Looking at Thruxton R - What do I need to know
Discussion
I have one, can't think of any issues with mine.
Going by the forums, there's more about blinging them up rather than having problems.
Occasional oil leaks reported plus an issue with the front brake where first pull has more travel than subsequent applications - they all do it and no one has found a cure.
Here's mine, decatted, short silencers, bobber led indicators and dual seat & pegs because I think the single seat looks a little too boy racer'ish.
Going by the forums, there's more about blinging them up rather than having problems.
Occasional oil leaks reported plus an issue with the front brake where first pull has more travel than subsequent applications - they all do it and no one has found a cure.
Here's mine, decatted, short silencers, bobber led indicators and dual seat & pegs because I think the single seat looks a little too boy racer'ish.
Check the spokes very carefully. Mine failed on a day out and was replaced under warranty. When I posted about it many other riders found their wheels had failed in the same way (all spokes loose and unable to tighten). It's a costly replacement if out of warranty. Get the wheel off the ground to check it
Other than that I miss it terribly. They are a touch small but bring a massive smile to your face on every ride.
Vance and Hines EU pipes are the nice balance, not too loud and not too quiet.
Brakes and suspension are superb.
You will spend way too much time cleaning it, the engine alone is a nightmare to keep clean
Other than that I miss it terribly. They are a touch small but bring a massive smile to your face on every ride.
Vance and Hines EU pipes are the nice balance, not too loud and not too quiet.
Brakes and suspension are superb.
You will spend way too much time cleaning it, the engine alone is a nightmare to keep clean
Here's my 2016 Thruxton R
Track racer kit, fairing, led indicators, beautiful diamond stitched seat, shortened FEK (tail tidy), tubeless conversion, decat, heated grips, US spec V&H silencers no baffles, remap, quickshifter, all brushed parts polished.
Had it over 2yrs now and 12K miles and still love it, lovely thing to own and to ride, especially if like me you don't mind some some cleaning and polishing in between rides. Not just a showpiece though, with 83 ft-lb its pretty nippy up to three figure speeds anyway, ride feels a bit harsh to me but thats subjective and although the lever doesn't feel solid the brakes have always stopped fine.
Comfortable riding position if your used to sports bikes, mine has the lower clip ons but the higher ones can be fitted even with the fairing and are about 2" higher.
The gearshift can be a bit clunky, especially 2nd to 3rd which seems common, can only use my quickshifter above 3rd and with decent throttle.
Its never let me down but I've done a few jobs to prevent possible failures, replaced the pivot plate in the gearchange as a precaution as that's been known to wear and I've had the same failure on my Daytona 675, also rerouted some of the cabling around the headstock as that's another known problem area especially on bikes with the fairing. Also did an early valve check at 10K and a couple needed re-shimming, only scheduled at 20K.
Its relatively cheap to insure for a 1200 and does 60mpg so if you service it yourself doesn't cost much to run.
I was lucky to find one with all the extras I'd have chosen already fitted, much cheaper than buying them later.
Regarding what to look out for, some of these have already been mentioned but apart from the usual items, tyres, chain/sprockets, service history etc its mainly corrosion, the spokes are only (cheap) chrome not stainless and can rust, the wheel rims are anodised and clear lacquered (I think) and can also suffer especially if ridden in the winter. The engine cases if standard brushed can stain or corrode really easily if not looked after, same with the trims around the fake carbs, The brushed finish can be redone but its a pain to reproduce the original finish, they are actually easier to maintain polished, that's why I polished mine, but I prefer the look now.
Also had to strip my shocks and respray the preload collars as they'd badly corroded, they are only painted not anodised from the factory, seen this on other bikes as well.
Sounds like a lot of issues but some of it I'm blaming on the previous owner, they just need looking after, definitely not a ride in all weathers then put away in the garage sort of bike.
Just don't get another silver one, common as muck as its the most popular, and best colour
No it’s not, this is 
Had this one three years. Had a non R for 3 years before that.
Both excellent. Agree it’s worth getting one with the extras you want fitted. I’d recommend the led indicators, tail tidy and also the thicker barrel grips. Early V&H cans with the removable baffles are good, later ones were fixed.
