hophead
Active member
^^^ interesting to read dtrides, i'm wondering if you rode the regular and not the "R" version? Tuono? Yeah I can imagine. Speed Triple here 
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Thruxton R First impression
- Thread starter Mid-packer
- Start date
dtrides
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2004
- Location
- Redding, Ca.
- Moto(s)
- Husqvarna for the dirt, Ktm 690 smc r for the street, gsxr version 2.0-750 for the track
- Name
- Duncan
It was the R, not much interest in the standard.
one of the salesman at the dealership where I demo'ed bought a R early on. He has gone to great lengths to lighten it up and increase performance. He likes it but that is telling as if 'it is not enough'.
I have been down that rabbit hole before and a bike has to be pretty close to meeting my expectations before investing in.
I think this is a very good bike, but not a great bike. Today we have some great bikes to chose from.
If you are more about the cafe style than ultimate performance it might be one of the best choices available.
I just hoped for more.
DT
one of the salesman at the dealership where I demo'ed bought a R early on. He has gone to great lengths to lighten it up and increase performance. He likes it but that is telling as if 'it is not enough'.
I have been down that rabbit hole before and a bike has to be pretty close to meeting my expectations before investing in.
I think this is a very good bike, but not a great bike. Today we have some great bikes to chose from.
If you are more about the cafe style than ultimate performance it might be one of the best choices available.
I just hoped for more.
DT
russ69
Backside Slider
Buy a scooter if you want something to wash with the garden hose. I'll take the Thruxton if you are tired of it
stunna
Active member
And how do you feel about the Thruxton R now? I'm been itching to pull the trigger. Part of me feels like it will never be the same without my ducati, but part of me knows I'm not the rider I once was...and then part of me thinks the V4 is badass and I could race again...
Mid-packer
Geordie
Hey stunna: I still have a high opinion of the Thruxton R. I’ve done some longer trips; like over ebbetts, up through Lassen, 36 to the coast; that kind of thing. It’s got that combination of being comfortable but still sporty enough to enjoy the twisties. When I say ‘comfortable’; for context I’m mostly a sportsbike rider, but if you’re coming off an 1198, this will feel like a comfy couch !
Because of the decent suspension, brakes, tires, geometry, you can keep up with most sportsbikes on most roads, most of the time if you're an ex-racer. A guy on a newer Tuono who obviously knew what he was doing, left me far behind on LVR recently and an experienced rider on a modern performance-bike can definitely make you aware of the real-world performance limitations; but it’s not that often that the weight and ground-clearance come into it unless you’re really pushing. But, hey, that’s the trade-off for wanting the comfort and styling of this bike. It’s like a mellow type of sporty ride and you just adapt your riding style to match how it handles, and changes direction, and where the power is.
I get lots of comments and compliments about the bike; and not just from the more mature folks that see it. So far it still looks like new and the finish has held up, although I rarely use it for commuting. I haven’t made changes to it. I thought about various options to lose weight off it, but it doesn’t seem important. I have a track bike, so this one works fine for 100% street provided you don’t have to always be the fastest guy on the Sunday ride.
Running costs are ok, good gas mileage but with those nice diablo tires - back tire lasted 3k miles and front was 5k. I considered (briefly) going with Angels or something harder, but replaced with the same again.
It’s not great for luggage for long weekends away. You can get racks and I’m sure mods can be made, but I’m just using a backpack which works for me if it’s just a 2 or 3 days.
I didn’t get a test ride as these were new and in-demand when I got mine but you could probably get that now; plus there are some used ones around (I saw one in the Petaluma Yamaha place a couple weeks ago).
Because of the decent suspension, brakes, tires, geometry, you can keep up with most sportsbikes on most roads, most of the time if you're an ex-racer. A guy on a newer Tuono who obviously knew what he was doing, left me far behind on LVR recently and an experienced rider on a modern performance-bike can definitely make you aware of the real-world performance limitations; but it’s not that often that the weight and ground-clearance come into it unless you’re really pushing. But, hey, that’s the trade-off for wanting the comfort and styling of this bike. It’s like a mellow type of sporty ride and you just adapt your riding style to match how it handles, and changes direction, and where the power is.
I get lots of comments and compliments about the bike; and not just from the more mature folks that see it. So far it still looks like new and the finish has held up, although I rarely use it for commuting. I haven’t made changes to it. I thought about various options to lose weight off it, but it doesn’t seem important. I have a track bike, so this one works fine for 100% street provided you don’t have to always be the fastest guy on the Sunday ride.
Running costs are ok, good gas mileage but with those nice diablo tires - back tire lasted 3k miles and front was 5k. I considered (briefly) going with Angels or something harder, but replaced with the same again.
It’s not great for luggage for long weekends away. You can get racks and I’m sure mods can be made, but I’m just using a backpack which works for me if it’s just a 2 or 3 days.
I didn’t get a test ride as these were new and in-demand when I got mine but you could probably get that now; plus there are some used ones around (I saw one in the Petaluma Yamaha place a couple weeks ago).