Thruxton R details
- Thread starter swooshdave
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2009
- Messages
- 11,531
Glen, are you getting any accessories with the bike? I would think up there you wouldn't mind the heated grips.
swooshdave said:
Heated grips would be nice and I might get some of their model specific luggage if it's priced similar to other luggage.
Also, the quickshifter is a tempting option.
The factory race kit is something I might consider in the future if reports on it are good. From all reports these bikes have lots of grunt as is and it might be a more useable setup as delivered.
Glen
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2009
- Messages
- 11,531
I'm not sure how much the quick shifter would help on the street. Now the fairing on the other hand. :mrgreen:
swooshdave said:
The fairing is a bit pricey at 900 us without the mounting pipes, but definitely nice. Might be good to get some ride reports to find out if it is an effective shape for comfort and wind noise.
As you no doubt know, some wind coming over the bow is good to counteract weight on the wrists. Is your Commando PR fairing good for this, that is does it lift the weight off the wrists at speed?
I considered the cost of an Airtech raw fibreglass fairing ($250) but by the time you modify it, add the windshield, spend eons filling and sanding the crude surface and then have it professionally painted, it would probably cost more than $900 for a fairing that doesn't really fit.
So maybe the perfectly matched and painted Triumph item isn't so pricey.
Glen
Fast Eddie
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 21,846
worntorn said:
Or... Don't buy the fairing... then the race kit will be $900 'cheaper' !!
I'm one good dyno chart away from ordering the race kit 
When I saw the October 29 dyno chart that Triumph supplied for the Thruxton, it was pretty clear that it would be a rocketship. We know all about midrange torque because we ride Commandos. Here was a bike only a little heavier than a Commando but with about half again the torque all thru the range.
A couple of fellows on the Triumph site insisted that a high and flat torque band like the Thruxton has is good for a tugboat, but not for a motorcycle. One long time poster suggested that the Thruxton R would ride like a 13 speed Dump Truck drives. He and one other fellow actually got a bit obsessed with posting about how bad all of the new bikes were going to be, posting the same miserable prediction about 347 times.
Now the bikes are in the hands of the testers , some of whom ride current model litre sportbikes, and they are all blown away by the power level of the Thruxton.
That's largely due to the ferocious midrange.
It will be interesting to see if the race kit maintains that midrange or if it brings some HP on top at the expense of the midrange.
One official dyno chart from Triumph will tell all.
When I saw the October 29 dyno chart that Triumph supplied for the Thruxton, it was pretty clear that it would be a rocketship. We know all about midrange torque because we ride Commandos. Here was a bike only a little heavier than a Commando but with about half again the torque all thru the range.
A couple of fellows on the Triumph site insisted that a high and flat torque band like the Thruxton has is good for a tugboat, but not for a motorcycle. One long time poster suggested that the Thruxton R would ride like a 13 speed Dump Truck drives. He and one other fellow actually got a bit obsessed with posting about how bad all of the new bikes were going to be, posting the same miserable prediction about 347 times.
Now the bikes are in the hands of the testers , some of whom ride current model litre sportbikes, and they are all blown away by the power level of the Thruxton.
That's largely due to the ferocious midrange.
It will be interesting to see if the race kit maintains that midrange or if it brings some HP on top at the expense of the midrange.
One official dyno chart from Triumph will tell all.
Fast Eddie
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 21,846
worntorn said:I'm one good dyno chart away from ordering the race kit
When I saw the October 29 dyno chart that Triumph supplied for the Thruxton, it was pretty clear that it would be a rocketship. We know all about midrange torque because we ride Commandos. Here was a bike only a little heavier than a Commando but with about half again the torque all thru the range.
A couple of fellows on the Triumph site insisted that a high and flat torque band like the Thruxton has is good for a tugboat, but not for a motorcycle. One long time poster suggested that the Thruxton R would ride like a 13 speed Dump Truck drives. He and one other fellow actually got a bit obsessed with posting about how bad all of the new bikes were going to be, posting the same miserable prediction about 347 times.
Now the bikes are in the hands of the testers , some of whom ride current model litre sportbikes, and they are all blown away by the power level of the Thruxton.
That's largely due to the ferocious midrange.
It will be interesting to see if the race kit maintains that midrange or if it brings some HP on top at the expense of the midrange.
One official dyno chart from Triumph will tell all.
Its unusual for a manufacturer to offer a cam change so readily in an over the counter kit these days, especially in a 'race kit' for a bike highly unlikely to be raced!
