Triumph Thruxton

[Navy Boy]

Hi All

I've just taken delivery of my Thruxton 1200 and managed to put some 150Kms onto it last night. Initial thoughts are broken down as follows:

Engine

Ruddy lovely. In deference to the running in instructions I didn't venture above 4k Rpm but the motor's a real step forward from the air cooled 865 Thruxton I owned 8-9 years ago. Smooth too and it sounds good, even with the standard pipes fitted. Nice pop and burble on the overrun too which I like. A lot. :laugh:

Ergonomics

Unsurprisingly very similar to my previous Thruxton. Almost sports tourer in where it places you and leaned forward but not extremely so. It's better for open road riding as opposed to round town type activity but doesn't feel uncomfortable for me. I'm 6'00". The only negative is that the rear of the fuel tank, where the cut outs are for your legs, is too narrow. This makes it a little awkward to grip the tank with your knees. Triumph could have made the tank a litre bigger and given you a bit more to hold on to. It's only 14 litres after all.

Chassis

Mine's the standard model so has the normal way-up forks and preload-only adjustable rear shocks. I'm quite happy with this and the ride seems to be a good balance between firmness and reasonable ride comfort. The brakes, whilst being normal two piston calipers, seem to be fine to me. I also found out that the ABS works too...

Looks

As always this is subjective. However I think it's pretty close to being perfect. A small Dart flyscreen (On its way) will help too.

Other stuff

IMHO the standard bike isn't $5.5k worse than the R model. I also like the colour of mine (Mettalic emerald Green or BRG with a modern twist depending on your viewpoint). The modes and TC are welcome additions but once I've set them I suspect that I'll leave them alone. Incidentally I bought the bike from New Plymouth Motorcycle Centre who were good to deal with and only too happy to help.

Does anyone else have a Thruxton on here? What do 'ya reckon to it?

:niceone:

[Blackbird]

Stick the photo up Lee, it looks bloody sensational with that paint job!

Admittedly, I grew up in the era of the original Thruxtons and will cheerfully admit to bias, but some bikes just look "right", and your Thruxton is the perfect example of that. Hard to define - maybe the proportions, maybe timeless elegance. Just love it. Congratulations mate, that's a keeper!

[Navy Boy]

There we go. ;)

[Mike.Gayner]

I strongly prefer the look of the non-R model, especially the colour choices (the green and the white in particular). If I recall correctly when they were first released the price difference was smaller, something like $2.5k. At that difference I would have had a hard time choosing, as the R gives you quite a bit more in the brakes and suspension department. But at $5k+ I definitely think I would look at the non-R first, particularly with the gorgeous fairing.

[Navy Boy]

I strongly prefer the look of the non-R model, especially the colour choices (the green and the white in particular). If I recall correctly when they were first released the price difference was smaller, something like $2.5k. At that difference I would have had a hard time choosing, as the R gives you quite a bit more in the brakes and suspension department. But at $5k+ I definitely think I would look at the non-R first, particularly with the gorgeous fairing.

Mike

Yep - I'm with you. They're actually including the fairing in the price at the moment. Mine's in the box you can see in the background - I may fit it myself at a later date. Besides the colour the standard simply suits my riding better too. I can vouch that the standard suspenders do a good job on 'Normal' roads and the performance is the same. $5.5k is a big chunk of money - Too big for me in this case. I'm looking forward to many happy Kms on this beauty. :laugh:

[old slider]

Wow, that looks nice, can you get rubber knee grips for that awesome looking tank? I would soon wear that nice paint off, I must grip the tank tighter than I realized judging by the scuff marks appearing on my own fuel tank.

[Blackbird]

Wow, that looks nice, can you get rubber knee grips for that awesome looking tank? I would soon wear that nice paint off, I must grip the tank tighter than I realized judging by the scuff marks appearing on my own fuel tank.

Clear 3M anti-scuff plastic film, either in gloss or matte. I had mine applied professionally to various parts of my matte grey GSX-S 1000 and you'd be hard pressed to see where it's been applied.

[Cosmik de Bris]

Very nice, congrats.

Cheers

[AllanB]

Nice colour indeed. I agree it's good value compared to the full fruit $5.5k version and a hard sell to step up that amount.

Running it in - it's a big twin - don't baby that engine. You'll do more harm with lazy rpms than the occasional exploration into the higher regions.

[Navy Boy]

Nice colour indeed. I agree it's good value compared to the full fruit $5.5k version and a hard sell to step up that amount.

