmac, receives a new “nubbed” design with stitched paneling and an embossed Triumph logo.

The Nightstorm’s performance credentials remain the same. The engine is powered by 107.1 mm pistons in a 270 degree firing order. Twin balancer shafts quell the vibes while sequential fuel-injection metes out the power. Braking comes from dual four-piston calipers and Triumph’s standard ABS.

Triumph has set the price for the 2015 Thunderbird Nightstorm Special Edition at $15,499 with an on-sale date of Spring 2015.

Follow the rest of our 2014 EICMA Show coverage for more information on new 2015 motorcycle announcements.

Evans Brasfield
Evans Brasfield

Like most of the best happenings in his life, Evans stumbled into his motojournalism career. While on his way to a planned life in academia, he applied for a job at a motorcycle magazine, thinking he’d get the opportunity to write some freelance articles. Instead, he was offered a full-time job in which he discovered he could actually get paid to ride other people’s motorcycles – and he’s never looked back. Over the 25 years he’s been in the motorcycle industry, Evans has written two books, 101 Sportbike Performance Projects and How to Modify Your Metric Cruiser, and has ridden just about every production motorcycle manufactured. Evans has a deep love of motorcycles and believes they are a force for good in the world.

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