Dallas Cantland’s 2014 Triumph Thunderbird Storm

I've been alive for half a century, I've lived in the northeast corridor my entire life, and I have never driven a car. (What can I say? I don't own a cell phone either.) I've spent my entire life on two wheels. I've been riding since I could get my motorcycle license at age 16. My first bike was a 1971 Honda CL350, and I've owned and ridden everything I could get my hands on since then. Harleys, Triumphs, Moto Guzzis, BMWs, and all the Japanese Big Four—my last bike before this one was a Suzuki V-Strom 1000.

I'm a Triumph fan from way back. I owned a Harley from the AMF years, and it let me down too many times; my Meriden Triumphs weren't any better, but they still endeared me like no other marque. Today's Hinckley Bonnevilles just don't have enough power though. I love the look but not enough juice. I was looking for a Bonneville with more guts, and the 1,700cc Storm is like riding one of my old leaky Meriden Triumphs on steroids. One test ride and I was hooked!

I generally prefer standards over cruisers because I enjoy a bike with some nimbleness in the handling department. Even though my current steed is classified by most riders as a cruiser, I think it handles better than many of the standards I’ve owned! And I love the power of this bike and the fact that it’s a parallel twin. The only other engine configuration that really gets me going is inline triples.

I bicycle to work to keep the done-lap (when yo’ belly done lapped over the top yo’ pants) in check. I use the motorcycle mainly for long-distance travel. When I whip out the motorsickle, I’m hittin’ da road, man!