Running it in - it's a big twin - don't baby that engine. You'll do more harm with lazy rpms than the occasional exploration into the higher regions.

Ah yes - The old 'Running it in' question. Ask 10 different people and you'll get 15 different answers...

I've started going up to 5k Rpm, only whilst going through the gears, and will gradually increase that over the next few hundred Kms. I've always subscribed to the 'No extremes' method. That is no extreme heat, extreme low Rpms, no extremely high Rpms and no full throttle. Interestingly the book says 'No more than 3/4 maximum engine Rpms' during the first 800Kms where as the sticker on the tank, now removed, stipulates more prescriptive Rpm limits. Bear in mind it redlines at 7K anyway with 3.5k being 100 Km/hr in 6th so there's not much limit to one's riding now.

Took it for another spin last night. Lovely! :yes:

[GrahamA]

There we go. ;)

Lovely looking bike. A pity about the false carbs though.

[SpankMe]

Bloody congrats. You got the most beautiful color, but them I'm biased. It's a beautiful bike to look at and ride.

I took off the sticker on put it on the garage to remind me of the limits and I stuck to'em. It doesn't take long to rack up the required K's to fully ride it in.

I found that the stock suspension and brakes are more than good enough, but here's some mods to consider if ya ever want to start thrashing it a bit harder.

Tec Alloy Gas Shocks (https://shop.tecbikeparts.com/products/adjustable-gas-shocks-street-twin) & Progressive fork springs (https://shop.tecbikeparts.com/products/watercooled-thruxton-progressive-springs)
Tec "De-CAT" X-Pipe (https://shop.tecbikeparts.com/products/decat-xpipe).
Fully floating front brake rotors & 4 pistons Brembo Titanium calipers (https://www.freespiritsparts.com/en/triumph/brakes/bolt-in-upgrade-braking-kit-titanium-for-triumph-thruxton-1200-standard-4p-calipers-rotors-diam-310-mm.html).
Oxygen lambda o2 sensor eliminator kit (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Oxygen-lambda-o2-sensor-eliminator-Complete-kit-Triumph-Thruxton-1200-R-/262762202274)
Triumph Thruxton 1200 Pod Air Filters (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Triumph-Bonneville-T120-Thruxton-R-1200-Bobber-Pod-Air-Filters/152782461198?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649).

The stock pipe makes a nice sound and the Vance & Hines pipes are worth the extra cash, but the sound from X-Pipe and Pod Air filters will wake up the neighbors. :p

[AllanB]

Bugger the neighbours.

motorcycles should breathe.

[Voltaire]

Lovely looking bike. A pity about the false carbs though.

Amal Monoblocs that you don't have to tickle....perfect.:niceone:

Mr Spank Me, how about a bit of review?

[AllanB]

Amal Monoblocs that you don't have to tickle....perfect.:niceone:

Mr Spank Me, how about a bit of review?


Nah - I'm with Graham - never been a fan of the fake carbs - everyone knows they are fake.

It's like packing a full kg of salami down your trousers before going to the night club. Fake.

[Voltaire]

Nah - I'm with Graham - never been a fan of the fake carbs - everyone knows they are fake.

It's like packing a full kg of salami down your trousers before going to the night club. Fake.

Its like having rubber bands driving your cams when real ones have bevel gears....:innocent:

[YellowDog]

There we go. ;)

Quite stunning. That's my all favourite colour for anything and everything :yes:

I just taken delivery of a MY18 Tiger Sport. It's Chalk'n'Cheese different to my 2008 MKI Tiger, but you only get to choose from 2 colours, and that's it :o

[AllanB]

Its like having rubber bands driving your cams when real ones have bevel gears....:innocent:

Not at all - the rubber bands actually do something and work :niceone: unlike fake carbs.

[Voltaire]

I think the Amal styled throttle bodies look waaaaaaaay better than a standard one.

335487

American internet tire kickers were more worried about the wheels having tube type rims.

[AllanB]

I think the Amal styled throttle bodies look waaaaaaaay better than a standard one.

335487



Different strokes and all - I think that image looks friggen cool - like the Triumph has been hot-rodded.

And if memory serves from by boyhood reading of English mags the Amals were crappy anyway.

[Laava]

Amals were crappy anyway.

As far as I know, the Amal monoblocs were exactly that, a solid block of crappy diecast aluminium muck that by sheer virtue of it's porosity, acted like a carburettor. Sadly the crankcases were often made from the same mysterious substance.

[Voltaire]

I have a brand new set of Amal Premiers on my Commando, very well made.

