Bike Test: Triumph Thruxton

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the Triumph Demo Event at PJ’s.  At the top of my list of bikes to ride was the Thruxton. Every time I walk into PJ’s I stop at the Thruxton and drool. The Thruxton is a Sports Classic; the design is just about the same as it was in the 50’s and 60’s. This bike just screams cool.  The bike really reflects the Café Racer era with smooth lines, forward riding position and bar end mirrors. This is the bike all the cool cats would have ridden back in U.S. and Britain in the early sixties.  I have wanted to ride this bike for a long time but PJ’s never had a demo available. So, when I heard that Triumph was swinging by for a demo event I made sure I was the first to ride this bike.

The Thruxton as mentioned earlier is a sports classic powered by the venerable 865cc dual over head cam parallel twin. This is the same motor that powers the Bonneville. Now, don’t let that turn you off, the Thruxton’s 865cc engine boats higher compression and a 360 degree firing interval as compared to the 270 degree lower compression Bonneville. These two tweaks make a huge difference on power offered. Now this bike will not contend of the shelf with the Ducati GT 1000, but the Thruxton’s superior looks will make up the difference.  The demo bike was equipped with Triumphs off road “megaphone exhaust” and sounded magnificent.  As the structured ride departed PJ’s I accelerated slowly so the pack could advance ahead of me giving me the opportunity to wring it out. I was not disappointed, the growling exhaust and brisk acceleration put a smile on my face as we rode to the turnaround point at Coffee at Dawn. Although a structured ride, I was able to get a little testing in. The Nissin brakes were extremely effective, without being over whelming. The bike handled great, but I was not able to ride some more challenging curves (structured ride was geared towards beginners), the ride suspension was smooth and stable.

My final review of the Thruxton is an 8/10. The bike boasts sexy looks, great sound, predictable and smooth handling and better than average braking.  It could use some more power, but that is easily fixed by removing the restrictive European emissions system (that’s right, be damned global warming!), and installing an aftermarket cam which will have you dusting those pesky GT 1000’s in no time.