Straight up, Triumph’s Thunderbird was designed to go head-to-head with one of America’s holiest of institutions, Harley-Davidson and its essentially all-cruiser lineup. Looking at the Hinckley, England-based company’s line, there really are only three models that fit the mold of “traditional cruiser,” and two of those (Speedmaster and America) are still loose interpretations of the kicked-back Twin theme. As Triumph’s first heavyweight entry into the segment, the Thunderbird stands alone, while on the Harley side you could make an argument for as many as 20 different models to do battle against the ’Bird. In this case, we chose the Wide Glide, as it is without doubt the epitome of the cruiser profile.

The T-Bird has a classic stance; for those familiar with Milwaukee iron, it’s akin to a Fat Boy without the floorboards or a Road King with the windshield removed. The Thunderbird has a perfectly upright and neutral seating position, a wide, supportive seat and feet-forward pegs. The Wide Glide is similar but the seat is narrower, shorter and more bucketed, forcing the rider into a solitary riding position. Feet are way forward on the Harley, allowing only riders nearing six feet tall and above the chance to bend their knees. Handlebars meet the rider halfway on the H-D, but the lack of support from the seat means you find yourself hanging onto the bars instead of letting your hands comfortably relax on the grips.

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Despite the obvious differences in riding position, stance and engine layout, these bikes are remarkably similar in performance. They represent two very different interpretations of what a twin-cylinder cruiser engine should be.

Harley’s 45-degree, Twin-Cam 96 V-Twin has two pushrod-operated overhead valves per cylinder with self-adjusting lifters, displaces 1584cc and uses electronic fuel injection. This version of the TC96 is rubber-mounted and features a six-speed Cruise Drive transmission with belt final drive. The Triumph is powered by a liquid-cooled, 1596cc parallel-Twin with double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder (shim-under-bucket valve adjustment) and fuel injection. Twin balance shafts keep it smooth and allow the engine to be solidly mounted to the frame. A six-speed gearbox and belt final drive put power to the ground here, as well.

Hitting the starter button on the Harley always results in the fire being lit right away. Those huge 103.8mm Triumph pistons, on the other hand, take a lot of energy to get moving initially, to the point that it sometimes requires an extra stab at the button to overcome compression.

Around town, both of these bikes exhibit excellent low-end to midrange power characteristics. The pair grunts away from stops smoothly and drama-free, but we give the nod to the T-Bird for its lighter-feeling clutch (with easier-to-feel engagement point) and its massive low-end torque. The Triumph makes more torque just off idle than the Harley does at its 81.1-ft.-lb. peak (at 3400 rpm). The T-Bird’s Clydesdale-like 95.1-ft.-lb. climax is delivered way down at 2630 rpm and doesn’t dip back down below 80 until just before 5000 rpm. Sure, the Wide Glide weighs almost 70 pounds less (643 lb. dry on our scale, compared to the Bird’s 710), but even that significant advantage can’t overcome the Thunderbird’s grunt.

Both engines are very smooth at cruising speed, with only minimal vibes, although you wouldn’t know it looking at the Harley’s vibration-blurred mirrors. Fueling on the Triumph is a bit cantankerous at startup but is then very well-mapped and ultra-responsive once the engine settles into its pleasant idle. The Glide, on the other hand, exhibited just a touch of surginess when cruising at a steady, relaxed rpm. Transmissions on each are quite good, with slick, positive shifts and comfortable cruising from tall sixth-gear ratios.