But back on topic, I really like the Thruxton, alas I don't buy new bikes so will have to wait a few years.

[pete376403]

As far as I know, the Amal monoblocs were exactly that, a solid block of crappy diecast aluminium muck that by sheer virtue of it's porosity, acted like a carburettor. Sadly the crankcases were often made from the same mysterious substance.
Monoblocs were good, the later concentrics were made of pot metal and wore out very fast.

[Debrah]

Lovely looking bike. A pity about the false carbs though.

I grew up in the era of the original Thruxtons and will cheerfully admit to bias, but some bikes just look "right"

[Navy Boy]

Hi All

I've just taken delivery of my Thruxton 1200 and managed to put some 150Kms onto it last night. Initial thoughts are broken down as follows:

Engine

Ruddy lovely. In deference to the running in instructions I didn't venture above 4k Rpm but the motor's a real step forward from the air cooled 865 Thruxton I owned 8-9 years ago. Smooth too and it sounds good, even with the standard pipes fitted. Nice pop and burble on the overrun too which I like. A lot. :laugh:

Ergonomics

Unsurprisingly very similar to my previous Thruxton. Almost sports tourer in where it places you and leaned forward but not extremely so. It's better for open road riding as opposed to round town type activity but doesn't feel uncomfortable for me. I'm 6'00". The only negative is that the rear of the fuel tank, where the cut outs are for your legs, is too narrow. This makes it a little awkward to grip the tank with your knees. Triumph could have made the tank a litre bigger and given you a bit more to hold on to. It's only 14 litres after all.

Chassis

Mine's the standard model so has the normal way-up forks and preload-only adjustable rear shocks. I'm quite happy with this and the ride seems to be a good balance between firmness and reasonable ride comfort. The brakes, whilst being normal two piston calipers, seem to be fine to me. I also found out that the ABS works too...

Looks

As always this is subjective. However I think it's pretty close to being perfect. A small Dart flyscreen (On its way) will help too.

Other stuff

IMHO the standard bike isn't $5.5k worse than the R model. I also like the colour of mine (Mettalic emerald Green or BRG with a modern twist depending on your viewpoint). The modes and TC are welcome additions but once I've set them I suspect that I'll leave them alone. Incidentally I bought the bike from New Plymouth Motorcycle Centre who were good to deal with and only too happy to help.

Does anyone else have a Thruxton on here? What do 'ya reckon to it?

:niceone:

So - An update as I'm now up to 4000Kms and I've just visited the Robert Taylor and his team at Kiwi Suspension Solutions up in New Plymouth for some Ohlins rear shocks and new fork springs.

Chassis

The rear end feels more composed now with less secondary reaction to bumps as and when they are encountered. The ride is still fairly stiff but there's no bounce and the new shocks have better rebound damping. Having said that the standard items were quite good and the mods I've made are as much for the bling factor as for making the bike loads more capable.

The forks were pretty decent as standard. KSS fitted some slightly heavier springs and then reduced the preload a little to compensate. The result is good though I'd be lying if I said that I could feel a huge difference from before. In all the bike now tracks nicely and is good fun in the twists. Plus KSS set the rider and static sag for you with you sat on the bike so you know the settings are right for you.

Engine

I've left the motor totally standard, including the exhaust system as it sounds spot on with the standard system. As well as having plenty of mid range get-up-and-go the bike's quite happy pottering around, short-shifting at lower Rpm if you're in the mood. Having carried out a full-power trial I've discovered that it'll pull max revs in 6th gear giving you some 210-220 Km/hr with a touch more to go. At this speed the bike was pulling just over 7k Rpm so bang on the redline (I suspect the limiter cuts in around 7100-7200Rpm). More than fast enough for me and I like the fact that 6th is short enough to be really useable. If you want you can perform overtakes as low as 80km/hr in 6th and still get decent punch which makes open road riding, especially down here on the South Island, a lot more relaxing. Oh and I've managed 22Km/litre on a number of occasions too, and that's without trying too hard. It makes the 14 litre tank not too restrictive in terms of range and the fuel gauge is the most accurate I've ever seen on a bike. Even if it does have that Triumph characteristic of taking a minute or two's worth of riding to register as full after you've been to the petrol station.

Rest of the bike

It's chuffing brilliant! I love it. It's like my previous 2008-model 865cc Thruxton but more. More power, more chassis ability and more sound (From the standard exhaust at least). If you enjoyed the previous model Bonnevilles then you'll really like this.

:wari:

[neil.]

Such an awesome looking bike, love the green.

[AllanB]

I wish they had made them slimmer looking.

