Triumph Thruxton - Meh...

[angler]

So it was a half-way nice day here in DC and my buddy dropped by with his new to him Triumph Thruxton. Nice looking bike with aftermarket pipes so it sounds nice too.  He talked me into a ride, even with my current cold, and I rode the Triumph and he road my S2R 800.  Wow.  Glad I own a Ducati.  It had the airbox delete which had an odd whistle on acceleration.  It made at least 15hp less than the monster and, while I couldn't put a finger on what bothered me about the handling, it just inspired less confidence.  Also, my knees rest right on the heads - HOT, even on a cold afternoon.

Glad my cafe project will be based on a Ducati.  Just saying.....

[herm]

thruxton... reminds me of the sport classics


scrambler...


i kind of dig the scrambler.

[tristantumble]

scrambler...


i kind of dig the scrambler.
[/quote]

I really like the look of the scrambler and considered getting it when i was shopping around. But when i sat on it, it was really big and heavy... the quality of the finishes also aren't that great when you see it up close, and the 1000cc engine brings it up into insurance hell.

[LA]

The Black Thruxton is a pretty bike.  Looks like it has the same wheel base as a S*R Monster and weighs 450 lbs. dry.  I'm sure you could get the weight down with some effort and some $$$.  Wheels are too small and the suspension sux.  But if you had a Triumph thing ... and you just had to have one ..... maybe cause a kid in high school back in 1967 you were so jealous of, had one - and it just killed you every time he went by - on that beautiful British racing green 650 Bonneville.  Anyway, nice bike, but definitely not in the same category performance wise as the Ducati Sport Classics.

Nice looking bike though.

Judging by a friends yellow Sport Classic (with the Termi kit) if you based a cafe project on a Sport you wouldn't have much left to do.

LA

[topangster]

I had a Thrux before I got my s2r 1000.  They're nice bikes, fun and easy to ride, and get LOTS of attention around town.  Very pretty to look at.  But nowhere close to the handling or performance of the Duc. 

I had an opportunity to ride my old bike about a month after I'd traded it in (the Monster needed some work done, and Pro Italia still had the Thrux for sale on the floor.)  I took it up Angeles Crest (great highway with lots of twisties.)  I couldn't believe the difference - the Thrux felt sluggish and spindly, and even though I was going much slower than I would have been on the Monster, it seemed waaay less stable.  Definitely less confidence on that bike (which i had been quite comfortable on previously.)

They are fun to ride, you just can't push them as hard (unless you spend some serious money on aftermarket upgrades, and even then...)  That said, I REALLY want to get a cream/tangerine Bonneville for my wife to tool around on...

[sroberts152]

This was my bike before my Monster.  I used to have an old 1957 Triumph T110 Chopper that I built and I had an old 1975 Honda CB550 cafe bike.  When I saw the Thruxton it was over - I had to have it.  Not a touring bike.  Old-styled and modeled suspension, breaks, tires, engine.  Not enough power for a daily rider.  I did a D&D 2-into-1 on it, ripped of the rear fender, etc...  I did like it.  I like my Monster more.

Sounded great, though.

[DucSeason]

When I first saw the Thruxton I was in love. I had a picture of one on my desktop and couldn't stop looking at it. One weekend the local Triumph dealer was sponsoring the company demo truck, and I went out to ride a few Triumphs, including the Thruxton. I REALLY wanted to like it, but I didn't. The bike is essentially a Bonneville with some minor cosmetic changes. The problem with that is that the bike suffers for not being an original design. When you ride a standard Bonneville, your back is comfortable, your shoulders are comfortable, and your knees fit right into the sweet spot on the gas tank. With the Thruxton, the bars are very low, forcing you to bend forward. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; you do this with any sport bike, right? The problem is, on a sport bike you can bring your knees into the tank to support your torso. Not so on the Thruxton, because they moved the foot pegs back from their position on a standard Bonneville to give you that "sporty" feel. Unfortunately, your legs are so far back your knees only begin to approach the rear of the tank if you pull them in, and if they get close to the tank, they get close to the top of the motor as well. This means burned knees. Of course, this isn't easy to do, because the Thruxton's pegs are also shorter than those on the standard Bonneville, so you have to move you boots half off of the pegs just to get your knees in a position that allows them to get anywhere near the tank. (With the smaller brake pedal compared to the standard Bonneville, this move makes it nearly impossible to operate the rear brake.) Essentially, you end up on a bike that has you bent over, with all of your body weight on the low handlebars, since you can't unload your arms using your legs against the tank. This means that you transmit all of your body movements into the handlebars, dorking up your steering, and develop some seriously sore shoulders and wrists, since they are the only things holding your leaning body upright. In short, the ergonomics of the bike weren't thought through and they just don't work. They make the bike harder to handle than it should be, and leaves you sore and frustrated. Pass.

