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Cafe
Racer Nirvana
Our bikes – 2016 Triumph 1200 Thruxton R
(Guy 'Guido' Allen, March 2025)
It was old mate John
Waugh on the blower. I had visited him over in WA the
year before and of course demanded a shed tour. In
there was a lovely Triumph Thruxton 1200 R under a
dust cover. We discussed its merits and I've long been
a fan of them. See the video
review from when they were launched in 2016.
You'll quickly pick up that I loved it – a view shared
by lots of other reviewers.
Roll on to early this
year and young Mr W is wondering if I'd like to buy
it. Tempting, but I was still in shock after spending
a small fortune on one or two other acquisitions, so I
politely declined. Of course 10 minutes later I
realised this was a huge mistake. I knew the bike and
owner, loved the model, and this was a chance to get a
very low-use example (approx 6500km or 4000 miles)
with all the gear I would have wanted, including the
fairing and the now rare factory soft panniers.
So I rang back and
apologised for dithering. He made me an offer I
couldn't understand, we agreed on a slightly higher
and more realistic price and both walked away happy.
Before we go any deeper,
let's do a quick profile on the series...
Not so long ago (October 2023) Triumph Motorcycles announced it was dropping the 1200 Thruxton from its ever-expanding line-up. While disappointing for some of us, it was perhaps understandable given the marque's expansion into new market segments that must have stretched resources.
It was the end of the
road for a reawakened model name that could trace its
history to 1969. That was when the firm saw modified
versions of its T120 twins take out the first three
places in the Thruxton 500 mile race. (Thruxton, by
the way, was a WWII military airfield.) Of course the
factory leveraged the event by releasing upgraded
Thruxton T120s.
Move on several decades
and the Meriden factory is long gone, while the
revived Hinckley concern launched a new Thruxton 900,
essentially a 2004 Bonneville in cafe racer clothing.
It was a nice enough thing for the time.
However it was in 2016
when the factory took a different approach, releasing
a version of the 1200 Bonneville platform with a
significantly more powerful engine, along with
different swingarm, steering geometry and suspension.
This time around, the cafe racer theme had real teeth.
For those with a bit
more cash to splash, there was a Thruxton R, boasting
upgraded Brembo brakes, Showa Big Piston front fork
and Ohlins rear shocks, along with the cosmetic
upgrades. At a $2400 (US$1500, GB£1200) premium it was
good value. If you stumped up an extra Au$2000
(US$1300, GB£980) you got the fairing which really
completed the visual impact of the bike.
Back to our example. It
hadn't run for a few years and my biggest concern was
whether the fuel system would have tolerated the
degrading petrol. The old juice was drained out and
fresh 95 thrown in along with a generous slug of
methylated spirits with the intention the latter would
help to remove any water from the system. With a new
battery in place, I simply switched it on a couple of
times to prime the fuel pump and lines, without
starting it, and let it sit overnight.
The next day, I replaced
the engine oil, disconnected the spark plugs and
turned it over on the starter to hopefully pump a
little lubricant through the engine. Then, finally,
with everything back in place we hit the starter in
earnest. It took maybe 20-30 seconds of this before it
fired. Since then, it hasn't looked back.
Of course all the fluids
have now been replaced and it's been ridden frequently
to keep it exercised. And yes, we threw fresh tyres on
it.
One of the risks of an
exercise like this is that what you remember so fondly
perhaps should have been left as just that – a happy
memory. As with meeting your heroes or going out with
an old partner, there is a real chance you'll burst
the happy bubble and realise whatever you once enjoyed
should have been left where it belonged – in the past.
Not so in this case.
I've been fortunate to ride some entertaining current
machinery as a benchmark and the Thruxton R still
works today. By far its most endearing quality is its
handling, which is simply delightful. Quick and
tactile steering, great brakes, and enough power (97
horses) to kick it down the road at a decent rate.
Its suspension has great
control without punishing the rider by being overly
firm.
The engine is punchy,
with a fat midrange – exactly what you'd hope for in a
bike like this. Pick a gear for a tight set of turns,
tip in and pull the trigger. It's a very capable
sports bike without being intimidating.
As a package, it feels
like one of those machines the development riders
dialled in just perfectly. That is more rare than we'd
like to believe.
It also looks sexy,
which helps you to forgive the uncomfortable cafe
racer crouch that goes with the territory.
I'll confess I'd never
before clapped eyes on the factory panniers which are
a surprisingly elegant solution for anyone wanting to
tackle a few nights away. It has a
chrome mounting rail on each side, which is
relatively unobtrusive. The bags slide on and are
quickly fixed in place with a couple of snap-in buckle
fasteners.
You might also note it
is designed as a solo-seater – unashamedly selfish.
There's a nice element
of contradiction in the whole concept and design of
this machine, which is the mix of traditional and
modern. For example, the fuel injection is dressed up
to look a little like period Amal carburettors.
The clocks are analogue,
but in there (via a toggle on the left handlebar) is
access to three rider modes, switchable traction
control (ABS is on full-time) and assorted range and
fuel consumption options.
It's still early days
for this relationship, but so far the decision to buy
it has been a very good one. Making the situation
easier to justify is that the Triumph is compact
enough for partner Ms M senior to manage and she loves
the look of it. So we now know what she's riding to
the next All British Rally. Happy days...
See the 2016
launch review by Steve Martin, at bikesales.
See our 2016 video review
Good
Stylish
Great handling
Good performance
Not so good
Cafe racer ride position
Solo only
SPECS
2016 Triumph Thruxton 1200 R
ENGINE:
TYPE: Liquid-cooled, four-valves-per-cylinder,
270-degree parallel twin
CAPACITY: 1200cc
BORE & STROKE: 97.6 x 80mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: 11.1:1
FUEL SYSTEM: Multipoint sequential EFI
TRANSMISSION:
TYPE: Six-speed, constant-mesh,
FINAL DRIVE: Chain
CHASSIS & RUNNING GEAR:
FRAME TYPE: Steel cradle
FRONT SUSPENSION: Showa Big Piston 43mm USD fork, full
adjustment
REAR SUSPENSION: Ohlins monoshock, full adjustment
FRONT BRAKE: 2 x 310mm floating discs with four-piston
Brembo monobloc calipers, ABS
REAR BRAKE: 220mm disc with two-piston flaoting
caliper, ABS
DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES:
DRY WEIGHT: 203kg
SEAT HEIGHT: 810mm
WHEELBASE: 1415mm
FUEL CAPACITY: 12.5L
TYRES:
FRONT: 120/70-ZR17
REAR: 160/60-ZR17
PERFORMANCE:
POWER: 72kW (97hp) @ 6750rpm
TORQUE: 112Nm @ 4950rpm
OTHER STUFF:
PRICE WHEN NEW: Au$23,000 (US$14,500, GB£11,200) with
fairing, plus on-road costs
-------------------------------------------------
Produced by AllMoto abn 61 400 694 722
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