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The 2010 Triumph Thunderbird is the British marque's first true foray into the mid-sized cruiser realm.

Traditional styling with an non-tradition Twin configuration - the Triumpn Thunderbird.

The Triumph Thunderbird radiator is relatively unobtrusive, the side by side cylinders and header pipes garnering the most attention.

Riding position on the Thunderbird is feet forward and cruiser all the way.

It's no sportbike but the Thunderbird can hustle around the bends with the best of the cruiser crowd.

Triumpn intends the Thunderbird to be the “best handling bike in its class” – a claim we’d love to test, as Triumph seems to have good reason for its confidence.

The scenic Montserrat, west of Barcelona, served as backdrop during the most memorable portions of our Triumph Thunderbird press launch test ride.

Twin 310mm discs with four-piston Nissin calipers and steel-braided lines handle braking up front.

Footpegs hinder the Thunderbird's cornering prowess far sooner than any other chassis deficiency.

The T-Bird’s wheelbase stretches to 63.6 inches, with a cruiser-ish 32-degree rake and 19-inch front wheel that turns in without trouble.

The real test of the Thunderbird will be on the sales floor, where its attractive $12,499 base MSRP compares well with the H-D Dyna line.

At 6’1” I felt well-tailored to the T-bird’s riding position, albeit the pegs were fractionally higher than I would have preferred.

Los Angeles designer Tim Prentice penned the T-Bird’s lines, seeming to aim at the American cruiser clan’s conservative styling sensibilities.

Overall Thunderbird braking package is quite impressive – even more so when supplemented by the $800 optional ABS system.

The ample torque from the T-16 lump is shelled out by a precise 6-speed gearbox and final belt drive - the first belt in the Triumph lineup since the 1920s.

The Showa components are a non-adjustable 47mm fork and chromed twin spring shocks, five-position adjustable for preload.

The decision to use a Parallel Twin was easy for Triumph, the British firm decisive in its lot behind the distinctive Twin configuration along with the Inline Triple that powers its street and sportbike lines.

The Triumph Thunderbird is the first belt-driven Trumpet since the 1920s.

The Thunderbird’s side-by-side 800cc cylinders house 103.8mm-wide pistons blowing through 94.3mm strokes. The pistons thump straight up and down to turn a 270-degree crankshaft and twin balancer shafts.

The Thunderbird’s EFI system controls fueling and ignition independently in each cylinder. Aside from improved engine response, the system claims 20% fuel efficiency gains over competitors.

The headlining option on the new Trumpet, however, is the 1700cc big bore kit, which bumps displacement up 100cc with a corresponding jump in claimed horsepower (85-100 hp) and torque (108-115 lb-ft).

The Thunderbird T-16 Parallel Twin displaces 1597cc via a 103.8 bore x 94.3mm stroke.

The Thunderbird certainly makes an intriguing case: It looks good, challenges V-Twin cruiser conformity and, most important, delivers a satisfying riding experience.

On the road, the Twin does lump out satisfying torque and power delivery.

One big tip of the importance Triumph places on the Thunderbird is that more than 100 accessory T-Bird products are already developed, the most ever for a Triumph model.

The cruiser stylings of the Thunderbird are juxtaposed next to the modern art and architecture proliferation throughout Barcelona.

The Thunderbird T-16 Twin opts for a 1597cc (98 ci) displacement – a near perfect match to the Harley Twin Cam 96

Looking down from behind the saddle is a circular instrument cluster, with analog speedo on the top half and matching tach underneath – a small LCD display is housed to the middle right. The instrumentation looks good, but rests on top of the 5.8-gallon fuel tank and requires looking down from the road ahead to glance, at least for me while wearing a full face helmet.