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Thruxton R First impression

doughboy88 said:
Pretty cool looking bike. I went to a Triumph dealer in hopes of test riding one but they didn't have any in stock for me to do a test ride.

Have you ridden the R9T before? I was wondering how these two bikes feel on back to back rides...
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I havent ridden a R9T but I agree its a natural one for comparison. I read some comparisons, mostly in British bike magazines. So no bias obviously. The R9T was faster in a straight line and the Thruxton R slightly better in corners I think. Plenty to like about both bikes. The decisions about bikes like these probably isnt primarily about practicality and outright performance though, (although how they ride is critical). Growing up in England means that Triumph has an advantage with me; I start out wanting to like their bikes.
The R9T has a more upright sitting position, if you like that. I'm personally more comfortable leaning forward, even for distances, but thats an easy mod.
 
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they have pretty much equal weight,but rt9 has 30 more hp.i don't care what suspension goes on thruxtonR-still has that crap frame.i had a 2010 thruxton,would never go down the triumph retro rabbithole again.even on the british rave video reviews i see that pos shaking and wobbling around the corners when pushed hard.still a 500 lb bike with a noodle frame that looks awesome-no thanks.R9t all day.
 
I haven't ridden the R9T, but I did ride the previous generation Thruxton and it left me cold. The Thruxton R is in a different league altogether. I have about 400 miles on the Thruxton R on Wooden Valley and Monticello roads, and Highway 128. The Thruxton R tips in readily and is very stable in a turn with bumps not upsetting its composure. It is very confidence inspiring. It just does what you tell it to do.
 
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cjymiller said:
My friend had one of these for 2 months before selling it back. The engine has so much torque and the redline is so low that you constantly feel suffocated. You can't rev it out at all. :( Other than that, stellar bike.
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What did he ride before?
 
I'm eager to see a head to head comparison with the RNineT
I think the BMW may be my next bike if I don't cave and get a speed triple this spring.
 
Chart showing Thruxton 1200 vs Thruxton 900 torque curves.

thruxton_dyno.jpg


And Cycle World dyno chart for Thruxton 1200
2016-triumph-thruxton-r-dyno-chart.jpg
 
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cjymiller said:
CBR 600RR, R6, Street Triple, s1000rr, Long break of no riding, Panigale 899, Daytona 675, fz07, Thrux R, now back to s1000RR.
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I can imagine the Thruxton R's engine would feel stifling coming from those bikes. Fits right in with my Gold Wing and F650GS single though, both having low-revving engines.
 
VaderSS said:
In German, but some GREAT action footage of the Thruxton R on the track. Wish I knew what he was saying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqMoBfYjC1M
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I sent the link you posted to a girl I know in Germany. Here's what she said his comments were (you'll have to allow for the fact that its not a perfect translation; and for example I know its not going to be faster at a track than an R6 of course; the point he made is probably something about drive out of corners).

Triumph Thruxton R - 2016 Race Track Test | Pannoniaring (in Austria)

He was not happy at the beginning because there was a lot of traffic at the race track.

He was not so happy with the brakes, he will check it after the test again. There is something not ok with the break pump.
The motor is perfect, better than expected, same with the gear
The footrests are a little bit too long for extreme curves. The sloping position is not good for every race track, there is a danger to get at the ground with the exhaust and maybe damage something.

You may move on the seat quite good, but the seat is too broad at the rear and the rear-vision mirrors are a little bit disturbing during race.

The anti-lock braking system may be switched off very easily, also the traction control. Same for the drive modes (road, sport, rain). Both is easy to switch on or off in some seconds only. The motor is very elastic, therefore you do not realize / recognize the traction control if activated.

He did not race extreme, because the bike is more for cruising than for racing. But even if the bike is very easy and smooth to handle on the normal street, at the race track it also was very good handling. This was a positive surprise for the tester. But you have to be more concentrated.

The tires are road tires but a good compromise for the race track. The motor need 6 liters in race mode.
The bike was faster than the R6 for example, especially after curves.

All in all a wonderful experience, not for professional racing but for some fun on the track very good.
 
Mid-packer said:
I sent the link you posted to a girl I know in Germany. Here's what she said his comments were (you'll have to allow for the fact that its not a perfect translation; and for example I know its not going to be faster at a track than an R6 of course; the point he made is probably something about drive out of corners).

Triumph Thruxton R - 2016 Race Track Test | Pannoniaring (in Austria)

He was not happy at the beginning because there was a lot of traffic at the race track.

He was not so happy with the brakes, he will check it after the test again. There is something not ok with the break pump.
The motor is perfect, better than expected, same with the gear
The footrests are a little bit too long for extreme curves. The sloping position is not good for every race track, there is a danger to get at the ground with the exhaust and maybe damage something.

You may move on the seat quite good, but the seat is too broad at the rear and the rear-vision mirrors are a little bit disturbing during race.

The anti-lock braking system may be switched off very easily, also the traction control. Same for the drive modes (road, sport, rain). Both is easy to switch on or off in some seconds only. The motor is very elastic, therefore you do not realize / recognize the traction control if activated.

He did not race extreme, because the bike is more for cruising than for racing. But even if the bike is very easy and smooth to handle on the normal street, at the race track it also was very good handling. This was a positive surprise for the tester. But you have to be more concentrated.

The tires are road tires but a good compromise for the race track. The motor need 6 liters in race mode.
The bike was faster than the R6 for example, especially after curves.

All in all a wonderful experience, not for professional racing but for some fun on the track very good.
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Thanks!
 
