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First Impressions of your 2016 Thruxton ?

36K views 122 replies 35 participants last post by  SirCuffsalot 
#1 ·
Does this thread already exist? I know some are still waiting, but many of us have taken delivery - I did yesterday and 200 miles later, here's my thoughts -

TL;DR
1. I need to protect the tank's paint where it meets the seat.
2. I need to replace or somehow shorten the Ohlins about an inch.

I rode my modified 10-month old Street Triple 90 miles to the dealer to sneak in a test ride and then get my deposit back. First off, I loved my Triple and I was certain I could not afford to take the loss and manage the payments on the lovely red Thruxton I had 'pre-ordered'. I may not make sound money choices, but suffice to say, the dealer and my credit union worked it out so I left the Triple there and rode the Tx home.

Luckily, I no longer feel this way, but within 10 minutes of riding the new bike off the lot I was so mad for making this dumb choice. Not only was I going to be paying for ever, but I really hated the bike's lack of sound and pitiful acceleration. I had just traded the most stunningly performing bike for this lugging VW Beetle! How could I have been so stupid?!

Well, I was stuck in downtown traffic, so I couldn't really open it up much, but later I discovered the 'other half of the throttle' Guess what? In ROAD mode there isn't much action when you roll on the throttle... but, turn it some more and WHAM!! THERE IT IS!! Ha ha!! magnificent !! And then... if you switch to SPORT mode the throttle suddenly becomes a race-bike's 'quick throttle'. Small inputs = huge acceleration! 'Slide you back in the seat' acceleration! Way more grunt than the Street, I can only equate it to my beloved 955 Daytona! Happy-happy man and I'm still in break in!

The sound - Ok. I get it. Euro-4. No way around it. There are restrictions and regulations that have to be met. My wife appreciates it. My neighbors probably do too. But I like motorcycles to sound kinda louder. With character. This bike is a bit of a let-down. However... I took the bike to my buddy's - He lives in a hilly, twisty area outside of town. I let him ride it. As he was pulling away and going through the nearby roads, I liked what I heard. Not bad. I think I'll just let it go for now. Betcha soon I'll be so used to it I'll wonder where the hatred came from.

The usual comments. The bike is stunningly, drop-dead gorgeous. If you're into things that roll, you will think so too. It has all the right stuff. Suspension, wheels, clocks, brakes, tires and on and on. Better still, it's put together really well. Nothing feels less than high-quality - It is a masterpiece of mass production.

The stance and riding position are somewhat aggressive, but for me, coming from the Street Triple, it's a glove - A little more upright, a little more relaxed and so, so much EASIER TO RIDE - Every time I come in the house my wife asks me how it was and I invariably say 'really comfortable' - Because it is. I feel safer, more secure, less distracted - I can focus on the ride, sunshine, flowers and all that, but when I want to find the 'other half' of the throttle... it's there : -)

Want's and needs:
'twould be nice if the mode could stay where it was rather than revert to ROAD after turning it off. It rains a lot here in Oregon and there will be weeks when I will want RAIN mode. But mostly I just want to stay in SPORT - makes the bike feel like the sportbikes I'm coming from and I like it on that setting. Do you know how to make the mode not default to ROAD?

I'm 5'-4. I can get the balls of my feet on the ground, but a bit lower would be great. There's a generous inch available to push the fork tubes up the clamps to bring the front down, but where-how can I get the same shocks one inch shorter?

It's only been 24 hours and my jacket is rubbing the shine off the tank from were it meets the seat up about 5 inches. I don't need tank knee pads as I'm so short my knees fall below the tank. But I would like some protective material for either side of the strap - can you recommend something beyond buying a whole knee pad kit?

I'm going to the garage and look at my new bike again... Thanks a lot.
 
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#2 ·
There already is a "Thruxton-R 1st Erection" thread... But this was well written, and not the same 'ole crap... So I gave it a like. Congratulations on your new bike! My dealer said I left my deposite too early, so International Leap-Year (ILY) rules take effect... So 3.2 years from now (the 4 years start when original deposit was left) I'll finally be able to switch my bike into Sport-Mode and get that big satisfying ear-to-ear grin the rest of the entire world are writing about!! I'm worried I'll have to pay a little more when it arrives, just due to the normal economic inflation over the years, from now until then.

