Best Cruiser: Triumph Thunderbird 1600

For Triumph, building a great parallel-Twin was no big deal, even though this counterbalanced 1596cc unit is the biggest one it’s ever built. The T-Bird’s pair of 4-inch pistons make more torque at 2630 rpm—95.1 ft.-lb.—than most cruiser motors make all day. But this bike’s more than a pair of big jugs. It rumbles along smoothly, soulfully, while providing comfortably kicked-back ergonomics and suspension that actually suspends. Triumph being Triumph, it couldn’t even keep from building a big cruiser that handles okay, too, and then wrapped it up in crisp styling, with a shapely no-seams gas tank, maximum chrome and minimal plastic. The result is a repeat winner as CW’s Best Cruiser.