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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/661756
2016 TRIUMPH THRUXTON /THRUXTON R FIRST RIDE P44 far behind, loaded as they are with new technology, and powered by the same all-new liquid-cooled parallel twin eight-valve 1200 engine shared with the T120. This comes with a 270° crankshaft and chain-driven single over- head cam replacing the 360° crank and twincam format of the outgoing smaller-cube T100 mo- tor, and uses race-style finger cam followers rather than traditional bucket and shim valve-gear. In so-called "High Power" Thruxton guise this larger capacity 1197cc motor produces improved performance over its HT—as in High Torque— T120 application, delivering 96 bhp/72kW at 6750 rpm against the T120's 79 bhp/59kW at 6550 rpm. That's 41% up on the previous T100 Thruxton motor, which is also 62% less torquey, while the new Thruxton duo's peak torque of 112Nm at 4950 rpm is also higher than the T120's 105Nm. But that less sporty variant of the new Bonn- eville 1200 family has a broader spread of grunt peaking as low as 3100 rpm, whereas the Thruxton duo build power and torque all through the revband up to near to the engine's 7500 rpm redline, 500 rpm higher than the T120. Yet in Thruxton guise the new 38% bigger engine is claimed to give 11% better fuel economy than the 865cc T100, at 61 mpg, allowing the sleek- looking 3.2-gallon fuel tank with traditional Monza flip-up filler hiding a lockable cap to deliver a 180-mile range. So, once again, as with the new T120 Bonneville, the Thruxton uses less fuel in giv- ing more performance. NUMBER CRUNCHING What all that number crunching means is that the new pair of Thruxton models are the most potent Bonnevilles to carry lights and a horn yet produced by Tri- umph, thanks to a performance increase over the T120 delivered by a lighter crank, higher com- pression (11:1 versus 10:1 for the T120), and a larger airbox, as well as revised mapping for the Keihin ECU. This has three riding modes available courtesy of the RBW/ride-by-wire throttle, versus just two on the T120 (which is already one more than the outgoing T100), since as well as that bike's Road and Rain modes, both Thruxtons now benefit from an extra Sport map. Switching modes on the move is a simple business—just close the throttle, press the M-button on the right bar, then pull in the clutch to confirm the swap. Worth noting you must also hold in the clutch lever to start the Thruxton, even in neutral, though the clutch action is extremely light, denoting the presence of Triumph's so-called "slip assist" design, which is their version of a slipper clutch, though with more engine braking left in than is usual with one of those. All three modes produce the same peak power, but with a less intense delivery for Rain than Road, and for Road than Sport. In fact, Triumph was effi- cient enough to arrange for us to experience a serious rainstorm when riding the Thruxton R first time around at the Portuguese press launch held in the coun- tryside north of Lisbon, where an hour of riding in the deluge revealed how effective the Rain map is in taming the undoubted performance of the bike. But next morning dawned bright and The "R" model gets higher-end fully adjustable Ohlins shocks over the preload-only adjustable Kayaba shocks of the standard Thruxton. The updated liquid-cooled, 8-valve, SOHC, parallel twin engine delivers more power.