Triumph Thruxton RS Final Edition

[Gone in 60]

Just think about this scenario....

You buy the black Thruxton. Yeah, it's nice, not your favorite color, but hey, it's nice.
Then, you go to a bike meetup, and there it is... last of the line... the green one. How are you going to feel?
Listen to yourself... you need that Final Edition.

(Unless it sucks, of course. Friend of mine rushed out to buy a black and gold 2002 Trans Am because it was the last year they were ever going to build them. He hated it. Couldn't see out of it. 2002 GM build quality. Not to mention all of the gold chains and cowboy hats we kept teasing him with.)

 

[misterprofessionality]

Oh no, gone....I've ridden this bike. It most definitely does not suck. I've ridden and owned far more powerful bikes, bikes that were more nimble, bikes that were more advanced, and all of the above, but I've never ridden anything that feels as alive and engaging as this thing. I avoided riding one for YEARS because I was worried that if I rode it I would buy it, and I was dead right. It's perfect. At least for my riding style anyway. The perfect motorcycle. None of that has anything to do with the paint job though

 

[the Ferret]

Talk about dreaming of owning something for 20 years, I have a little story .....

I wanted a BMW motorcycle since I was a kid..literally. My dad was an Indian/Harley rider, but I saw BMWs in his magazines. I saw how they would go 100K mi without major repair unlike his Harleys which got numerous top end and bottom end jobs in far less mileage. The cylinders sticking out in the air made sense to me from a cooling aspect and the shaft drive made a lot of sense compared to a greasy ol chain, but they were very expensive. After I grew up and had been riding about 10 years, had gotten married, had a kid, I decided it was time. It was 1976 and I was managing a Kawasaki shop, Norwood Kawasaki for a Honda-Kawasaki dealer with 4 stores. I had managed to save up $2000 towards a new motorcycle. A new BMW R90S was $3995. I was going to put down $2K and finance $2K. Finally going to get the bike I had been dreaming of owning for 20 years. My wife and I went out to the local BMW dealer and asked to take the R90S for a test ride. It didn't go well. The bike shuddered from the opposed cylinders and the rear shaft made the bike rise up and down every time the gas was applied or shut off. Shudder, up-down, shudder up-down, shudder up-down. I hated the thing. I was crushed. Heart broken that something I had wanted for so long was so disappointing. I actually preferred riding my vibrating Yamaha XS 650 P Twin. A few weeks later the first of the 1977 Kawasaki's arrived at my shop. I had the mechanics set up a new KZ 1000, and I took it out for a test ride. Now THAT was a motorcycle..big, fast, smooth, great brakes and good looking to boot. I called the owner and asked what my price would be. He said he'd figure it out and call me back. A little later he called and said $1888 out the door. I could pay cash for it and have a little jingle left over. Done deal. Loved that bike (it's very similar to the CB 1100). My wife and I rode it all over the country.

Eventually sold it to bolster the down payment on a house, and bought a used 76 Honda CB 750 to ride.
The moral of the story for me is, sometimes what you think you want, isn't exactly what you really want...or sometimes reality doesn't meet expectations.

Hope the Thruxton is everything you expect it to be Mr P.

 

[the Ferret]

CRISIS

During the time that the Triumph's delivery has been delayed (i now will not get it till early may) I have had time to assess the purchase and look around at the market in general, and even had time to consider other bikes in a more serious way. The Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S was actually pulling pretty hard on my heartstrings but ultimately didn't measure up to what the Thruxton gives me for the same price. If it had been 3k cheaper.......we'd be living in an alternate timeline.

However, the real crisis is upon me, in the form of a 2022 Thruxton RS (keep in mind, this is exactly the same bike as my 2025 Thruxton FE in every way other than the paint job). I found a used one, in solid black (boring color...) with only 1300 miles on it. perfect condition....for only 13k. 13k vs. the 18k on the FE. The difference in price is so massive that I could buy this 2022 model and still be able to afford to replace my poor crashed KTM! They even have a 2023 KTM RC390 in the exact same colorway as my crashed one at the same dealer!

I'm a guy who's good with money, and meticulous about how i spend it. Everything I open my pocket to purchase requires a clear value statement. It has to be something that's important to me, and something that's actually worth what i'm paying for it. I don't have any doubt that the thruxton FE is worth every penny, but I'm having a really hard time paying what amounts to a whole nother bike for a paint job and the "prestige" having ***the final edition.***

All that sounds pretty cut and dry, and then I think aspirationally about how it would feel to be riding that flat black thruxton. I'm....not underwhelmed? just middle-whelmed. There's a sticking point in my brain that says "if you aren't getting exactly what you set out to get, why spend any money at all? what good are half measures?" I could just as easily buy a completely different bike that performs better than the thruxton at every metric, and costs far less. It's called a Suzuki GSX-s1000GT+. better handling, better power, better comfort, better utility, better reliability, smoother power delivery, more tech, wind protection, the list goes on and on and on. But i feel nothing for that bike. it's just an motorcycle. fast, yes. but just an motorcycle. I can't justify opening my wallet for something that means nothing to me, and the black thruxton just doesn't mean the same thing to me.