[angler]

When I first saw the Thruxton I was in love. ..... Unfortunately, your legs are so far back your knees only begin to approach the rear of the tank if you pull them in, and if they get close to the tank, they get close to the top of the motor as well. This means burned knees. Of course, this isn't easy to do, because the Thruxton's pegs are also shorter than those on the standard Bonneville, so you have to move you boots half off of the pegs just to get your knees in a position that allows them to get anywhere near the tank.

Exactly.  I really like there look, but I could never get the weight of the bars by holding on with my legs, at least not after it warmed up.  Definitely nice looking bikes though.

[ProTeal55]

A bunch of my buddies have Thruxtons and I cant get myself to like them.
I would rather have a sport classic anyday..

[ScottRNelson]

I took test rides on a Thruxton and a Scrambler the last time the Semi-Truck-Full-Of-Triumphs was in town (did the Rocket III too).  I liked the Thruxton and feel that I could have fun on one, even if it isn't as fast as a Ducati.  I didn't like the Scrambler, even though I had high hopes for it.  That bike was significantly down on power relative to the Thruxton and didn't sound nearly as good.  When I was riding it, I was thinking that other than style, you might as well get a KLR650 for what the bike can do.

[the_Journeyman]

Love the styling of the Scrambler and the Thruxton.  I'd have to change out the bars on the Scrambler to comfortably & safely control it.  It was too much of a reach for my torso & arms.  The Scrambler & Thurxton share the same motor, but I'm guessing it's re-tuned/cammed or something else.  The Scrambler makes more torque and a lot lower in the revs than the Thruxton, but only makes 55HP (that's less than my M750!?!).  The Thurxton makes its peaks a lot higher in the revs & is up in the high 60's IIRC for HP numbers ~

JM

[timmer357]

I crashed my s2r1000 and replaced it with a Thruxton.  I like it in many ways.  Yes it is down on power, has lacking suspension, etc.  But it was much cheaper to replace, has tons of character, and is much "easier" to own FOR ME.  The reason I say that is the nearest, decent Ducati dealer is two hours away.  The Triumph dealer is 5.5 miles away.  My service on the Ducati at 3k miles was over $600.  My first service on the Triumph was $62 and the 6k mile will be the same.  Then the 12k (I will never get there) will be $299.  Parts are cheaper, my dealer is willing to cut breaks (seems Ducati shops aren't), and it is just a better fit....FOR ME.

It is a good fit for me.  Yes I miss the Duc but there will be another one some day.

[DucatiBastard]

That Thrux is a really good looking bike, and if it is what ouy like Timmer, than screw the rest of em!

[NekkedChic]

My SO traded his FJR1300 in for a Bonnie, and he luvs the contrast in rides between it and his Speed Triple. 
Here are some pix before he has semi-thruxton-ized the Bonnie

[V-twin]

A friend of mine has got one, had it now for about 4 months, sold his ST4s for it! yeah so he's alot slower these days when we go out riding  .   We just did a track day here and he pushed the bike to it's max scraping feet and pegs and he had a blast, he has upgrade the rear springs and done the exhaust, has yet to put the carb kit and air box mod on and the bigger rear tire, a 170 for the back and harder front springs etc to go in.  Not a bike for me, is fun and a change to ride from the Monster and ST2, but that's all it is for me, must admit he wasn't the slowest guy around the track, he was doing well to keep alot of the Japer's at bay. I like the look and style of the old school cafe racer look, but not for riding them
http://hardout.webs.com/redlinetrackdays.htm   that's a link to his bike, scroll down and you will see him, the only one there!
Once all his mod's are done we will go back out on the track and see if it was worth it etc.