It makes me think that Triumph were forced to use a cam design to meet emissions and one that they know ain't good for performance... so I'm reckoning that the 'race cam' is actually the cam they wanted to use in the first place (or pretty dammed close to).
Its only a SOHC motor Glen. A man of your calibre will have it swapped out before yer cuppa tea's gone cold!
You are wasting your time trying to convince us that 'you might not need the race kit'.
Denial is not healthy. Get it ordered man!
BritTwit
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2009
- Messages
- 4,063
Fast Eddie said:
Not so sure of that.
The original Thruxton had a entire race class created for it.
If the new Thrux is up to snuff as some reports seem to imply, then I'm sure the class will be expanded to include the 1200's.
With better handling chassis, better brakes, and more HP than the original Thrux, they will be a very attractive choice for recreational racers.
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2009
- Messages
- 11,531
worntorn said:
I'm not sure I've noticed the actual affect of the PR fairing, except for the one time when we got caught in a nasty rain. From my knees down I was soaked but just about everything else was ok.
If you're getting lift at your chest with the fairing on you're doing it wrong. :mrgreen:
Another ride review and comparison.
I'm not seeing much Retro in the Yamaha, except possibly to the bad hair decade that was the 1980s.
They are reluctant to offend any manufacturer but do admit to favoring the R. The tester in the middle goes to say "it's got more power than the others" then hesitates and says instead "it's got more power than you would think"
And then there is that race kit :twisted:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6dOe_xhDE
Glen
I'm not seeing much Retro in the Yamaha, except possibly to the bad hair decade that was the 1980s.
They are reluctant to offend any manufacturer but do admit to favoring the R. The tester in the middle goes to say "it's got more power than the others" then hesitates and says instead "it's got more power than you would think"
And then there is that race kit :twisted:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6dOe_xhDE
Glen
Fast Eddie
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 21,846
worntorn said:
"The winner of this group test by a long way" that's good praise indeed for the Thruxton Glen. However, they do say the R nine "has the most character" and is also "the most powerful" of the three...
That character comment stuck with me as my main gripe having ridden a R nine is that it was too bland. And this test would suggest the Triumph is even more so!
Nevertheless, I'll certainly be testing a Thruxton and T120 as soon as I can.
You got an ETA for yours yet?
"Character" is often a nice word for vibration. Cycle World said of the R nine T "Vibration is omnipresent but not debilitating"
There are quite a few rider reports saying that it is debilitating to the point of numbness of hands and feet.
Apparently some of the bikes are much worse than others, but that big boxer engine is known for vibration. The version I rode (r1200rt)certainly had a lot of "character" . Too much for me in fact.
The BMW is rated at 110 HP so I assumed that is what the "most powerful" comment referred to. It is the most powerful on paper. There is always some extra loss to the rear wheel with shaft drive vs chain.
At the end the one tester says of the Triumph " it's got the most power....then stops and changes his words, "it's got more power than you could imagine " or words to that effect. Then they talk about the way it goes with the electronics shut off "like a proper hooligan bike" "or like a Supernaked" and show the power wheelie at speed.
Suffice to say it will have the kind of character I like!
Today I talked with a Triumph Customer rep who had just gotten off a Thruxton R, one of the first in the US, aside from the tour bikes, which were non runners. Their test track is on an old WW2 air base.
His regular ride is a Speed Triple 1050 and he said the Thruxton R was "at least as fast as my Triple". That shouldn't be as a Speed Triple is 135 bhp machine and light. Anyway, that was his sense of the power side of the bike.
He was pretty adrenalized from the ride so it took awhile to get him focused on my question.
No word on mine other than an email from Triumph about a week ago to say it is has been shipped.
There are quite a few rider reports saying that it is debilitating to the point of numbness of hands and feet.
Apparently some of the bikes are much worse than others, but that big boxer engine is known for vibration. The version I rode (r1200rt)certainly had a lot of "character" . Too much for me in fact.
The BMW is rated at 110 HP so I assumed that is what the "most powerful" comment referred to. It is the most powerful on paper. There is always some extra loss to the rear wheel with shaft drive vs chain.
At the end the one tester says of the Triumph " it's got the most power....then stops and changes his words, "it's got more power than you could imagine " or words to that effect. Then they talk about the way it goes with the electronics shut off "like a proper hooligan bike" "or like a Supernaked" and show the power wheelie at speed.
Suffice to say it will have the kind of character I like!