What is overpriced?

yodaisgod said:
Just too bad I think it's overpriced.
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So with top shelf components, high build quality, and the strong (but weakening) British pound...what should it cost?

Want to know what is overpriced?


A $78000 Arch KRGT-1 Motorcycle, which is essentially this bike with a S&S motor but BUTT ugly and still weighs like 535lbs...it is $15000, to get in the door with a down payment

a $5999 Royal Enfield Continental GT, with nothing top shelf, made in India, and where in India you can buy it for $3000 USD but they try to double the price here in the states...

I personally can't afford a sweet $15,000 street bike, but I wouldn't call it overpriced for what you get.

I would call most BMW RTs and GTs overpriced, but they sell.
I would call most hyoercars overpriced too, but most sell for mid $1 million and are usually sold before they are built...

There is a reason Triumph made so many levels of the new bikes...it fits with more budgets...that is a nice call...
 
Mid-packer said:
This is my first impression, as I’ve only put 80 miles on the bike so far. I’ll do a more in-depth review for anyone who’s interested, after more miles.

First; looks. Looks fantastic IMO. I guess you don’t buy a bike like this unless you like the way it looks.

Riding position is relaxed compared to a true sportsbike. Legs not cramped for a ‘sporty’ style bike; a slight lean forward but hardly any weight on your wrists as the clip-ons are reasonably high. Sitting position seems all-day comfy but the seat is quite hard. Even though it’s a single seat you can slide your butt back a fair amount to get a more forward-leaning riding position.

The suspension is set up surprisingly firm for a bike of this type. I’m not sure why. Maybe to differentiate from the others in Triumph’s new range as this is ‘the sporty one’. I’ll try softening it and see if it’s necessary or not to have it this firm. Brakes are good, brembo’s up front are powerful and the BP forks don’t dive but are nicely controlled, and the back brake is actually effective at slowing the bike, which is a bit of a novelty.

As I’m not putting the motor under a lot of stress right now it’s hard to say how powerful the motor pulls. It doesn’t feel like it’s a particularly fast screamer away from the lights, but once moving it has good grunty power for overtakes. The power comes on in a sort of smooth, buttery way. It’s there for sure, but there’s nothing violent or dramatic about it. Still, I’ve not been opening the throttle wide at this point, and it’s only been in Road mode. Yes, it has 3 power modes. Road, Sport, and also the one I’ll leave it in when my little brother comes to visit. Haven’t explored those yet.

Handling is interesting. Despite not being the lightest bike around it feels quite light on its feet. The steering geometry, short wheelbase, and maybe the 160 rear means it tips in easily but also in a very stable and controlled way. In corners or on straights it feels very stable. Doesn’t currently soak up bumps in the road surface very well, but maybe a softer suspension setting will cure that.

The gearbox and clutch action are light and easy. The gearbox has a smooth and precise ‘click’ into gear; nothing vague about it but it’s almost too light. Put even light pressure with the top of your toe while you wait for the right time to shift, and it’ll snick up a gear before you even thought out loud about it.

There’s something about the ride that lets you know this is a retro bike. It has a retro vibe to it but I can’t quite describe what’s doing that. It seems to handle well, but it’s no razor-sharp 600 sportsbike. Quick handling, good brakes, etc but it doesn’t feel like you’d want to late brake into turn 11 at Sears. Something lets you know that it’s a good performing retro bike, not a totally modern bike with a styling exercise. For me, that’s a good thing for a bike like this. Feels authentic somehow, (even though it’s obviously very different to a 60s/70’s bike), so it delivers on that emotional level, if that makes sense. I’m struggling to explain that part or why it feels that way to ride it.

Niggles that I’ve noticed? Well, 3 things, but none of them deal-breakers.
1) The metal tank strap, which I like, (yep, I like the fake carbs too). If you’re sitting forward in the seat, which I was for the hill on Lucas Valley; then if you move from side to side at all on the seat for the turns, the metal tank strap snags on your pants. Not a big deal and probably cured by moving back an inch, from the back of the long tank, but …..
2) The bar-end mirrors. They look OK and work ok, but I haven’t had these before and the extra couple of inches width is hindering my filtering. Maybe just something to get used to, but they seem at the exact same height as most car mirrors and are affecting my filtering karma.
3) It’s seriously thin at the back of the tank, and that, combined with the (cool) tank shape makes gripping with your knees over rough road surfaces difficult. I might have to get those thick rubber tank pads that Triumph sells for this, even though I don’t particularly like the look of them.

So, that’s a first impression and a later write up may have very different observations as I’ve done so few miles at this point.
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Most excellent review! Wondering how things are going long term?

VaderSS said:
Kind of ironic, but a ride on a Sportster led to me getting a red Thruxton R. Just had the 500 mile service and I'm happier with it every day.
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More good news, i'm not surprised, knowing Triumph like I do.:thumbup

VaderSS said:
Cycle World review of the Thruxton R with performance specs. www.cycleworld.com/2016-triumph-thruxton-r-standard-motorcycle-review
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I'm wondering if Vader, Mid-packer, or any others rode the regular Thruxton 1200's? I actually love the British Racing Green ("brg", competition green etc...) and less "blingy" look of the dark clip-ons but admit the brembo brakes and ohlins suspension are probably worth the $2k price difference.
 
I took one for a spin a while back.
I really wanted to like it more.
Rears shocks not up to my near 200lbs.
Handling a bit vague but that might of been the bike sitting low in the rear.
Low rpm power is good but then ran out a bit soon.
That said, most every bike is at a disadvantage when being compared to my Tuono ... :p
DT
 
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