The Triumph Thruxton 900, a True Cafe Racer
Everyone who saw the Triumph Thruxton 900 just fell for it. After the Triumph T-Bird and the famous Triumph Bonneville which were oh so close, the Triumph Thruxton has got the styling so perfect and you'd have to be a bit weird to criticize the styling.On the road, the Triumph Thruxton tracks straight and true, with the 100/90 x 18 Metzeler ME33 Lazer - still one of the best directional front tires around – rolling from upright to full lean easily and smoothly and the rear tire hooking up and riding nicely. The power output of the Triumph Thruxton is never going to be a serious issue for the Metzeler tires, but the power delivery is nice, linear and progressive, with the engine's tractability helping out everywhere.
The broad spread of power means that you are almost never in the wrong gear and the Triumph Thruxton will drone forward from as low as 45km/h in top. With the relatively low 7500rpm redline, it's as if you are in the midrange all the time – and that's a sweet place to be. Interestingly, the exhaust pipes did little for the top end, but in top-gear roll-ons from 80 and 100km/h, the Triumph Thruxton simply pulled away. You want more midrange? You got it.
All of the controls are where you want them and do what you want them to and, with the stylish seat, the riding position is just the right side of aggressive and matches the motorcycle's overall styling unmistakably. The clip-on handlebars place just enough weight on the wrists, while the rearset pegs are neither too high nor too low. All in all, the Triumph Thruxton 900 is a comfortable aggressive stance, much like the cafė racers of long forgotten times...
