Thruxton RS - First impression

Fast Eddie said:

Please forgive the slight hijack here, but whilst we’re talking about sat navs…

Many modern cars, and now bikes, have Apple Car Play.

When using Apple Car Play, will this lose signal just like your phone does when it’s got no reception ?

And, is it using your phone contracts data ?

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Apparently CarPlay is just a link to your phone's entertainment and navigation abilities. That would mean if your phone nav app require live data, then CarPlay will not navigate when phone is not on-line.

Found this about CarPlay:
"
Can you use Apple CarPlay maps without data?


You can't use Apple Maps offline, so you need to use a different app for navigation if you don't have a connection. As an alternative, you can use offline navigation apps like HERE WeGo or MAPS.ME. You can also download maps for offline use using Google Maps."

How's the Thruxton going Jerry got it run in yet, I couldn't stay off mine when I got it first 500 miles was clocked up in 2 days and after the first service and a week later was all run in, my wife hardly seen me for about 2 weeks after getting my Thruxton but then she is use to that lol.

ashman said:

How's the Thruxton going Jerry got it run in yet, I couldn't stay off mine when I got it first 500 miles was clocked up in 2 days and after the first service and a week later was all run in, my wife hardly seen me for about 2 weeks after getting my Thruxton but then she is use to that lol.

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Hello mate, I can’t wait to get out on it again. I was able to clock up 250 miles last weekend. Other than the weekend it’s been snowing and crap weather. Tomorrow and Sunday will be good weather. I will probably head to mountains again.

I have been enjoying it. It’s a super fun bike. The only gripe I have, is it’s hard to look behind for me. Not a huge issue. I will probably have to wear my open face. I use mirrors all the time, but I usually look as well. I am still getting used to it.

I have been reading about all the extras decat etc. honestly I don’t think it needs anything except some way to carry basics. I am hopeless at directions, so I was able to rig up a phone holder, so that’s sorted.

I will report back next week.

I am excited to get back out on my 750 as well, it’s ready for action. The only thing I lack is time… Roll on retirement, somehow.

Jerry I retired at 55 when I took a redundancy from my Gov job of 31years
in 2013 in maintenance and even in retirement I have troubles doing the things I like to do things just keep getting in the way but I like it as I keep busy, I am self funded retirie and still have 3 years to go before I get the old age pension but the good thing I own everything but them pesky bills keep rolling in and I have my bikes and a well set up shed/workshop and all my toys to enjoy as well my wife gives me my freedom (she had no choice lol) to do what ever I want, but I do look after her and she knows when to leave me alone, I am just enjoying life.
So Jerry my mate don't leave retirement to late to not enjoy it as there is so much more in life to enjoy than working for the man as there is enough to do at home and you will always find something to keep you busy and out of trouble and I am sure the wife will keep you busy.
Just enjoy your bikes as we need it to keep sane, I just need to get back started on my Manxman project bike been away from it to long lol.

Here's the Thruxton decked out with the quick attach sport panniers Triumph sells. These have worked well for me. Sometimes I wish they were a bit bigger, but I have managed for up to seven days on the road with a laundry day in the middle.
I have a decat for mine but haven't put it in place as the quiet exhaust is awfully nice on a long haul. I will probably leave it stock. There's already loads of power and it seems the decat mainly adds noise, maybe a couple of bhp at most. Must be getting old!

worntorn said:

Here's the Thruxton decked out with the quick attach sport panniers Triumph sells. These have worked well for me. Sometimes I wish they were a bit bigger, but I have managed for up to seven days on the road with a laundry day in the middle.
I have a decat for mine but haven't put it in place as the quiet exhaust is awfully nice on a long haul. I will probably leave it stock. Must be getting old! View attachment 106297

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Glen the decat won't make it loud it will give it a bit more throat in the sound but not louder at all with my Meerkat and opened up stock mufflers done by Meerkat its still quiet just with a deeper troaty sound to it, but the Thruxton loves it getting those burnt gases out a lot quicker and the difference in cooling down below no more hot legs, I do a lot of travelling on my Thruxton and it's just right, still the quietest bike I have ever owned, but get up it it's still quiet but it puts out a great tune, my mates love riding behind me as they love the tune it makes.
The hardest part in doing it is getting the big stock cat out, it's just 10mm wider than the bottom frame rail, a fly sh#t really but once it is out the rest of the job is easy about 1 1/2 hr job and we'll worth the trouble in everyway make such a big difference in it performance and cooler running.

I was tempted and then I read of an owner who dyno tested every exhaust change. One other fellow did this and showed some gain, but I've always wondered a bit about that result as the bike owner also had the dyno tuning shop. That can cause a very positive result on the dyno, which can easily be alterred to give almost any number you would like.
This other result was from a regular owner rider, not selling anything.
First he dynoed the stock bike and got 89 rwhp, which is a lot for a 97bhp engine, but these stock 1200 Thruxton engine always seem to do very well on a dyno. It's almost as if Triumph had their own dyno ! ( joke)
Then they installed a Meerkat x pipe and it was very similar, just a bit over 89. Finally they tried Meerkat slip ons and I think it might have touched 90, but 1 hp dif in runs is quite common just as an inaccuracy.
The dyno operator had no horse in the race as he was just getting paid to operate the dyno to measure any power changes that occurred with the exhaust changes. He didn't have parts or tuning to sell.
So they really didn't get any extra power out of it at all, but the owner liked the increased sound.
One other owner dynoed before and after with stock reverse cones and then the Vance and Hines slip ons.
The Vance and Hines made 2 hp less than the stock silencers. In that case they put the stockers back on and the 2 hp returned.

