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Review of the 2004 Triumph Thruxton 900:2,000 miles on my Thruxton |
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Author: Eric McCartney, 2004-09-30, viewed 196 times. | ||||||
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More fun than should be legal | ||||||
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As a seasoned rider who´s wrist wrenched for the last twenty some years I have a distinct appreciation for Triumph´s new retro. Most have read varying pros and cons reference this little minx and I´ll attest most are spot on. I´ll first state the cons and end with what I love and would never ever change. Primary complaint would be the excitement robbing pipes-true a small and to some insignificant compromise however the difference from the anemic factory tone to what this hooligan sounds like after one drops the silencers is quite amazing, aftermarket cans are available from Triumph which sound really good although mello and the D and D´s I hear are really nice but for pure hooligan bliss straight pipes are a must as are the accompanying ear plugs, this iron has taken on such a different personality words simply come up short. Performance at least percieved as I have not dyno documented, has improved up top and dropped but a smidge down low, also the idle is a touch erratic but not enough to be concerned. As far as fun factor my Trumpet has gone from a diminutive 5 to an obnoxious 8.5! Next issue would be the crappy metzelers, I´ve heard them called sticky, in which case I say their basis for comparison surely differs from mine. Another issue would be why in the name of God would they utilize a radial rear bun coupled with a biased front? I´ve yet to slide the rear during hard cornering but have slid and nearly lost the front multiple times, a change in tire pressure down to 28/28 had only a minor change in grip and ride quality a change in rubber is surely on the list for upgrades. Speaking of ride quality even a camel jocky would find the factory suspension setting cruel and unusual, granted this is an easy fix however one line softer on the forks and one softer on the shocks leaves your adjustment exhausted in the rear and still very stiff as in track day stiff which I don´t particularly mind but many may have real issues when considering just how hard this saddle is. At the factory setting the ars hopped all over the place on the rough streets of Albuquerque the improvement secondary to the aft adjustment is an imparitive, incidently the seat has softened up a little (or perhaps my but has toughened up)!? At 34 years old 60 minutes at the helm is about max w/o really being uncomfortable this is due to the looooong reach to the bars about the same as a GSXR1000, I´m 6´ 165lbs. by the way for comparisons sake. The wind on the screenless bike isn´t too bad less than that of an SV650 and I understand the available wind screen works quite well, aesthetically either way looks nice I think. The front brake kinda sucks, although it stops the bike ok it so totally lacks feel particularly at low speed that it´s been described as wooden and that´s a perfect analogy. Power to weight is at the absolute bare minimum acceptable in my opinion, granted I´m at 5,600 feet but more has gotta come, fortunately this parrellel twin has got some potential, the airbox elimination has made a real difference in my buddies bike and I expect a myriad of bolt ons to be available soon. For a 450lb. beast it´s fairly nimble and with some decent hoops I believe would do well on a loose track and very well scouring the mountain twisties, some rearsets surely would help as dragging ones shoetip seems to be a peculiar but common ocurrance with myself and fellow thruxton owners. Without the mirrors and rear fender I think this bike looks flat wicked. Out and about drawing attention is unparralled people just love this thing, honda guys harley guys absolutely everyone loves it but of course not as much as me, you´d be amazed how many people used to have a triumph or a BSA or a norton etc.. For me the fun factor is paramount and this meets the requirement and then some (at least since I dropped the silencers). In short I love this bike and plan for many many fun miles. |
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