Just picked up a Triumph Thruxton 1200 R, I had been trying to purchase an EBR 1190RX but because they were never imported into Canada.... One big PITA... So back to the thumper. With a 250 degree crank it revs and pulls like a V-twin, hardly a thumper at all. Almost zero vibrations in the bars and pegs. The riding position is what I would call neutral-attack, bent over a little but I can still walk after a day of riding. The bike feels small, narrow and is very easy to flick around. I put a set of Vance & Hines cans on the bike and used an X-pipe to remove the catalytic converter. To help it breath a K&N air filter was added. The mods help bring the bike to life, mostly in the rumble department. The ECU apparently is capable of adapting to easy mods so no need for a tune. The Thruxton paces like an XB12, it pulls like a rocket to 100MPH and then starts to top out, more than fast enough for me. I picked up a copy of TUNEECU for for my phone so I can diagnose electrical problems for good measure.

Took the bike around the Cabott Trail in Nova Scotia and this bike is just FUN. Lots of low-end torque that pulls like a freight train, sound familiar? This bike was built with the exact same mind set of the; Buells, Ducati Monsters and Moto-Guzzis. A bike full of usable power that loves to gobble up the canyons. The suspension is perfect. I look at the pair of BREMBO MONO BLOCKs and wonder how much better it would handle if I pulled one off and reduced the unsprung weight. The bike has three riding modes; RAIN, ROAD and SPORT. SPORT MODE actually feels like a mechanical upgrade to the bike, like Cosworth just installed Stage 1 Kit or something. There is traction control and anti-lock brakes but best of all sixth gear.

Riding the bike makes me appreciate how motorcycles have come over the past 10 years. It also makes me appreciate what Eric Buell could have built if given the proper opportunity. The designers of the Thruxton were obviously not nagged and penny pinched by the HDMC.

This bike is a modern roadster disguised as a classic.



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