Either way, so excited! Woo-Hoo!
 
#3 ·
<snip> My dealer said I left my deposite too early, so International Leap-Year (ILY) rules take effect... So 3.2 years from now (the 4 years start when original deposit was left) I'll finally be able to switch my bike into Sport-Mode and get that big satisfying ear-to-ear grin the rest of the entire world are writing about!! I'm worried I'll have to pay a little more when it arrives, just due to the normal economic inflation over the years, from now until then.

Either way, so excited! Woo-Hoo!
Ok kids, let's start a pool guessing the date SirCuffsalot rolls his bike out the dealer's door... My money <psych! thing of the past> is on Monday May 2nd. If that can't happen, then maybe his dealer can spray a sliver one MatBlack. May 2nd. Long enough.
 
#4 ·
Wait, wait, wait! I found the NEXT best thing!

It's nice and narrow, just like the new Thruxton!

Very nimble short wheel base, just like the new Thruxton!

Surprisingly lite when given the extra 'bells & whistles', just like the new Thruxton!

LED lighting, just like the new Thruxton!

And guarantied to get TONS of looks from hot girls when I roll by, just like the new Thruxton!

And I can actually buy this one! It's going to be almost 80 out tomorrow! CLICK THE VIDEO and give me some feedback!
LOOK OUT LADIES!!!
 
#5 · (Edited)
On a serious note, I'm surprised you're having an issue with your jacket rubbing on the ball-sack part of your tank... I figured the aluminum tank-strap would take care of that with ease. Sort of like a retro-tank-pad one would otherwise buy... And the normal tank pads usually leave a 2-inch gap from the seat to where the tank-pad would start anyway... On my Daytona 675, Speed-Thriple, and Street Triple, (all sold, or got ran over on) I always just bought that 'clear paint protection film kit' they offered. I loved that.
But even way back in '05, just a regular GYT-R stick-on tank pad did the trick on my R6... So surprised to read that, being this has a tank strap that goes the whole length of the tank... I noticed they have a wider leather tank-strap in the accessories catalogue. Maybe that?

Ps... I just noticed you just wasted your 1000'th post on my whining. Now I feel bad. Haha!
 
#9 ·
I took one for a test ride last Saturday and came away with mixed feelings. Admittedly it was only a 45 min test ride.

Yes it gorgeous but from all the talk of it being like a sports bike, it left me a little underwhelmed with its power and performance, I guess I just had unrealistic expectations going in?

The handling was great, it was really comfortable (much less of an aggressive forward riding position than I was expecting again) but it was also quieter than I was hoping but that can be fixed.

Now I'm coming from a Ducati 848 and was kind of hoping for that sort of performance with the looks of the classic cafe racer.

The thing that struck me was it didn't really "go" until you hit about 5k rpm but then it reds at 7k.....not a lot of room to play with but it was glorious in that band.

I left without placing a deposit, they are sold out till sept anyway so no rush. I'll go back and ride it again in a few months and see how my perception changes now I have more realistic expectations.

TBH I think the thing that killed it for me was all the hype of the reviews, they just over sold the engine upgrades.
 
#11 ·
Thanks Felony - That's great news. I'll look into finding a shop that can do that - Problem is... can they do it while I wait ; -) Can't bear the thought of shipping them off and watching the mailbox for a month. Yes the T595 is too all for me. It was a semi-wrecked kid's bike when I got it, so it was modded into a naked bike and I removed the seat and worked up a thing that was basically sitting on a plank. When I put it back together this time, I'll alter the subframe a bit and address lowering the suspension as well. Going to be a while, but I can't wait to have it back on the road.

Thank you Timinoz! You got me interested so I looked up the PPF film and it looks like an awesome answer! There's several brands - some that are 'self-healing' - I think I just want to protect the area outlined below (that's what became worn in 10 months of my new Street Triple). Do you recommend a product and can I get just a small bit?



I took one for a test ride last Saturday and came away with mixed feelings. Admittedly it was only a 45 min test ride.
Yes it gorgeous but from all the talk of it being like a sports bike, it left me a little underwhelmed with its power and performance, I guess I just had unrealistic expectations going in?<snip>
It was the same for me - I tested a T120 last month and thought it didn't compare power-wise to my Streety, and as I mentioned at the start of this thread - was really concerned I made a horrible decision to trade for the Tx... But 200 miles later I find the new bike has gobs of power. From 3,000 to 5,000 there actually is tremendous thrust! I didn't know it, as I wasn't turning the twist-grip far enough! Next time you take your test ride, try rolling along in 3rd at about 3,000 and pin it!! Better still, have them put you in SPORT mode - makes the throttle more active.

It's not a sportsbike. You can buy a R1 or ZX-10 for less and have much better performance, certainly. But I initially thought the Tx-R was underpowered same as you, until I looked behind the curtain and found where they're hiding it. Today, I'm very satisfied.
 
#12 ·
Engines generally make quite a bit more power after break in. It sounds as though some of these bikes are getting tested for Max power before the break-in procedure is complete.
Mine will be here tomorrow, gonna try to be good and follow the book on break in. The plan is to keep this bike until I can't ride anymore, then still have it in good shape to pass on to my son-in-law. In the meantime I intend to have some fun on it!
he previous owner of my Daytona told me he followed the book on break-in, then did performance upgrades and tuning, after which he rode it hard. It uses no oil between changes and keeps the oil clean, so that seems to have worked out.
 
#13 ·
Looseparts, be careful with lowering the suspension on the T595. The rear isn't the issue, but the header up front is quite low to the ground as it is. I have less than a 29" inseam and the T595 is a bit tall for me as well. I went back to the 190/50 tire from the 55. Got about 10mm lower from that. I installed Pilot Powers which have a sharper profile and the steering didn't lose any quickness. Have fun with your new ride. I have less than lK on my new Ninja. My T595 is hibernating in the garage. Nothing like a new set of wheels sometimes.
 
#23 ·
Annoyances ?

Should I start a new thread for annoyances ?

Three days in and love the bike a lot, but...

Takes two hands to put gas in the tank? There's seemingly no way to remove the gas cap one-handed. I've tried lots of techniques and find it super-stupidly irritating. If you put the key in and turn it, it just freewheels and spins until you hold the cap still with the other hand. Same for putting the cap back on. My 1973 Yamaha had an equally attractive gas cap and all you needed to do to open it was insert the key, turn it a bit and it popped open. What the heck Triumph?

The clock - the first thing I have to do after starting the bike is press the i button five times (not too quickly) to have the the clock visible. It should be on the tach and always available... and you should be able to chose 12-hour time but no. 19:53 is, um... Oh yeah 7! No. Wait, um... 9! No, 7. Both of those things were on my Street Triple.

Pressing the Mode button once does nothing. Press it enough times and it will start blinking to the next setting. The book seemingly does not match reality on this. I can change it while moving now that I've had some practice - the book is correct in this... if you somehow get it to start flashing, roll off, pull in the clutch and it will then stick on your choice. Maybe a better idea may have been a three-position switch. Click-click-click?

That shiny top clamp didn't stay pristine for even the first hour! My key had one of those soft plastic triangular fobs and even that soft plastic was enough to rub some of that shine off. I'm going to be doing some time with the aluminum polish and forget letting anything touch it in the breeze (the fob is removed).

Those wheels are real pretty, but I have chain lube (factory) flinging on them and some other oily drips as well. They're going to be a bitch to clean why... because EVERYTHING on the bike scratches if you just look at it wrong. My cowl is slightly scuffed from throwing my leg over and grazing it once. The tank is marred where my jacked touches it sometimes during braking (along with the stainless strap) So... NOTE TO SELF - do not touch the bike with anything even as abrasive as a soft towel - super-soft toweling is a must and follow all the recommendations in the owner's handbook regarding product and technique, as over-kill as they might sound.

A bug was murdered by my dastardly act of riding the bike when the poor fella did a head-on with the exhaust header. I saw his little carcass stuck there the next morning and flicked him off with a fingernail. Along with him came a patch of the lovely bronze finish off the pipe and now there's an ugly bare spot where he died.

