2020 TRIUMPH THRUXTON RS
R I D E R E V I E W
P74
gravel on the road that you didn't, like
a sleeping passenger in a car who
only wakes to stop you pulling out
in front of that speeding truck and
is back asleep again before you've
finished cursing. I could criticize
the fact that when landing a wheelie
before a turn, there's always a mo-
ment's delay in braking while the ABS
figures out what's going on, but I feel
like maybe that's a self-inflicted is-
sue—see previous comments on sport
bike nonsense. The RS also features
switchable riding modes, tweaked and
polished from the older version; the
default road mode is smooth, clean
and enjoyable. Sport mode makes you
ride too fast, rain mode fails to make
your denim waterproof.
The bikes on the launch were all
single-seat options, the standard
configuration for the RS. In the U.S.,
Triumph offers an accessory pillion
kit, with a dual seat and passenger
footrests. British riders don't get that
option, presumably because riding in
the cold and wet on your own is bad
enough, without inflicting that misery
on a second person. The RS comes
in two color options—gloss black or
the matte-finish grey and silver. The
latter option was definitely the one that
had me ordering a second impossibly
strong Portuguese coffee so I could sit
and stare at it a while longer.
A GENT IN SPORT BIKE CLOTHING
As nice as the Thruxton is to look at, you really do have to get
on one for a ride—it is an absolute blast. But first some context.
For all the sport bike comparisons and excited superlatives, the
Thruxton RS isn't going to be out-lapping any superbikes at a
racetrack. It isn't as fast as a 600cc supersport, and a Street
Triple will happily ride around the outside of it on a fast turn. It
does, however, handle better than any other twin-shock steel-
cradle-framed production bike I can think of.
And by way of hammering home the point that this bike does
more than just pose, who did Triumph employ to lead us around
the winding roads of the Algarve? Fashionistas? Some trendy
custom bike builders? Not a chance—they stuck us on the back
Twin shocks
out back will
handle plenty of
punishment in
the corners.
