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08 or 09 Thruxton....purchase choice

2K views 15 replies 14 participants last post by  yourashero 
#1 ·
If this type of comparo has been done before, firstly apologies for not using the search option better, but a pointer to the past thread would be greatly appreciated.

ok.....im looking to trade out an 06 790 Bonneville with 34000 klms, and the choices are

08 Thruxton (carb, clip ons, British) 55klm on the clock, sold through a country Triumph dealers sister (Honda) dealer in the city (ok, so its new, but a bit of an odd way to come to market) Price $12500 ride away (change over $6200)

09 Thruxton (EFI, m-bars, bar end mirrors) Brand Spanking new...... Price $15750 ride away (change over $7500)

So only $1300 extra for the 'newer' of the two, but the 08 does seem this nicer bike (i like the clip ons, moding of the carbs, nicer tank, better badges, and yes ill admit it, but its not a huge factor or a deal breaker...made in GB )

Both dealers are nothing to write home about. But then dealing with a triumph dealer esp. with the warranty period seems a safer (if less than palatable) way to go.

Only mods i plan for either (in the short term) are after market mufflers, airbox to cones, and i guess either rejetting or remapping. EFI stills seems brave new world with how mods will be handled, but im sure ill catch up.

im mainly after a bit of a real time (and experience) comparison on the old and new thruxton from owners, either generally or specifically

It prob. comes down to a subjective decision, but i thought id canvas the 'experts' that hang around this place for some last minute counsel.

thanks in advance
andrew
 
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#2 ·
If i was me, id get the 08, if for nothing else for the carb. so much easier to tinker. Then again different strokes, and i've heard about people rigging there fuel injection systems into laptops and dialing them to perfection, but thats a leap in technology im not ready o take, not with a triumph.
 
#13 · (Edited)
the EFI thruxtons aren't really that much more fuel efficient if you tune your carb bike properly (but with other EFI bikes the difference is huge, i will admit), and i personally wouldnt base my decision solely on the way the master cylinder looks! it's a cheap swap, and aftermarket vendors are even selling the stock opaque "urine cup" in black now.

it all comes down to what you want to do with it. do you plan on doing a bunch of mods to the bike? are you a DIY person that does all the work yourself and wants the satisfaction of knowing that you can pretty much fix anything on your bike without the need to hook it up to a laptop and have a sense of what it felt like to be like the riders back in the day who not only rode their bikes, but fixed them themselves as well? then the '08 might be a better choice since the carb bikes are way easy to work on and learn on, unless you are up on the technology and comfortable with mapping and have the means to use, and are comfortable with the computer tuning, or maybe your're inexperienced at using the computer to tune, but you want to learn and have the $$$ for the laptop and software.

or you may just want to buy the bike, never fix it or mod it, and just want to hop on it and ride. in that case i'd go with the EFI.

either way, go with the bike that calls out to you! personally i prefer carbs on a thruxton, have an '07 carbs and clip-ons, and wouldn't ride an EFI thrux, but if i was in the market for any kind of modern bike like a sport bike, or for touring, etc. EFI would be the way to go (not like you have a choice anyway) since EFI is more efficient and less tempermental. i like that carb'd thruxton can be a bit tempermental at times, and it gives me an excuse to tinker and mess with it, and for me i get almost as much satisfaction out of repairing my bike myself as i do riding it, and everytime i do so i learn more and more about the bike, and over time rely less and less on the dealership (and aside from the first oil change i really haven't had a need to use the dealer except for a warranty issue).
 
#8 ·
thanks for the thoughts guys. pretty well confirmed where i was going with it. although i was always going to fit m-bars to the bonnie..... they just seem a bit out of place on a thruxton...thats just my opinion though... i like the clips alot.

trying to get the 08 Thux. dealer down on price, as its a previous model, but seem to have found his lowest price. have steeled up and looking to head in tuesday with rego papers ready to do the deal.

I have staintune reverse cones on the bonnie at the moment, and the trade deal doesnt include these. i had assumed they would fit the thrux. but dont think they do.

Is there an adaptor, or is the geometry totally different and im up for a new pair ?

anyway, tues the day. bank on board...now for the spouse !!
 
#9 ·
Hey Andrew, I just had to make this decision myself. I was looking in December at leftover '08 Thruxtons or at new '09 ones. I really wanted the clip ons and there was so much support around here for the carbs that it sealed the decision for me.

If I had not found this forum, I would have went with the FI '09 model. My last bike was fuel injected, which was awesome for reliability and rideabily, but really limited the tinkering that I could do.
 
#12 ·
i'm biased but carbs and clip ons are the real deal for this bike. nothing wrong with an efi model but i'm glad to have an 07 with carbs and clip ons just look lower and better than the new bars i.m.o.. if your worried about the riding position being to low then you should be looking at a bonnie.
 
#14 ·
Efi

I have an 09 EFI... I waited to get the EFI instead since I have owned plenty of carb cars and EFI cars- I like working on my bike as much as the next kid, but I still want to ride more than work on it! I want to add go-fast goodies(which you can just as well as with the carbs), and not worry about changing the needles because I just went up 2,000 feet in elevation and I lost 20ftLbs or torque(bit of an exageration, but you get the idea)! I regularly ride across many states, and with the EFI it adjusts for me. EFI is the future.... With tuneboy you can actually tune the EFI to more exacting standards! :wideeyed:
 
#15 ·
this turned into a great thread with all the pro's and con's for both. with the upshot being get the bike that fits the owner/rider. ive dithered on the purchase as i hate needing to make that quick decision on a 'great deal...not to be missed..get in quick type' (the single 08 model im looking at) and parting with a sizable change-over for the 09 EFI (although im getting the...last one till june crap). im also making sure that im happy with ditching the Bonnie, which although ive had issues with, has been my daily ride for almost 2 years. its funny how you can get attached to a 'thing', even when that thing has been less than co-operative - but its true. a form of Stockholm Syndrome i think.

to be honest, id like to be better at mech. things, but the reality is thats prob. not going to happen to the extent id like (although ive had the carbs off and cleaned/changed mufflers/turned stock mirrors into bar ends/shortened indicators) , so actually becoming more comfortable with the idea of the EFI, even though all the carb comments are spot on. once i set it up with staintunes and a free flow filter from the start (like i did with the bonnie), i should be happy till i get a whole bunch of other things changed at a later date (not sure of the NARK situation with the EFIs, but will find out)

so - thanks for the really useful comments...from both sides. im much better informed.

andrew
 
#16 ·
Id throw the EFI out of the mix. Cold weather starts are not that bad on the carb models and the fuel savings... doesnt matter.

I'd really say it boils down to the clip-ons. Everyone who rides my bike says its the most uncomfortable thing ever. I like the looks of it and my height makes it not that far of a stretch. I guess you could say you have better control of it, but you're more mods away from high performance than that.

Basically.. I'd take them both on a 10-15 mile ride MINIMUM.
 
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