News 21 Sep 2016

Review: 2016 Triumph Thruxton R

CycleOnline.com.au test rides the 2016 Triumph Thruxton R.

Words: Matthew Shields

The year 2001 was year one of a 15 year run for myself working in the motorcycling media. One of the first new bikes I can remember being given the keys to was the first generation of Triumph Bonnevilles. Having spent a lifetime on and around British and European motorcycles, the then new Bonneville had a lot of things going for it in my eyes. Firstly, and most importantly, it had the style of yesteryear but it also boasted modern performance, handling and quality.

It was the bike that Triumph faithful had called for ever since John Bloor fired the famous British marque back to life in 1992 and was a clear link of Triumph’s legendary past and what was then a very promising future. While models like the Speed Triple and Daytona made the manufacturer a force to be reckoned with, it was the Bonneville that showed the new Triumph’s ancestry and soon it became the most successful model platform for the company.

So when it came time to redesign the modern classic, John Bloor made a point that Triumph had to get things right. “John Bloor’s directive when he announced to the staff that they were redoing the Bonneville range was simply ‘don’t get it wrong’,” said Triumph Australia’s technical manager Cliff Stoval. “I know, because I was there!” And that they did, if sales of the new Bonneville range are an indication of how well the new machines are being received.

Image: Dean Walters.

“While this is the Australian launch of the Thruxton R, it comes a few months down the track from when they first appeared on Australian roads,” said Triumph Australia’s marketing manager Nigel Harvey. “The reason is simple and it is because we have had unprecedented demand for the machine. Every unit that has come into Australia for nearly six months has gone straight to customers who have ordered one.”

The new Bonneville range consists of five different models: the 900cc Street Twin, Bonneville T120 and T120 Black, Thruxton and Thuruxton R. At the sportiest end of the range is the new Thruxton R with Triumph taking it back in character and performance to the very essence of its sporty roadbikes of the 1950s. Triumph is very proud of the sporting heritage of the Thruxton and, unlike the previous model, the new Thruxton R gives it the performance the name deserves.

This focus on useable performance is something that Triumph has applied not only to the new Bonnevilles, but the entire range. “Triumph is tired of competiting with the Japnese for outright numbers,” says Stovall. “I got 160, 170, 180 – who cares! It takes as much resources to develop that extra two horsewpower every year to keep with the competition as it does to create three new models. Triumph is delivering real-world bikes for real-world riders.”

Real-world performance is an understatement. The 1200cc Thruxton and Thruxton R both run a high-power variant of the eight-valve, parallel-twin new Bonneville engine. This all-new low inertia, high-performance, six-speed engine features a lighter crank, higher compression – thanks to a different combustion chamber shape and different airbox design. They are small changes and result in 112Nm of torque at 4950rpm and 72kW at 6750rpm.

Image: Dean Walters.

Keeping in mind the new Thruxton is 1200cc – up from the old 900 engine – there is a substantial 62 percent more torque and 41 percent more power than the old model. Designed to deliver more power lower down and through the whole rev range, it has 68 percent more power at 4500rpm. While comparing apples and oranges doesn’t paint the picture, keep in mind that 100hp was what Suzuki’s Bandit 1200 puts out and you start to get the picture that this is one potent piece of kit.

“Triumph talked to the customers and asked them what they wanted out of the new bike,” says Stovall. “They found out what sort of rev range they ride their bikes at and it was between 2 and 5000rpm.” And that’s where the Thruxton R’s engine works at its best. Sure, there is power to be used beyond this rev range but riding it through this band is the quickest, easiest and most enjoyable way to use this engine.

The Australian launch for the Thruxton R took place at the Murray Valley Training Centre just out of Wodonga in Victoria. While the flowing circuit required little gear changes to get around, it did allow us to feel the strong and purposeful drive out of the engine that has no problem getting the Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsas to spin up and call for the traction control to cut in. It’s an exciting and potent package and one that no retro-styled machine can match.