Good to see you are enjoying yours - 4k on the clock - how's that rear tyre looking.

[Navy Boy]

I wish they had made them slimmer looking.

Good to see you are enjoying yours - 4k on the clock - how's that rear tyre looking.

Another good thing about the standard Thruxton versus the R version is that it comes equipped with Pirelli Angel GT hoops (Their Sports touring tyre) rather than the Super Rosso Corsa ones on the R. These last longer and as such mine are looking good at the 4k mark.

This always makes me think of when I've been to the Ron Haslam Race School in years gone by (My last trip there was in 2015). All their bikes were fitted with Bridgestone's latest Sports Touring tyres (The T30 had not long been on the market at the time) as they reckoned that they gripped well enough for anything normal punters like me could throw at them going around Donnington Park and last longer than the sportier items. They were right and ever since then I've tried to fit Sports Touring tyres where I can.

[WALRUS]

I can't believe that's what the price difference is between the Standard and the R.. In the UK it's only around £1,200!

Nice bike though, probably one of my fave Trumpies

[VTRDave]

So - An update as I'm now up to 4000Kms and I've just visited the Robert Taylor and his team at Kiwi Suspension Solutions up in New Plymouth for some Ohlins rear shocks and new fork springs.

Chassis

The rear end feels more composed now with less secondary reaction to bumps as and when they are encountered. The ride is still fairly stiff but there's no bounce and the new shocks have better rebound damping. Having said that the standard items were quite good and the mods I've made are as much for the bling factor as for making the bike loads more capable.

The forks were pretty decent as standard. KSS fitted some slightly heavier springs and then reduced the preload a little to compensate. The result is good though I'd be lying if I said that I could feel a huge difference from before. In all the bike now tracks nicely and is good fun in the twists. Plus KSS set the rider and static sag for you with you sat on the bike so you know the settings are right for you.

Engine

I've left the motor totally standard, including the exhaust system as it sounds spot on with the standard system. As well as having plenty of mid range get-up-and-go the bike's quite happy pottering around, short-shifting at lower Rpm if you're in the mood. Having carried out a full-power trial I've discovered that it'll pull max revs in 6th gear giving you some 210-220 Km/hr with a touch more to go. At this speed the bike was pulling just over 7k Rpm so bang on the redline (I suspect the limiter cuts in around 7100-7200Rpm). More than fast enough for me and I like the fact that 6th is short enough to be really useable. If you want you can perform overtakes as low as 80km/hr in 6th and still get decent punch which makes open road riding, especially down here on the South Island, a lot more relaxing. Oh and I've managed 22Km/litre on a number of occasions too, and that's without trying too hard. It makes the 14 litre tank not too restrictive in terms of range and the fuel gauge is the most accurate I've ever seen on a bike. Even if it does have that Triumph characteristic of taking a minute or two's worth of riding to register as full after you've been to the petrol station.

Rest of the bike

It's chuffing brilliant! I love it. It's like my previous 2008-model 865cc Thruxton but more. More power, more chassis ability and more sound (From the standard exhaust at least). If you enjoyed the previous model Bonnevilles then you'll really like this.

:wari:

Done about 6k on mine since June 2017 and have similar experience to you. The tank is stupidly narrow, made worse by the width of the side covers which I have covered in clear film as my boots were scratching them.

I fitted Bitubos to the rear - improved the compliance at the back and adds a bit of bling! The Kayabas were too stiff for me - I am a lightweight and I had only 14mm of rider sag. I am going to try some lighter weight fork oil as a budget 'tune' for the front - cant afford much else and it seems pretty right anyway.

The 1200 engine has to be the nicest motor I have ever experienced - masses of torque everywhere yet happy to rev when asked. The Standard model seems to have the best gearing for it too.

339197

[SpankMe]

Green is definitely the most beautiful color the Thruxton comes in. :love: I've had it for almost 2 years and 41,000 Ks and it just keeps getting better.

Cleaning has become a bit of an obsession with this bike. All that bear metal and chrome is just waiting to rust and corrode if I don't keep it clean. :eek5:

[Navy Boy]

Yep - The fuel tank is one of my minor annoyances. It could have been made a little wider at the rear which would have been more comfy and added a litre or so to the capacity.

First world problems and all that! :niceone:

[Reckless]

I wanted to upgrade my Bonnie with a Thruxton but then the 900rs came out so now?????

[Navy Boy]

I wanted to upgrade my Bonnie with a Thruxton but then the 900rs came out so now?????

Ah - What a pleasant problem to have! ;)