Had this one three years. Had a non R for 3 years before that.Both excellent. Agree it’s worth getting one with the extras you want fitted. I’d recommend the led indicators, tail tidy and also the thicker barrel grips. Early V&H cans with the removable baffles are good, later ones were fixed.
Mr Dendrite said:
No it’s not, this is Had this one three years. Had a non R for 3 years before that.
I think it looks good in all the colours, from matt black to crystal white, although some don't look quite right to me with the fairing, the red for example, no offence to red Thruxton owners.;) Had this one three years. Had a non R for 3 years before that.Its a shame they stopped the R and brought out the RS in only two colour options, neither of which I like anywhere near as much as my Silver Ice.
I’ve had one for about six months. It was 3 years old and only a few thousand miles. My previous bike was a GS, which although in my view the perfect all rounder, I wasn’t really using it enough to justify the value sitting in the garage.
Mine came with some LED tail light strip, which although very neat, I didn’t think bright enough to be effective, so I’ve replaced with an R&G tail tidy and normal rear lights.
I started on the bling, with some new levers, new seat cover, and some short silencers which release a little more noise. Undecided on whether to take the Cat out with an X pipe, as allegedly that’s a common mod.
It’s a fun little bike, the handling spot on once is reset it to factory in accordance with the manual then made it slightly softer on the front end.
Mine came with some LED tail light strip, which although very neat, I didn’t think bright enough to be effective, so I’ve replaced with an R&G tail tidy and normal rear lights.
I started on the bling, with some new levers, new seat cover, and some short silencers which release a little more noise. Undecided on whether to take the Cat out with an X pipe, as allegedly that’s a common mod.
It’s a fun little bike, the handling spot on once is reset it to factory in accordance with the manual then made it slightly softer on the front end.
I picked on up last week. Its a 1200 not and R as I just could not get the bits on one I wanted so get a cheap 1200 and adding bits.
I road it 149 miles home and loved it. Has faring on it so wind not a problem on M roads. Not been used much so brakes on full are not great.
So far tail tidy, Removed gaters, Tank strap and Oil filler cap (it was free). LED indicators just ordered to go with tail tidy.
On list:
Full exhaust that will remove cat.
Front and rear shock upgrade (keep the same look but just a little smoother).
Air filter and box upgrade (still working out what to go for).
Maybe cam.
I road it 149 miles home and loved it. Has faring on it so wind not a problem on M roads. Not been used much so brakes on full are not great.
So far tail tidy, Removed gaters, Tank strap and Oil filler cap (it was free). LED indicators just ordered to go with tail tidy.
On list:
Full exhaust that will remove cat.
Front and rear shock upgrade (keep the same look but just a little smoother).
Air filter and box upgrade (still working out what to go for).
Maybe cam.
mgv8 said:
I picked on up last week. Its a 1200 not and R as I just could not get the bits on one I wanted so get a cheap 1200 and adding bits.
I road it 149 miles home and loved it. Has faring on it so wind not a problem on M roads. Not been used much so brakes on full are not great.
So far tail tidy, Removed gaters, Tank strap and Oil filler cap (it was free). LED indicators just ordered to go with tail tidy.
On list:
Full exhaust that will remove cat.
Front and rear shock upgrade (keep the same look but just a little smoother).
Air filter and box upgrade (still working out what to go for).
Maybe cam.
These motors respond really well to a dyno map. You can really fatten the torque curve under 3.5k rpm.I road it 149 miles home and loved it. Has faring on it so wind not a problem on M roads. Not been used much so brakes on full are not great.
So far tail tidy, Removed gaters, Tank strap and Oil filler cap (it was free). LED indicators just ordered to go with tail tidy.
On list:
Full exhaust that will remove cat.
Front and rear shock upgrade (keep the same look but just a little smoother).
Air filter and box upgrade (still working out what to go for).
Maybe cam.
five50 said:
Nice - have always liked the look of the Thruxton. Does the RS solve and of the issues with finishes / corrosion - or it’s just the same in different colours?
The RS comes with powder coated engine covers, so no concerns about staining or marking the brushed covers, but in general they are still a pain to clean with the intricate fully exposed engine design. Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff