03-08-2016, 12:56 PM
What REALLY got my attention was the claimed weight of the Thruxton R at 448 pounds dry. That's 12 horses more with the new motor at almost 100 pounds lighter than the CB. THAT'S significant. Will it get me to trade the CB?. Not hardly and for the following reasons. 1) I can find no major fault with the CB. 2) I actually like the styling of the CB better 3) As a starting point for customization towards a café bike I think the CB is a better raw platform (as demonstrated by the bikes many readers here have built). This in spite of the fact that on Triumphs website it states there are 160 items available to customize the Thruxtons (I think I read that right). I prob won't even go test ride one since the CB is all the motor I want and more importantly, can handle ("a man's got to know his limitations"). I do like the shape of the tank on those Triumphs and believe they did a decent job with the radiator, making it look thin at least. Kinda could pass for a vertical oil cooler. Where I think they missed is with the gold forks and rear shocks. That's anything but retro and reminds me of the Accords, Mazda's and Toyota Camry's with the gold accent packages from the early 80's. I think they will sell a lot of these bikes. I'm having a hard time pinning down the actual prices as Triumphs website doesn't state them for the 2016 Thruxton or the R version. I'm seeing $14-$15.5K elsewhere and that range opens a lot of options beyond the retro market.