Didn't take long and my lovely bike is not quite as new as it was a few days ago. I want to keep it nice, but I'm afraid it's going to be a endless, disappointing battle.
 
#24 ·
Should I start a new thread for annoyances ?

The clock - the first thing I have to do after starting the bike is press the i button five times (not too quickly) to have the the clock visible. It should be on the tach and always available... and you should be able to chose 12-hour time but no. 19:53 is, um... Oh yeah 7! No. Wait, um... 9! No, 7. Both of those things were on my Street Triple.

Pressing the Mode button once does nothing. Press it enough times and it will start blinking to the next setting. The book seemingly does not match reality on this. I can change it while moving now that I've had some practice - the book is correct in this... if you somehow get it to start flashing, roll off, pull in the clutch and it will then stick on your choice. Maybe a better idea may have been a three-position switch. Click-click-click?

That shiny top clamp didn't stay pristine for even the first hour! My key had one of those soft plastic triangular fobs and even that soft plastic was enough to rub some of that shine off. I'm going to be doing some time with the aluminum polish and forget letting anything touch it in the breeze (the fob is removed).
You should open a new thread. I experienced exactly the same issues on my weekend with the dealers demo "R". Especially the scratches on that polished top yoke. Super annoying.
Same goes for the i-Button setting. As you i'd like to have the clock shown.
 
#25 ·
As I've mentioned recently I have designed a PPF kit that completely wraps the R. It includes the all painted areas, boot guards, anodised fork sections & the polished top yoke. Matte sections such as the front guard mounts are matte film to match the bike.
Please contact me if you need a kit. This will solve all your scratching issues.

Auto part Electronic device Car Vehicle Metal

Drawing Text Line Design Font

Tire Spoke Automotive tire Auto part Vehicle
 
#26 ·
#30 ·
The issues mentioned are standard ongoing maintenance items on the vintage bikes. The result is those of us who ride them do a lot of polishing and at that things aren't perfect. For some reason I don't mind doing that work on an old classic MC but look at things differently with a modern bike. The modern bike is there to be ridden and used with minimal fuss time involved.

My Daytona 2005 955i has a clear film kit in place similar to what Tim has created for the Thruxton. It has worked perfectly to protect the finishes and it reduces the cleaning and polishing maintenance tremendously.

Glen
 
#34 ·
So I tried the "Rain" mode yesterday under buckets of rain on my way back from work. The mode is way less responsive and definitely more adapted to slippery roads, especially when you're stuck in heavy traffic, riding in between lanes and zig-zaging around the white lines.

Unfortunately, I don't fell so much more responsiveness with the "Sport" mode when compared to the "Road": just a slight improvement but not a revolution.
 
#35 ·
On my end, I noticed a pretty significant jump between road and sport. In my first ride, I ran the bike over the same environment, looped road with two roundabouts, minimal traffic, no worries about sound, with about 15 miles in road and then 15 miles in sport. There was an immediate throttle response through 1-3 gear (keeping in mind I was staying under 4k rpm) and accompanying sound for sport not present in road. Cyclenews described sport mode as a "crisp but controllable throttle response." I think that sums up my experience well.
 
#37 ·
... There was an immediate throttle response through 1-3 gear (keeping in mind I was staying under 4k rpm) and accompanying sound for sport not present in road. ...
Experienced that too, I think it's the intake noise of the engine which is more prominent in sport mode. You can hear the difference very well if you are riding 100km/h (62miles) in 4th and than open the throttle both in road and sport.
 
#36 ·
1 day, 120 miles, quick thoughts:

- Unlike others, I am not coming from a performance bike, but rather another Euro roadster (Moto Guzzi Griso)- so the performance was a pleasant surprise, not a letdown, as I was really comparing it to my previous Bonneville SE.

- compared to the Griso, it feels minuscule. I got on and my first impression was, "where is the bike?!?"

- my first five miles were about the worst conditions you could have in motorcycling- torn up Manhattan streets, stop and go traffic in the Holland tunnel, and slow New Jersey Turnpike traffic. The suspension handled the streets very well, the liquid cooled engine kept its head about it in the tunnel (my Griso would have overheated and started pinging furiously) and the bike was smooth enough (in Road mode) that the slow traffic wasn't infuriating.

