2014 Triumph Thunderbird Commander
User Reviews
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Cruising Phatty
By (I am an Owner) on Sep 26, 2020The Commander is an excellent choice when you want to avoid the HD hype but still get along with your buddies. I have ridden this bike extensively along crowded interstates and twisting through country roads, always above the posted speeds. Accelleration is quick and linear when requested at the ... wrist, and the Commander pulls strong well into the triple digits. Drop the throttle and no hiccups or scary wobbles, slam the brakes and she drops anchor, but with all that mass you do need to plan ahead and keep your distance. The Commander is no sport bike, and drags the footrests pretty quick through the twisties. Even so, it keeps thumping along smoothly through the turns and I have grown to enjoy the grind. One annoying issue I have encountered is a high speed whine that comes from the front tire between 60 and 80 mph. After about 20000 miles the tire is noticably cupped but no vibration. This is pretty common on some bikes, and maybe I should have upped the pressure, but I don't like the stock tires and plan to switch them out pretty soon anyway. Everybody loves the seat, and I did too until I rode all day through two tanks of gas on a hot day. The longer you ride, the more the seat foam compresses, until it feels like you are sitting on a wet towel. I am switching out to the Corbin Gunfighter since I ride so many miles so often. If you are a weekend tourer you and your passenger will be perfectly satisfied. My wife can't learn to lean so the new seat should solve that issue too. Servicing the bike is pretty straightforward, and adjusting the rear shock is required to find the correct setting for your riding style and weight. The oil filter is a bear to change until you get the knack, and you do not need to loosen the radiator shroud like some say. I'm not going to tell you how to do it though because if you can't figure it out you will see there is a reason people do these things for a living. Riding the Commander I get plenty of compliments on my nice Harley from the uninitiated. I just smile because they don't know how much money I saved buying this great riding, low maintenance, phat cruiser. Let's Roll!
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Commandless
By (I am an Owner) on May 23, 2016Bought my commander a year hand a half ago. First time I rode it al the check engine lights came on, had to trailer it back to dealer for repair. Dealer said the battery was not tightened down. Everything good for the next 6000 miles then belt issues the belt chirped so loud that you could hear it ... two blocks away dealer said this is normal. It drove me nuts. Next up was the Triumph alarm I had them install before I picked the bike up. The electrical system is a circle loop system, The alarm faulted out causing every fault code to pop up then the bike would not start. Took it to the dealer they charged me for a diagnosis and to clear out the fault code even though the bike is still under warranty. Dealer told me nothing was wrong I made it to my work 3 miles later alarm going off can't turn it off. Took it back to have the alarm removed and fault codes cleared and again was billed. My experience with this bike has not been a good one. One more thing the rear shocks are seriously under sprung. Don't even think about putting a passenger on this bike you will bottom out even if the shocks are on the highest tension. This is Triumph effort at a 1700 cruiser but they didn't back it up with any R and D.
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