What the time on track also allowed us to explore was just how well the Thruxton R handles. It only takes a glimpse of the bike to release how top-notch the componentry is with Ohlins shocks, Brembo brakes, Showa Big Piston fork (BPF) and Continental ABS/traction control dripping off it. Add to that selectable riding modes, and the fact that ABS and traction control can be turned off, and the spec sheet reads more like that of a sporstbike than what we know modern retro bikes to be.

Image: Dean Walters.

A key change in the Thruxton’s new chassis is the swingarm with the stronger, lighter unit ensuring precise control by the twin Ohlins shocks on the rear. The Showa BPF front-end is superbly controlled on anything from rough country roads to fast flowing sweepers or getting hard on the brakes at the track. The rear shocks are ramped for preload adjustment and you need to compress the spring to adjust them, but that’s the only aspect of the fully-adjustable units that requires any effort.

Triumph has again used a steep rake, and large offset in the triple clamps to create the stable, light and precise handling characteristic the Thruxton R delivers – something they have done on other bikes in the range like on the new Explorer. Wheel sizes help in this respect too with a 120 at the front and 160 at the rear. This size combination gives a sporty dynamic that’s lost little of the light and nimble handling characteristics you get out of an 18-inch wheeled bike, but far superior perfromance in the corners and greater choice of rubber.

The Thruxton R differs from the base-model with better brakes, suspension and finishes, and that’s it. Still, the standard Thruxton, does have an improved cartridge fork that is substantially better than the model it supersedes. The rear shock unit, similarly, is vastly improved from the previous model but is definitely a notch down in performance that the handling package the R delivers. It also doesn’t get the superb Brembo M4-32 Monoblocs which have been tuned down for less bite and more feel, on the Thruxton R but still deliver the class-leading performance.

Why, you may ask, for the apparent mismatch of Showa and Ohlins and not Ohlins all-round like Triumph does on their other up-spec bikes? “In all the research and development testing of the new bike, Triumph found that the Showa purely outperformed the Ohlins unit,” said Harvey. It’s this sort of uncompromising approach that has ensured every last aspect of the Thruxton is as good as it possibly can be and the proof is in the pudding.

Image: Dean Walters.

On the road, the Thruxton’s ride position is sporty, but not uncomfortable. A big day in the saddle might bite a bit, but that’s the price you pay for something that looks so good. In standard form the pillion seat and footpegs are available as an accessory – on both Thruxtons – and with them fitted the look don’t detract from the overall style of the bike. Niceties come in the form of LED running lights, USB socket under the seat and an immobiliser, but aside from that looks it is motorcycling at its purest.

Go into the details, and it’s not like that at all though. The finished product is so much better than it has ever been before. The detail touches are superb – the Monza fuel cap, tank strap, detail on the rims, and hand-polished top yoke. Detail touches extend to simple things like the steering lock now being incorporated into the ignition barrel and the seat keyed. It stems from a concerted effort by Triumph on the Thruxton – and all new Bonnevilles – to improve this aspect on the previous generation of Bonnevilles.

“The finish is something that was a bugbear in the past,” said Harvey. “They went to the enth degree to insure that wasn’t going to be a problem on these bikes. Triumph wanted to make sure everything on this machine is perfect, and they have done just that.” Looks might be one thing but, in every aspect of this new machine, form and function go hand in hand.

Triumph, from a global perspective, see the Thruxton R as competition for a host of other retro machines – but it is not. It’s a step above in terms of quality, it’s a hard ask to beat on style and as for performance, it’ll ride the road and track as good as any other sporstbike. There are a lot of bikes the Thruxton R will steal customers away from. There’s the obvious retro riders, but anyone else that wants a bike that they can pull out of the shed on the weekend, have a good, hard ride or even take to a trackday. It’s got panache, it’s got handling and it’s got performance. What more could you want?

Specifications

Capacity: 1200cc
Power: 72kW @ 6750rpm
Torque: 112Nm @ 4950rpm
Dry weight: 203kg
Seat height: 810mm
Price: $21,100 plus ORC
Detailed specs: www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au

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