- the engine sheds plenty of heat but I don't mind- could barely feel it through my riding pants. Jeans might be a different story.

- things looked up from there, and I got to do a mix of highway cruising up to 4K RPM/70 MPH, and some curvy secondary roads.

- one thing that struck me is that this bike is very agile. The bars are "low-ish" but still well positioned to give you turning leverage. I cranked it over in a turn and realized there was plenty more room to crank.

- surprised at the lack of engine braking- on my big twin Guzzi there's a significant amount, on the Thruxton it feels nonexistent. Will need to get used to that.

- seat felt a little hard after about 90 minutes, I think a gel replacement will be high on my list of aftermarket mods.

- The USB port under the seat is rated at 2 amps, which is good as it can run my iPhone 6+ running Waze, and still charge the battery - the 1A USB ports in most cars can't do that, and I end up watching the phone battery tick down, even when plugged in.

Overall, love it- happy with my purchase.
 
#38 ·
- surprised at the lack of engine braking- on my big twin Guzzi there's a significant amount, on the Thruxton it feels nonexistent. Will need to get used to that.
Not in the market..., so not that relevant..., but can't figure out what Triumph was thinking. :eek: For me this would be a total non-starter.

The engine braking of my T-100 is linear and just about right. My M796 has only a tiny bit less, calling for one more downshift sometimes..., but it's also FAST! ;) It also has an APTC hydraulic clutch. (Simulated slipper.)

Does your R do this on Sport mode too? Do you think it's the mapping or the clutch which causes this?

Rode a pal's T-100 once which was dyno-tuned with a PC-V and that felt like a runaway freight train and was VERY unnerving. Couldn't WAIT to get off... Obviously a mapping thing on that!

Poor engine braking would not suit MY riding style AT ALL. FWIW, none of the 35 bikes I've owned exhibited this issue..., other than 2-stroke dirt bikes of course... :cool:
 
#39 · (Edited by Moderator)
I'm wondering if the reports of no engine braking are due to some kind of malfunction.
I've ridden mine a couple of hundred miles now, deceleration /engine braking is similar to all other large 4 stroke MCs I've ridden, not a problem. I didn't even think about engine braking until yesterday when I took it thru the local twisties at a good clip. I took note of how it felt when gearing down to knock off some speed.
It all felt very natural, easy to ride quick.
If you've ever had the chance to ride a featherbed Norton, that is how this bike feels to me. So far in the reviews there has been a lot of emphasis on power because it has lots of that. For sure I'm enjoying the power but the real revelation is in the handling.

There is none of that "I'm about to fall over because I'm doing less than 50 MPH" feeling you get on many hard edged Sportbikes. Or the top heavy feeling many adventure /touring bikes exhibit.
It just steers and handles beautifully.

My only complaint is about the size of the fuel tank. But I knew that going in. Can't have a tank that looks that good hold six gallons.
It just means you must stop for fuel about every 125 miles to be safe. More opportunities to look at the bike, can't really do that when riding:)

Glen
 
#42 ·
#40 · (Edited)
I've seen the clutch on these bikes described at slip/assist-----slipper/assist and torque/assist.
Now not having picked the bike up yet I cant say for sure but I am wondering if this new clutch set up is some sort of slipper clutch, this would explain a reduction in engine braking as slipper clutches are to stop the rear wheel locking up on over enthusiastic down shifts and also to stop the motor being over revved on over enthusiastic down shifts and causing valve float and damaging pistons etc....Just a thought!
 
#41 ·
I find lots of engine braking, so...

About a month ago I test-rode a T120 and while it was a beautiful bike, I was stunned at the lack of engine braking and low power. Might be that I was inadvertently in RAIN, but wasn't happy and doubted I'd actually go through with the trade for the Thruxton when they called me. The Thruxton R I purchased is a different (and better) story.

Don't know if it was a glitch or setting that was off on the T120, but my Thruxton has tons of engine braking - similar to my Street Triple and feels like I would expect. I'm past the 4,000 RPM limit and I ride in SPORT most of the time so that could have something to do with it, but for those that are having the situation I was having on the T120 test ride, maybe there is a issue with some of the ECUs ?
 
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