I've listened to quite a few before and afters on YouTube. They always sound louder to my ears after the decat. The bikes sound quite nice decatted but , as Jerry says, the 1200 sounds nice now and they are really quiet.

Good point about the heat, it can be a bit much.
Although last year we did our first big ride in June . It was bloody cold, almost snowing in the mountains so I was loving that warmth coming off the motor and cat.
In OZ the extra heat would be a problem I can imagine.

Glen

Really starting to enjoy the thruxton. It’s designed for fun on mountain roads, for sure

Fast Eddie said:

Please forgive the slight hijack here, but whilst we’re talking about sat navs…

Many modern cars, and now bikes, have Apple Car Play.

When using Apple Car Play, will this lose signal just like your phone does when it’s got no reception ?

And, is it using your phone contracts data ?

Click to expand...

Yes.

NOT GPS.

Cell tower triangulation.

The only problem with the Thruxton 1200 is that it makes our old bikes feel a bit tractor-ish.

Glen

Jerry Doe said:

ICons:
- For an old man like me the bars are a bit too low. My hands and wrist hurt after riding all morning. I will probably have to raise the bars up somehow.

View attachment 105849

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I can't even IMAGINE riding a bike with those ergos, I'm only 60.
Wouldn't the Speed Twin be a far better choice for a, guy our age to ride the streets with?

concours said:

I can't even IMAGINE riding a bike with those ergos, I'm only 60.
Wouldn't the Speed Twin be a far better choice for a, ahem, GENTLEMEN to ride the streets with?

Speed Twin 1200 Model

The benchmark modern classic sports icon now with a more responsive, more powerful engine for the ultimate in character and performance.

www.triumphmotorcycles.com

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Its not too bad. Surprisingly. I cant wait to get it in sport mode and start going for it. My back and wrists ache a bit today, but the fun was worth it. It’s nice to not worry about breaking down with no cell signal on top of a 10,000 ft mountain. That has happened to me before and I worry about it here on Commandos. Got to get out on these kinds of bikes while I still can.

I was worried about not getting along with the 270 crank. I like that too. It’s funny, it feels like a V twin. It reminds me of my Apprilia a bit.

I am going to head out on it again tomorrow…

Have a good rest of the weekend.

As long as you keep the riser clip ons in place the lean forward isn't that great. For me it's just enough to unload maybe 20 lbs off the spine as compared to sitting straight up on the Commando, Vincent etc.
So it's actually a much better long distance bike for me than those bikes are.
Whilr doing concrete work, I ruptured a disc in my back at age 29. I'm 68 now.
When I ride the Thruxton below 60 mph the weight starts to come on the wrists. When that is happening I have to remind myself to use my stomach muscles to unload the wrists.
After awhile that becomes automatic.

Above 60 you just float, the wind over the fairing carries you. As I recall it was similar without the fairing, except the wind blast was full height rather than just top of chest and head.

Glen

Everytime I hop on my Thruxton the finger is on the button and straight into sports mode it comes natural for me but you can never over rev these engines as the rev limiter is set at 7.5k RPMs and opening the throttle the fronted comes up easily from first to second, I am quiet happy with the stock gearing, compared to the old AC Thruxton's the WC models are similar in weight but the WC models feel so much lighter when riding what ever Triumph did to keep all the weight down low they hit it right on the mark.
My Norton is a light weight but the Thruxton feels like my light weight Norton when riding it, the old AC Thruxton's felt heavy.
I thought going from the 360 swing to the 270 swing cranks I wouldn't like it but instantly I soon changed my mine so much torque down low and so smooth to ride and gets up to speed so quick even without getting up it, the lighter crank spins them up quick and makes them a fun bike to ride and the foot pegs are in a great position, I have no problems riding all day with the stock bars they are 2" higher than the low bars that come with the fairing kit but the higher bars fit perfect with the fairing, well on the S model anyway.
I love riding my old Norton but the 1200 has taken over full time duties and has never let me down in over the 5 years I have owned it and the best thing can just jump on it and do a week in the saddle without any problems at all except for a bit of lube on the chain.
I also found running the tyres with a few more lbs of air in what Triumph recommended in the book, I run 41lbs in the rear and 38 lbs in the front the bike steers better into the corners, it's a easy bike to throw around and the more time you ride it Jerry the more you will love it I am sure of that.
Have fun as it's a fun bike to ride.

ashman said:

