Best Cruiser: Triumph Thunderbird 1600

That rumble you hear off in the distance? It's the sound of a relatively small British motorcycle manufacturer steadily expanding its appeal. Yes, the Thunderbird 1600 is a big departure for a little manufacturer and, heck, with that muscle-bound parallel-Twin in such a large displacement, the T-Bird would be a big departure for any manufacturer. Triumph gets the nod here for doing such a fantastic job in execution, with a great-running, torquey mill that (ahem) thunders with the best engines in the class, Vee or otherwise. Add in a comfortable riding position and excellent-handling chassis, delivered at a competitive price, and all we can say to the other guys is, watch out, the British are coming!