2020 TRIUMPH THRUXTON RS
R I D E R E V I E W
P76
back to the stop. Riding this thing fast is so
involving, so rewarding, so, dare I say it,
tactile. Damn, and I was doing so well get-
ting this far without using arty, café racer
hipster talk.
But it's true in this case, the Thruxton will hustle
through the bends at a pace higher than it has any
right to run, but it involves you in the process in a
way that a modern sport bike doesn't. Perhaps the
best way to describe it is that you feel like you are
taking the RS and making it go that fast, whereas
on the road, a supersport 600 often gives the
impression that it could go a lot faster if it could get
the sweaty idiot off its back.
The riding position on the Thruxton RS is
not a touring-friendly one. If you want to sit
up, cruise along and enjoy the view, there
are better options. Like convincing your friends to
buy a Thruxton RS for touring and then enjoying the
view of it from the seat of something with higher bars
and a little more seat foam. But use it for what it was
intended for, use it to find the most corners possible
between coffee stops and you'll ride all day without
trouble. You have to embrace the racing crouch
mind, there is no getting out of it, so don't fight it—
drop your elbows, hunker down and get after it.
Put your elbows
out and get after
it. That's the
Thruxton way.
THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE
In all honesty, there aren't many. Maybe the $16,200 price tag feels a little strong, but then again maybe
that's the tight ass in me that doesn't understand inflation and can still remember a new R1 costing less
than 15 grand. The new Rocket III has set the bar really high for the level of finish and attention to detail
achievable in a motorcycle that comes out of a factory rather than an enthusiast's workshop.
