Roadster – Triumph Thruxton 1200 R test: Racy coffee – Static: eye candy

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Triumph Thruxton 1200 R test: Racy coffee

Roadster - Triumph Thruxton 1200 R test: Racy coffee - Static: eye candy

The flagship of the Triumph Modern Classic range, the Thruxton symbolizes for many the Cafe Racer par excellence. Still derived from the Bonneville T120, the English cafra gains in power and aroma, especially in its delicious R version tried by MNC.

Static: eye candy

Coming back from our morning test drive, a horde of Thruxton 1200 Rs awaits us in the hotel courtyard. After a press conference for both models and a quick lunch, we eagerly collect the ignition key of the model assigned to us !

For MNC, it will be a gray "Silver Ice" which will be replaced by a red "Diablo Red" at the time of the photos. To the eye, the charm operates instantly: we may well know that the base is that of the, the Thruxton R seems to be a completely different bike. And for good reason…

On this luxurious "R" version at almost € 15,000 (€ 14,990 to be exact), the eye immediately detects the fully adjustable, gold-anodized Showa inverted fork, the Brembo monobloc brake calipers with radial mounting and the Ohlins rear shocks to separate bottle, also fully adjustable. Real modern sports equipment !

Then we appreciate the profiled tank, adorned with the Triumph logo and closed with a pretty "Monza" cap, and the single-seater saddle finished with a tapered shell, in the purest Cafe Racer style. An appreciative glance at the sporty tire fitting (Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tires) makes it possible to measure the differences with the standard Truxton, equipped with more basic Kayaba suspensions, Nissin brakes and Pirelli Angel GT tires..

Many other details also catch the eye, such as the small round mirrors positioned at the end of the handlebars, the superb polished upper triple clamp, the beautiful spoked alloy rims, the aluminum tank strap, the perforated side plates and aluminum protection plates at the rear footrests.

Finally, the retina "locks" on the piece of resistance: the magnificent engine, a parallel twin of 1200 cc with shiny crankcases with Triumph logo and small gold ringed cover, which is only there for decoration.

Taken from the Bonneville T1200, this 8-valve block hides its liquid cooling system particularly well, especially as its fins maintain doubt … Among uninformed bikers, at least !

As on the previous generation, a false carburetor cleverly conceals the double butterfly injection system. Compared to that of the, this engine benefits from various improvements aimed at reducing its inertia, boosting its power and increasing its torque..

It receives for this purpose a lightened crankshaft, a specific airbox and exhaust and new pistons. The compression ratio is increased from 10: 1 to 11: 1. The result speaks for itself, with power ranging from 80 to 97 horsepower and torque increasing from 105 Nm (at 3,100 rpm) to 112 Nm (at 4,950 rpm). Nice evolution !

This engine is of course compliant with Euro 4 standards – which in the process allows it to lower its fuel consumption – while its service interval is increased from 10,000 to 15,000 km. In order to minimize vibrations at high speed and improve ease of use, the ignition is set at 270 °. The box goes from 5 to 6 gears, here with shorter gears than on the T120.

As for the latter, the integration of the exhaust manifold under the engine contributes effectively to the purity of the look: the exhaust line seems to go directly from the engine to the conical silencer in brushed stainless steel Vance & Hines installed on this high version of range (see the list of option packs in our technical sheet on page 4).

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