Everytime I hop on my Thruxton the finger is on the button and straight into sports mode it comes natural for me but you can never over rev these engines as the rev limiter is set at 7.5k RPMs and opening the throttle the fronted comes up easily from first to second, I am quiet happy with the stock gearing, compared to the old AC Thruxton's the WC models are similar in weight but the WC models feel so much lighter when riding what ever Triumph did to keep all the weight down low they hit it right on the mark.
My Norton is a light weight but the Thruxton feels like my light weight Norton when riding it, the old AC Thruxton's felt heavy.
I thought going from the 360 swing to the 270 swing cranks I wouldn't like it but instantly I soon changed my mine so much torque down low and so smooth to ride and gets up to speed so quick even without getting up it, the lighter crank spins them up quick and makes them a fun bike to ride and the foot pegs are in a great position, I have no problems riding all day with the stock bars they are 2" higher than the low bars that come with the fairing kit but the higher bars fit perfect with the fairing, well on the S model anyway.
I love riding my old Norton but the 1200 has taken over full time duties and has never let me down in over the 5 years I have owned it and the best thing can just jump on it and do a week in the saddle without any problems at all except for a bit of lube on the chain.
I also found running the tyres with a few more lbs of air in what Triumph recommended in the book, I run 41lbs in the rear and 38 lbs in the front the bike steers better into the corners, it's a easy bike to throw around and the more time you ride it Jerry the more you will love it I am sure of that.
Have fun as it's a fun bike to ride.

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Great write up mate. Thanks for the info. I still have not gone over 4000 rpm, well just a few times. I am going to get a few hundred miles on it tomorrow. Then get this first service out of the way. Did you change the air filter for any reason?

Sport mode power is a bit more abrupt. I like it.
Also, the Thruxton ecu gradually shuts the throttle opening above 6750 in road mode. It drops to 80% fairly quickly. In sport mode you get 100% throttle opening up to 7 k, then it cuts back to 80% very quickly.
Several tuners have tried to work around this. Some claim they have but there isn't much in the way of dyno testing to back the claims.
Anyway, I figure full 1200 power to 7000 rpm is plenty. If you shift at 7000 rpm while in sport mode you really need to be hanging on.

A friend from Triumphrat has raced his Thruxton r quite a lot. He has done about 70 quarter mile runs. He usually beats litre Sportbikes and always beats his friend on an R3. The friend modified the R3 for extra power plus he stripped a lot of weight off the bike, but still kept losing.
The Thruxtons are a really strong 1/4 mile bike, as it turns out.
Mainly though, they are built for ripping thru the mountains.

Glen

Jerry Doe said:

Great write up mate. Thanks for the info. I still have not gone over 4000 rpm, well just a few times. I am going to get a few hundred miles on it tomorrow. Then get this first service out of the way. Did you change the air filter for any reason?

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No I haven't needed to touch the air filter yet but I have removed the snorkel to the air filter as part of the decat it restricts the air flow to the filter and makes a little difference only one screw holds it in place.
It's don't hurt to give them a few spurts over 4k RPMs and once you get the first service it's OK to give it a few more spurts at high revs, the main thing is not labour the motor.

There is a good member on Triumph Rat his user name is Retjustdad53 (another Jerry) and think who Glen is talking about he has a 2016 Thruxton R does lots of 1/4 miles as well takes it to Bonneville every 2 years with his gearing set up has clocked up to 150 mph on his last run, he now runs it with a tec cam and he also runs a full Meerkat exhaust system other than that he hasn't done much more to his Thruxton and a lovely new paint job, he bought it new and it's hasn't let him down at all, I planned a trip over to the US a few years ago to be part of his Bonneville pit crew but covid put a stopped to that plan.

Triumphrat is like Access Norton lots of good people on there but it's a bigger forum and covers every model I use the same user name as here, my 2 favourite forums, but it's like any forum you still get the same problems and attitude from some but it's great trying to help others and I have learned a lot as well.

Yes, Jerry the Flat Cap Racer is the fellow I was thinking of.
He has torture tested that bike in ways I never will and, so far, no issues.
He figures the Tec cam helped it a fair bit but I worry because the blanks are cast in China and the casting looked very poor in places. Also, you lose the auto decompression feature for starting. The stock cam has those.
Jerry's new RS already has 104 bhp so it's already there.

Glen

Yes Glen the flat cap racer is a petrol head but he is doing what he loves, myself am happy with my stock motor performance and just the Meerkak x-pipe and opened stock muffles is all I need to get me into enough troubles lol the new models have that wee bit more BHP, I have pushed mine up to 220 kms once and it did it easy but I'm in no need to sit on them speeds.
A lot of people are doing the tec cam upgrade but to me is a waste there is more to it than just putting a cam in ports and major head work is need to get the most out of a higher lift cam, me I am happy with my hotrod Norton for that and my stock 1200 motor in my Thruxton is good enough for me and with traction control turned of it does good wheelies but only done that to see how well it does it but TC does save your rear tyres lol.
But I love to ride a Thruxton with a Supercharger kit fitted 150 BHP now that be something but also a good price at $7.5k beyond my piggy bank, but would be fun.