One of Triumph’s most adored motorcycles—and one of the best factory café racers you can buy—is about to retire. The Triumph Thruxton will be discontinued next year, ending a 20-year production run. And the Hinckley factory is sending it off in style with a stunning limited edition model; the Thruxton Final Edition.
Named after the Thruxton racing circuit in Hampshire, England, the first official Triumph Thruxton was built way back in 1964. Based on the Bonneville T120, it was a limited edition production racer that the then-Meriden-based factory released for homologation purposes. It could hold its own too and racked up multiple endurance racing accolades—including locking out the podium at the 1969 Isle of Man TT.
The modern Triumph Thruxton as we know it only popped up on the scene in 2004, a couple of decades after John Bloor bought (and rescued) the Triumph marque. As part of Triumph’s then-new range of modern classics, it was based on the Triumph Bonneville and used the same carbureted (later fuel injected), air-cooled, 360-degree parallel twin motor.
That first modern Thruxton was purely a styling exercise though. It sported a different seat, wheels, mufflers, footpegs, and handlebars, but other than a few other visual hits, it was pretty much a redressed Bonneville. And it was a bit of a pig to ride too, thanks to its extreme riding position and heavy shouldered rims.
Still, you could park it outside your local café with pride, at a time when very few other brands were producing motorcycles of that ilk. But when Triumph overhauled its modern classics in 2016 with an all-new liquid-cooled platform, the modern Thruxton truly came into its own.
No longer a mildly-fettled Bonneville, the 2016 Triumph Thruxton featured a 1,200 cc motor with the punchiest engine mapping in the family, and the upgraded ‘R’ model came with Showa forks, Öhlins shocks, and Brembo brakes. The Thruxton 1200 still had clip-ons and rear-set pegs, but it was actually comfortable to ride. It also went like stink and turned better than a modern classic has any business doing.
The Thruxton RS broke cover three years later and has remained as Triumph’s flagship café racer since. Its current spec includes an output of 104 hp and 112 Nm, the aforementioned Show, Öhlins, and Brembo parts, light 17” aluminum wheels, and Metzeler Racetec RR tires. It also has twin clocks, LED lighting, ABS, traction control, and switchable rider modes.
The Thruxton Final Edition takes all that, and wraps it in a gorgeous competition green metallic livery to celebrate the marque’s British racing heritage. Hand-painted gold details adorn the fuel tank and tail cowl, with the artist’s initials hidden away on the bike too. The fenders and side panels are painted black to accentuate the deep metallic paint.
The tank logos are straight out of Triumph’s history books, with special ‘Final Edition’ branding finishing things off. Buyers also get a special ‘Final Edition’ engine badge, and a certificate of authenticity that features the bike’s unique VIN, and the signatures of the Thruxton 1200 design team and Triumph’s CEO, Nick Bloor.
All of the usual Thruxton accessories will fit the Thruxton Final Edition too, but Triumph is also offering a color-matched nose fairing.
If the idea of owning the last production Triumph Thruxton tickles your fancy, you’ll have to pay £15,095 for the privilege in the UK—£900 more than the regular Thruxton RS. For US buyers, it’ll be $17,995; $1,000 more than the RS. You can order the Thruxton Final Edition now, with bikes expected to arrive at dealers from Spring 2024.
Sure, the Thruxton Final Edition is effectively just a Thruxton RS with a really spiffy color scheme—but do we care? The Thruxton RS is one of our favorite modern classics, and we’re sad to see it go. We’d have been upset if Triumph hadn’t released a special farewell edition of some sort.
Source: Triumph Motorcycles
