Triumph Thruxton

I've got a soft spot for retro bikes. I like their look and that they're usually any-roads, any-weather machines. I would own one. Indeed, I arguably do already – my BMW is old enough.

I've got a soft spot for cafe racer-style machines too, but I wouldn't have one of those in the garage, because their exaggeratedly low-mounted bars and the resulting uncompromising riding position make them cripplingly uncomfortable to ride, or rather, to ride at anything much below open-road speeds.

Certainly, few would use one as a daily rider, unless they had a worrying masochistic streak, because the first of these modern Thruxtons was too extreme for any semblance of comfort. But then I rode one that somewhat redeemed itself by being fitted with a set of after-market clip-ons sourced by Triumph New Zealand.

Clearly they were popular, and not just here but overseas, where similar solutions were being found.

Result? Triumph now produces its own raised cafe-racer-style bars for its latest Thruxton.

It looks fine in this candy red, with its white racing stripes. The bars remain low enough to impart the breed's hunch-backed look and it's superficially every inch the classic.

But peer more closely and you'll find those aren't carburettors. For Bonnevilles and their derivatives are now fuel-injected, and Triumph came up with an ingenious solution to retain the classic look, by tucking the fuel-injection apparatus inside fake carbs – sneaky but effective.

That fuel injection is a recent, emissions-regulations-mandated modification. Like the Bonneville donor, this 865cc air-cooled parallel twin engine is almost identical to Thruxton's predecessor, with the pistons travelling in tandem to keep that Brit-twin character. Balancer shafts enhance refinement, while the new fuel injection makes for easier cold starts.

Not that it was cold when I rode her. But wet? Oh yes. Fortunately, it wasn't a problem, as despite its looks, Thruxton isn't a hard-core racer, to be avoided when roads are slick. It's a daily rider, although it wasn't always that way.

The first eight Thruxtons in the 1960s were standard Bonnevilles, tuned for a bit more power and modified to achieve their racer style. Soon the Thruxton mod was popular enough to build as a model in its own right, at a time when they were seen as performance bikes. A Triumph Thruxton came first, second and third at the 500-mile Thruxton endurance race in 1969.

Now they're bought for their classic looks and relaxed riding style, as 51 kilowatts no longer makes the sporting grade in a bike this hefty. Which is why the original hard-core low-mounted bars didn't make sense. They're pigs of things around town, killing the wrists, the bike's manoeuvrability – and the rider's ability to properly look around them.

These risers are as beautifully made as the rest of the bike, the low-front look just retained and enhanced by those bar-end mirrors. The riding position is still moderately sporting and you feel the part, thrusting your shoulders into the wind. The modest power peaks about 7400rpm, indicated on the retro white-faced tacho, but you're doing just 4000rpm at 100kmh in top. Thwack her down a cog or two through bends and use the broad spread of torque to pull her out, and you'll really feel the part.

Or you will if you've found some fairly bendy roads to play on, for Thruxton's not capable of really high speeds. Instead it's ideally suited to our speed-limited roads, not to mention to our often less-than-smooth tar.

But it's also suited to city riding, where it's tractable engine and fairly low first gear ease gridlock-busting manoeuvres. It looks good parked outside the cafe, too.

Those looks are enhanced by the retro-rear seat hump, which does come off if you want to take a pillion, although I wouldn't often bother. And I did approve of Triumph's modern take on retro-look instruments. But what the company has really got clever with is the after-market for bikes like this.

You might buy this Thruxton because you like its relaxed riding style, which lets you have two-wheeled fun without breaking the speed limit. But if you choose it for its looks, you could get hooked on the parts catalogue. Avoid, particularly, Triumph's clever bike configurator. You can swap colours, and add or subtract parts, like the Arrow mufflers which improved the press bike's sound track. The programme keeps track of costs, but the picture shows the changes as you make them, and it's easy to get sucked in once you see the bike change persona.

Chrome side covers? They call for the chrome cam cover and chainguard too, and the billet-style fuel tank cap. Knee guards would look good too..

My $15,590 bike is now $16,903, and I haven't looked at luggage yet, or clothes or ...

Triumph may not be about to knock Harley-Davidson off its after-market pedestal, but it has keenly embraced the whole lifestyle image.

To be honest, I'd thought that's all the Thruxton was – a bike you buy for its image, and in original format, with its wrists down, bum up riding style that's what it was, for there wasn't anything like the performance to justify the extreme riding style.

This write-up's a bit of a ramble, but that's what the Thruxton is like. You can potter about on it, park it for a coffee, briefly thrash it through a few bends, and head out to buy the milk. It's easy to live with.

- © Fairfax NZ News