"wpanik: now owns zero automatics" (wpanik)
11/05/2019 at 18:31 • Filed to: triumph, motorcycle, motorbike, two wheels good, thruxton rs, bobber tfc, bud ekins, bonneville
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"wpanik: now owns zero automatics" (wpanik)
11/05/2019 at 18:31 • Filed to: triumph, motorcycle, motorbike, two wheels good, thruxton rs, bobber tfc, bud ekins, bonneville | 0
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If you consider yourself a fan of motorcycles, you’re probably aware that this week is the annual EICMA motorcycle show in Milan. If you were simply drawn in by the pretty picture above, EICMA is the big show for motorcycle manufacturers each year. Many bikes have already been introduced since Monday, but seeing as this author is a Triumph fanboy, here are three great new offerings introduced by the storied brand Tuesday morning.
( Full disclosure: Triumph gave me nothing and I have no affiliation with the brand. I’ve simply owned three of their bikes and loved them all very much.)
Bud Ekins Special Edition Bonneville T100 and T120
Bud Ekins was a professional stuntman, desert racer, and Triumph dealer in California in the 60s and his name has been synonymous with the brand ever since. As such, Triumph has chosen to honor him with these two dressed-up Bonnies.
For those not familiar with the current Bonneville lineup, the T100 (left in the image above) features Triumph’s 900cc parallel twin engine, while the T120 (above, right) is powered by a 1200cc engine of the same configuration. Both bikes feature unique, red and white paint schemes and heritage logos which are meant to be throwbacks to the era of Bud Ekins’ prominence. Other changes include a Monza-style gas cap, LED indicators, bar end mirrors, black engine badging, and unique textured grips. Performance for both models remains unchanged.
Pricing starts at $10,950 for the T100 and $12,350 for the T120. Both prices represent a modest $500 premium over the base models.
Thruxton RS
The Thruxton was introduced in 2004 using a name from the previous height of Triumph’s relevance in the motorcycle world. The bike was meant to evoke thoughts of the cafe racer movement of the UK in the 60s.
That machine remained largely unchanged until a major overhaul in 2016 which brought sporty, 17" wheels, a then-new, water-cooled 1200cc engine, revised styling, and a host of modern features such as traction control, ABS, and different ride modes. Since then, the Thruxton has been offered in two flavors: the standard 1200 and the R, with the latter improving over the standard by including Brembo front brakes, inverted Showa front forks, and Ohlins rear suspension. The new RS trim takes the much loved Thruxton R and turns things up to 11.
First and foremost, the Thruxton RS does see a host of engine upgrades resulting in more power, more torque, and a higher redline. Changes such as high-compression pistons, revised ports and cam profile, as well as weight saving measures throughout, result in a whopping 8 peak horsepower gain (up to 104 hp) and a peak torque of 82.6 lb-ft which arrives 700 rpm sooner. The measures taken to save weight in the rotating mass of the engine have also resulted in a redline that soars 500 rpm further.
Handling has also been improved on the new model via new tires, suspension tweaks, and even better Brembo brakes. Tires remain the same size as on the Thruxton R (120/70ZR17 front, 160/60ZR17 rear) but are upgraded to the more sporty Metzler Racetec RR. The suspension features inverted Showa front forks and piggyback Ohlins rear shocks like the Thruxton R; however, Triumph claim that the specifics of this setup are unique to the RS. The Brembo brakes are now the ultra gucci, 4-piston, M50 monoblock calipers which clamp down on 320mm, floating discs, controlled by a Brembo master cylinder. Weight saving measures manage to shed a substantial 13 lbs. of weight from the standard model.
The electronics suite sees some upgrades as well, as the existing three riding modes (Rain, Road, and Sport) are now joined by traction control which changes with each. ABS appears unchanged from existing models.
Other, more minor upgrades include all-LED lighting, USB charging port, and an immobilizer key. Visual updates include blacked-out engine components, black wheels, and the option for a more modern, red, black, and silver color scheme (a more traditional Jet Black scheme is also available).
Pricing for the RS will start at $16,200 compared to $15,400 for the R.
Bobber TFC
The Bobber TFC (Triumph Factory Custom) arrives as the third installation of Triumph’s ultra-premium offerings. Triumph kicked things off early this year by offering a TFC-ified Thruxton which featured more power, upgraded suspension and brakes, splashes of carbon fiber, an overall blacked out appearance, other unique styling elements, and a world-wide run of only 750 units. Only a couple of months later, the Rocket 3 TFC introduced the new look of that bike and followed a similar formula to the Thruxton TFC before it. As the year winds down, Triumph has graced us with one more gorgeous TFC design.
Like the revised Thruxton, the Bobber appeared in 2016 built around the architecture of the liquid-cooled 1200cc twin. Unlike the Thruxton’s focus on outright power, the Bobber is meant to be a torque monster. This new TFC model features a now familiar formula which will seemingly be very, very hard to grow tired of.
As expected, there will only be 750 of these beauties made and they will feature a host of unique-to-them parts. Visual upgrades include blacked-out frame and swingarm, carbon fiber bodywork, clip-on handlebars, a gorgeous, real leather seat, all-LED lighting, and a unique paint scheme which includes brushed aluminum foil decals on the tank.
Engine upgrades give the TFC a 13% power bump up to 86 hp and a 3 lb-ft torque increase to 81 lb-ft. Similar internal weight trimming measures to those of the Thruxton RS result again in a higher redline and a claimed quicker revving engine.
Suspension has been upgraded to include Ohlins inverted front forks as well as Ohlins shocks out back. Front brakes are now stepped up to Brembo M50 calipers and floating discs. Weight saving measures across the board were able to shed 13 lbs. from the overall weight of this unique Bobber. Finally, the ECU has been upgraded to now include a Sport mode which was not available on previous Bobber models.
Pricing will start at $17,500 and while that’s not exactly cheap, the Thruxton TFC carried an MSRP of $21,500 while the Rocket 3 TFC commanded an eye-watering $29,000 before selling out.
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Triumph had the Modern Classics market on lockdown for years with no real threats. As real competition began to show up from big players such as BMW and Ducati, Triumph has proven that they’re willing to put up a fight. These three new machines are definitely part of that fight.