VOLUME 57 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2020 P71
Exactly the sort of technical fact a room full
of seasoned motorcycle enthusiasts will nod
approvingly at, united in the knowledge that
it is definitely a good thing, while praying
nobody actually asks them to explain it.
So, I asked one of the Triumph market-
ing staff, he laughed, handed me a beer
and answered a different question. I hit up
someone technical; determined not to be
suckered into some industry-wide prank
about rare-earth magnets being real, like
Australians asking us to send money to save
the drop-bears from the god-awful fires
those guys are suffering.
It transpires that rare-earth magnet al-
ternators are real, not something made up
for a James Bond villain, and they're simply
a better, more efficient metal for making
magnets out of. In this application, they allow
the bike's alternator to be smaller and lighter,
yet still generate a magnetic field of the same
strength and hence the same electrical
(Left) A 21st
century bike with
a 20th century
heart. The
Thruxton turns
heads wherever
it goes.
power. Never underestimate the ability of the truth to
suck all the fun out of a situation.
Where was I, ah yes, the new engine.
So super-mega-turbo alternator aside, there are
new high-lift cams, a magnesium cam cover, lighter
balance shafts, a lighter clutch and thinner-walled
engine cases. The result is 103.5 horsepower, with
more power everywhere post-5750 rpm. The 500
extra rpm at the top before you hit the rev limiter
takes care of the previous model's propensity to do
so. The power curve comparison does show a slight
dip in power and torque around 4500 rpm com-
pared to the old bike. I asked the Triumph grown-ups
about this and they said it was down to the revised
cam timing—nothing comes for free and to gain the
extra revs and power up top, it cost a little bit of
power around this mark. Out on the road it wasn't
noticeable, with the bike pulling cleanly whichever
gear you threw at it.
Along with the want for more rpm, another bit of
feedback Triumph has addressed with the Thruxton
RS is the fueling from a closed to partially open throt-
(Below) The
270° crank
motor delivers
a lovely
British drawl.
