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Triumph Thruxton RS (2020) in the driving report

First ride on the retro bike

The color of the past – it is undoubtedly black. Triumph also uses this color for the new Thruxton RS – and it doesn’t go badly with it.

E.There are motorcycles that you have to have ridden to like them. With others it happens when the car is stationary. The Triumph Thruxton RS is a bike that just looks. Wherever the eye is lost, it meets selected materials, noble surfaces and a tidiness that is second to none. No wire, no cable, no coincidence, but dignified mechanical engineering for the heart and mind. If everything was really better in the past, nowhere does it manifest itself better than in this motorcycle of today. In the most powerful Triumph twin of all time, for many fans (besides the BMW R nineT) the heritage bike par excellence. In a motorcycle that arouses quite high expectations among many fans.

More power, less weight, better features

And rightly so, as the first meeting with the new RS in the hilly hinterland of the Atlantic coast near Faro shows. It has to, because after all, it should replace two predecessors with the previous standard Thruxton and the additionally offered Thruxton R. And because the noble and more expensive “R” has sold around 80 percent better than the Thruxton, which has a simpler, in the past four years since its appearance, it is only logical to go even further in the direction of high-end with the new RS.

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With the new Thruxton RS, Triumph continues towards high-end.

That has undoubtedly happened with the new RS. More performance, less weight, better equipment, high-quality and stylish choice of materials: no doubt about it, Hinckley has not done anything wrong. Thanks to changed timing, revised channels and higher compression with 105 PS, the new engine not only has eight PS more, but also an optimized torque curve with even more thump in the middle and a maximum that is now 700 rpm earlier. In addition – and this is quite rare in this combination – there is more spontaneous and livelier turning capacity due to the crankshaft now being 20 percent lighter. It is a matter of honor that the 1200 series twin now complies with Euro 5.

Convincing high-performance sports tires

Just like a good chassis, because the Thruxton R already put a nice sole on the road. Fortunately, nothing has changed at RS either, on the contrary. Two Ohlins at the back (now even with black springs for the Thruxton RS), and a mighty Showa Big Piston fork at the front: this combination also impresses in the Portuguese winter, which unfortunately brought rain and temperatures just over ten degrees in this case . Especially because Hinckley didn’t shy away from giving the RS a real high-performance sports tire on its black spoked wheels. Metzeler Racetec RR is the name of the black gold, which even in the restrained 160 format at the back of this heritage bike looks overdone, but actually isn’t. On the contrary: The Thruxton harmonizes beautifully with the circuit rubber, even under these adverse conditions. Even in a light drizzle, the RR adheres better than expected and, via the tightly damped spring elements, reports back what the Thruxton takes under its wheels here in the Portuguese outback. Of course, this is a pound, especially on the brakes, that you can use to proliferate. Especially when the stoppers can be dosed as finely and transparently as M50 pliers from Brembo, which bite into the mighty 310 discs.

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Compared to the previous model, the engine has an output of 8 hp more.

What if the driver exaggerates it and is on the road faster than expected? Reliably regulates the ABS, as does the traction control, which in three modes (Rain, Road, Sport) acts as a unit with the response behavior and the power delivery of the engine. However, that rarely happens, at least when the driver wisely trusts the power of the 1200cc in the middle speed range and, in case of doubt, would rather drive a gear too high than too high-rev. The strength of this still fascinatingly compact and tidy one is still in the ample speed mid-range. That means: those who shift less and drive smoothly are more likely to arrive. And then, even without a knife between your teeth, it’s as fast as you wouldn’t expect this machine to be at second glance. Because at the latest in the "RS" expansion stage, it is at least as consistently trimmed for performance as it is for the spirit of the good old days. But of course this spirit has a not inconsiderable price. On the one hand, it’s loneliness, because the Thruxton RS has to be converted into a two-seater first. On the other hand, it is a lot of money, because the Triumph Thruxton is no longer available for less than 15,550 euros. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in matt gray or deep black, which you can confidently rely on with the new RS.

Conclusion

With the new Thruxton RS, Triumph is putting a chic and very well made motorcycle on its wheels, which has been upgraded in all the right places compared to the previous model. Especially in combination with the Metzeler Racetec RR, the retro bike was able to convince on the first trip in Portugal.

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