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Motorcycle Investor mag

Final Thruxton

(by Guy 'Guido' Allen, October 2023)

Thruxton bows out with a premium edition

It's not often you’ll hear of a maker making a fuss about retiring a model name, but that’s what has happened with Triumph and its Thruxton nameplate.

Rather than just let it quietly fade into the distance, the company has announced a final edition, which is a 1200 in premium RS spec, with special paint and graphics.

But first, a little background. The name emerged way back in 1965 at the Meriden factory, for the Bonneville Thruxton – a race-prepared version of the 650 T120 twin.

It took until 2004 for the plate to be revived, when it was attached to a cafe racer variant of the Bonneville 900 platform. In 2016 it got promoted to a cafe racer version of the Bonneville 1200 series.

Triumph built up-spec versions called the R and then the RS, which featured better suspension and brakes. (See our Thruxton R video review from 2018, above.)

Anyone who rode the R and RS will tell you they were impressive machines – not the most powerful at 100-ish horsepower, but with lovely road manners.

We must admit to being surprised to hear the company was retiring the name and no explanation has been offered. However, Triumph is in the throes of launching a whole new range of single-cylinder machines, including a line of dirt bikes with competition ambitions. Therefore we suspect the company has decided to rationalise its range a little, dropping nameplates that weren’t volume sellers.

The final edition runs a 1200cc fuel-injected parallel twin claiming 103hp (77kW) at 7500rpm and a torque figure of 112NM at 4250. As the numbers suggest, the performance is really about mid-range.

That’s matched to a six-speed transmission.

The chassis runs a premium Showa ‘big piston’ fork up front, matched to Ohlins twin shocks at the rear.

Brembo supplies the braking, with radial-mount four-spotters up front, with ABS.

Triumph has priced it at Au$28,100 (US$17,700, GB£14,700) on the road. Add close to Au$2000 (US$1300, GB£1100) for the accessory fairing by the time it’s fitted, which we reckon is a must.

The company says volume will be low (no exact number mentioned) and each example comes with a certificate signed by Triumph CEO Nick Bloor. Deliveries are expected in May 2024.

Triumph Thruxton

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION

	Thruxton Final Edition
Type	Liquid-cooled, 8 valve, SOHC, 270° crank angle parallel twin
Capacity	1200cc
Bore	97.6mm
Stroke	80mm
Compression	12.1:1
Maximum power	105 PS / 103bhp (77kW) @ 7500rpm
Maximum torque	112Nm (82.6 ft lb) @ 4250rpm
Fuel system	Ride by wire, multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection
Exhaust	Brushed 2 into 2 exhaust system with twin brushed silencers
Final drive	O-ring chain
Clutch	Wet, multi-plate assist clutch
Gearbox	6-speed

CHASSIS

	Thruxton Final Edition
Frame	Tubular steel, with steel cradles
Swingarm	Twin-sided, aluminium fabrication, clear anodised
Front wheel	Tubeless 32-spoke 17 x 3.5 in, aluminium rims
Rear wheel	Tubeless 32-spoke 17 x 5 in, aluminium rims
Front tyre	120/70 ZR17
Rear tyre	160/60 ZR17
Front suspension	Showa 43 mm USD big piston forks, fully adjustable 120 mm travel
Rear suspension	Fully adjustable Öhlins twin shocks with piggyback reservoir, 120 mm rear wheel travel
Front brakes	Twin 310 mm Brembo floating discs, Brembo M50 4-piston radial monobloc calipers, ABS
Rear brakes	Single 220 mm disc, Nissin 2-piston floating caliper, ABS
Instruments	LCD multi-functional instrument pack with analogue speedometer, analogue tachometer, gear position indicator, fuel gauge, range to empty indication, service indicator, clock, trip computer, scroll and mode buttons on handlebars, heated grip ready, fuel consumption display, traction control status and riding mode display.

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHTS

	Thruxton Final Edition
Width (handlebars)	745mm
Height without mirrors	1030mm
Seat height	810mm
Wheelbase	1415mm
Rake	22.8°
Trail	92mm
Dry weight	197kg
Fuel tank capacity	14.5 litres