Review: Triumph Thruxton R — Classic Full-Blooded British Cafe Racer

Firstly, what is a cafe racer? Back in the 1950s and 60s, people used to race their own custom-built stripped-down bikes from one cafe to another. This is how the term ‘Cafe Racer’ was introduced.

The bike you see here is fitted with the ‘Track Racer inspiration kit’ and we must admit that it just looks beautiful. It is true that the more you look at and admire this Thruxton R, the more you fall in love with it.

Overall, the fit and finish of the motorcycle is amazing.The Triumph Thruxton R still turns heads anywhere it goes, even with its simple design and all the excessive parts stripped off.

At the front, the bike features a retro-styled round headlight which fits in the bubble fairing. The Thruxton gets LED DRLs, tail-lamps, and indicators, which enhance its modern nature.

The bike features a dual instrument cluster with a large analogue speedometer, tachometer and a small digital screen which displays details like gear-position indicator, trip meter, fuel meter, real time efficiency, range and power modes etc.

The long tank looks amazing and is held by a leather strip which runs along its centre. Add in the black side panel with its minimal add-ons along with the dinky little rear seat cowl and the Thruxton R features a rather distinctive contour with its curves and perfect proportions making it look extremely attractive.

Powering the Thruxton R is the same 1,200cc engine found on the Bonneville T120 and the Bobber. In the Thruxton R, the parallel-twin engine is tuned to kick out more power.

The High Power (HP) engine produces around 96bhp @ 6,750rpm and 112Nm of torque @ 4,950rpm which is transmitted to the rear wheel by a smooth six-speed gearbox.

Bring the engine to life and the grunty roar from the Vance & Hines end cans will leave a smile on your face. Despite its old-school attitude, the Thruxton R gets modern tech such as ride-by-wire technology, three riding modes — road, rain & sport —switchable traction control, and ABS.

The clutch, on the other hand, is a torque-assisted unit and is really smooth which helps in stop and go traffic conditions. The bike catapults from 0 to 100kph in under 4 seconds and goes all the way up to a top speed of 200kph.

The Triumph Thruxton R cannot be ridden for long distances because of its single saddle. The Track Racer Kit also lowers the clip-ons further and the long tank means riders will have to reach forward quite a way and that’s hard to sustain.

It is in the corners that the Thruxton shows what it is capable of. The new Thruxton is much more rewarding to ride than its predecessor. The bike features 43mm Showa upside down forks upfront and Ohlins twin shocks at the rear, both of which are fully adjustable.

The Thruxton R is fitted with Brembo twin 310mm floating discs with 4-piston radial monobloc callipers up front, while at the rear, the stopping power is provided by a single 220mm disc with Nissin 2-piston floating calliper. The brakes feel sharp and responsive and bring the Thruxton R to a stop in double-quick time. Helping the brakes along is ABS which is standard fitment on the Triumph Thruxton R.

The Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tyres (Front: 120/70 ZR 17; Rear: 160/60 ZR17) provide superb grip during high-speed cornering.

At 203 kilogrammes, the Thruxton R is not exactly light weight but somehow the Triumph cafe racer does not feel heavy while making quick direction changes.

The Triumph Thruxton R returned a mileage of around 13 km/l in the city and 19 km/l on the highway, which, is pretty impressive!

Promeet Ghosh Thinks!

If you are looking for a motorcycle that has an old-school aura around it, but, on the contrary, has almost all the latest tech, and can handle well, especially through corners, then the Thruxton R will probably suit your taste. But, all of this comes with a premium price tag of Rs 14.74 lakh on-road (Mumbai).

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