Today I talked with a Triumph Customer rep who had just gotten off a Thruxton R, one of the first in the US, aside from the tour bikes, which were non runners. Their test track is on an old WW2 air base.
His regular ride is a Speed Triple 1050 and he said the Thruxton R was "at least as fast as my Triple". That shouldn't be as a Speed Triple is 135 bhp machine and light. Anyway, that was his sense of the power side of the bike.
He was pretty adrenalized from the ride so it took awhile to get him focused on my question.
No word on mine other than an email from Triumph about a week ago to say it is has been shipped.
Fast Eddie
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 21,846
worntorn said:
Perhaps my vibration senses have been dulled by years of riding Triumphs! The R nine T that I rode was basically too smooth for me and I would definitely prefer a little mechanical feel (read vibration) putting back into it.
Or maybe I'm just strange, I even wound my isolastics in far tighter than standard in the pursuit of tighter handling and actually really like the fact that it gives a little more vibration!
I guess I could just remove the wheel balance weights !!
For shorter distances the vibes aren't such a big deal but when riding several hundred miles per day for multiple days, the vibrations get to be very exhausting and unpleasant. I like the Vincents and the Commando MK3 in part for their lack of vibration. There is a low speed pulse to the Vincent as you know, but the specimens I've ridden have all been very smooth at highway speed .
For distance touring, I always end up riding one of the smooth bikes and leaving the paint shakers at home.
The Daytona 955i Triple is the smoothest thing I've ever ridden, but it certainly isn't bland!
I hope the 1200 Twin is as smooth.
Glen
For distance touring, I always end up riding one of the smooth bikes and leaving the paint shakers at home.
The Daytona 955i Triple is the smoothest thing I've ever ridden, but it certainly isn't bland!
I hope the 1200 Twin is as smooth.
Glen
Fast Eddie
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 21,846
worntorn said:
Yes, Vincents are ridiculously smooth considering their era and lack of balance shafts etc.
Whats your big Vin motor like Glen?
Fast Eddie
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 21,846
Glen, have you perused the Triumph configurator lately?
According to Triumph:
"A re-profiled Performance Camshaft Kit that has been specifically developed for the race track. It is designed to be installed with The Vance and Hines racing exhaust system and Performance Air Filter Kit".
It's a bargain too, only £400.00 ... Surely that's a 'must have' ...?!
According to Triumph:
"A re-profiled Performance Camshaft Kit that has been specifically developed for the race track. It is designed to be installed with The Vance and Hines racing exhaust system and Performance Air Filter Kit".
It's a bargain too, only £400.00 ... Surely that's a 'must have' ...?!
Fast Eddie said:
The total cost of that kit is quite high. Also, one report from a Triumph rep was that the performance cam with the race exhaust had slightly less midrange than the stock exhaust but gave an extra 8 bhp peak at the rear wheel.
Other reports are that is adds power everywhere and gives an added 15 bhp to the Max.
So I might hold off on that until more is known.
My 1360 Vincent is not as smooth at low and midrange as the standard Vincents. At about 4500 it smoothens out. Part of the problem was Carb synchronization. With things just a tiny bit out of synch the vibes were quite great, much more than with a standard engine out of synch. I did an initial synch and then one of the cables found a wee bit of extra slack somewhere.
Much better now but still a bit like that BMW rt1200 when pulling hard.
How was your 1330 for smooth running?
Glen
Fast Eddie
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 21,846
worntorn said:
Yes, wise decision on the race performance kit me thinks. It could possibly make it a less good road engine. If the former statement is true, less mid range and 8bhp on top end, I would say its not worth doing. When I rode the R nine T, I definitely thought to myself that I'd gladly lose 10bhp off of the top end in exchange for raising max torque and moving the peak torque figure further down the range.
I saw the 'pillion comfort seat' on the Triumph web site and it looks quite good when fitted on the configurator, as does the little tinted fly screen. So, pillion seat and pegs, tinted fly screen and 'off road' slip on cans would seem to be my ideal spec. And I think someone will come to the market with 'cat removing' downpipes which, I think, will be a 'must fit' ... As you can see, its got me thinking again!
My 1330 was mildly vibey at tickover and low revs and smoothed out totally as the revs rose. It would rev out quite nicely too. I think my chances of having another are pretty much zero though as Godet has recently hiked his prices and I just don't have the necessary time or enthusiasm to build my own these days (and certainly have neither the shop or skill to do what you did).
