The 2016 Triumph Thruxton, Thruxton R sport bikes and Bonneville upright have bowed in London. They’re keeping the well-loved classic looks but getting major overhauls with new suspension, brakes and much bigger engines.
More Bikes UK and others at the launch event say that the Thruxton is seeing a 62% increase in torque. Guess that’s bound to happen when you move from a 865cc engine to a 1200cc eight-valve parallel twin.
That new engine at the heart of the Thruxton and Thruxton R is reportedly rated to 83 lb-ft of torque at just under 5,000 RPM. Official horsepower is yet to be disclosed, and speculating off the current model is pointless since the new engine is that much larger.
Power’s put down through a six-speed transmission and spat out of a “reverse-megaphone” exhaust that the first people hearing it seem to think is lovely.
A completely new chassis and suspension setup is supposed to improve handling dramatically while maintaining the machine’s retro looks. Early reviews on ergonomics seem positive in spite of the spartan “cafe racer” style appearance. Same goes for the airbox, throttle bodies, and cooling system; all new and designed to look old.
The Thruxton R pushes the bike’s performance harder with Brembo brakes, aggressive and adjustable Öhlins suspension, and Pirelli tires. Both the regular and R variants will get ABS, traction control with Rain, Road and Sport modes and a “slip-assist” feature on the clutch.
For the less aggressive rider; the Bonneville upright bike will also be moving from 865cc to 1200cc. The tune on the Bonne is reportedly producing 77 lb-ft of torque at just 3,100 RPM. Like the Thruxtons, the Bonne’s look is still dedicated retro with straight-looking exhaust pipes that sneak behind covers to run through a catalytic converter and other secretly-new-but-apparently-old aesthetic trim features.
Like the engines, customization is going to be bigger than ever for Triumph’s 2016 classic lineup. The Thruxton will have “Track Racer” (painted cowl, aero-fairing) and “Cafe Racer” (leather straps, tiny windscreen) appearance packages as options, the Bonneville gets a “Prestige” trim dripping with chrome, and a big selection of blinkers and colors and fabrics should be available across the range.
The Thruxton R will also get hardcore variant through the “Factory Race Kit,” which is going to give the machine more horsepower, more torque, and less weight.
Full specifications, pricing, and big sexy photo galleries will be out soon I’m sure. For now, I’m pretty excited about the prospect of a big-engined cafe bike that’s actually comfortable to ride and halfway decent on fuel economy.
For now, here are a few more images we’ve seen pop up online:
Image via Triumph
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