I said all that to say, i'm getting my dream bike. the FE is ultimately the only thing that's going to make me open my wallet. No half measures. but it is HARD to ignore all the superior economic choices. I know when I actually take the FE home all these considerations will blow away like dust on a shelf, but the longer triumph delays, the more anxiety I have.

If I were looking for another Sport-Tourer, this bike would certainly be at or near the top of the list of bikes I would consider ..but it's certainly not a sport bike.

 

[peterbaron]

Good story, Ferret.
I had something similar with a BMW moto... I went to Motorrad in Oakville, spent half an hour looking at a few models and left... then I went to Honda Powersports and all the 2013 CBs were sold out... I waited a few more months and after a 30 year break I bought my first bike in Canada and it was a CB1100 demo from 2013, you know the rest...

Made in Japan or from Japan or licensed by Japan is the best. Period!

 

[Gone in 60]

That is a very good story, Ferret. In the motorcycle world, my wants have been filled quite satisfactorily.
Once I rented a BMW and loved it, I ended up buying one. The dealer hooked me with some fancy salesmanship, but I was going to buy one.
Once I saw the CB1100 in 2013, I decided that I was going to own one. Sort of like PB, it took a while, in my case until I could trade for one for what the P.O.S. BMW was worth. Once I rented an Enfield 650, I was going to have one. Sold the CB300R out of my fleet, but I got it.

In the car world, my wants have been satisfied as well. In my single days, after seeing that single girls liked guys with classic Cadillacs, I was in want of one. Not two weeks later, my boss retired, bequeathing me a nice '69 Eldorado which netted enough of the wrong type of girls to serve the car's purpose until it started costing more than it was worth. When I wanted a V8 Mustang, I discussed it with my friends at a cocktail party I was hosting. Questioning of my manhood with that kind of power ensued, as did several more cocktails. The next morning, a new V8 Mustang was sitting in my driveway. How it was acquired remains a mystery to this day, but I enjoyed it very much. And, when Richard Hammond proclaimed on Top Gear that the Fiesta ST was just the car for those who were poor and simple, but still wanted to go, turn and stop fast, I had to have one. And I still have it today, along with my CB1100.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Talk about dreaming of owning something for 20 years, I have a little story .....

I wanted a BMW motorcycle since I was a kid..literally. My dad was an Indian/Harley rider, but I saw BMWs in his magazines. I saw how they would go 100K mi without major repair unlike his Harleys which got numerous top end and bottom end jobs in far less mileage. The cylinders sticking out in the air made sense to me from a cooling aspect and the shaft drive made a lot of sense compared to a greasy ol chain, but they were very expensive. After I grew up and had been riding about 10 years, had gotten married, had a kid, I decided it was time. It was 1976 and I was managing a Kawasaki shop, Norwood Kawasaki for a Honda-Kawasaki dealer with 4 stores. I had managed to save up $2000 towards a new motorcycle. A new BMW R90S was $3995. I was going to put down $2K and finance $2K. Finally going to get the bike I had been dreaming of owning for 20 years. My wife and I went out to the local BMW dealer and asked to take the R90S for a test ride. It didn't go well. The bike shuddered from the opposed cylinders and the rear shaft made the bike rise up and down every time the gas was applied or shut off. Shudder, up-down, shudder up-down, shudder up-down. I hated the thing. I was crushed. Heart broken that something I had wanted for so long was so disappointing. I actually preferred riding my vibrating Yamaha XS 650 P Twin. A few weeks later the first of the 1977 Kawasaki's arrived at my shop. I had the mechanics set up a new KZ 1000, and I took it out for a test ride. Now THAT was a motorcycle..big, fast, smooth, great brakes and good looking to boot. I called the owner and asked what my price would be. He said he'd figure it out and call me back. A little later he called and said $1888 out the door. I could pay cash for it and have a little jingle left over. Done deal. Loved that bike (it's very similar to the CB 1100). My wife and I rode it all over the country.

Eventually sold it to bolster the down payment on a house, and bought a used 76 Honda CB 750 to ride.
The moral of the story for me is, sometimes what you think you want, isn't exactly what you really want...or sometimes reality doesn't meet expectations.

Hope the Thruxton is everything you expect it to be Mr P.

Great story, Ferret.

I never get bored of that image. Lovely, really.

 

[misterprofessionality]

Haha ferret....it's funny how some things never change....I had the exact same experience with a BMW boxer 40 years later !!! It was just...bad. I didn't like it at all despite being better than the CB I ended up buying in every way on paper. I swear, boxer twins just don't belong in motorcycles.

 

[Gone in 60]

I don't know about that... they're easy to work on. It's just all of the German electronics they stuff on top of that engine...

 

[the Ferret]

That is a very good story, Ferret. In the motorcycle world, my wants have been filled quite satisfactorily.
Once I rented a BMW and loved it, I ended up buying one. The dealer hooked me with some fancy salesmanship, but I was going to buy one.
Once I saw the CB1100 in 2013, I decided that I was going to own one. Sort of like PB, it took a while, in my case until I could trade for one for what the P.O.S. BMW was worth. Once I rented an Enfield 650, I was going to have one. Sold the CB300R out of my fleet, but I got it.

In the car world, my wants have been satisfied as well. In my single days, after seeing that single girls liked guys with classic Cadillacs, I was in want of one. Not two weeks later, my boss retired, bequeathing me a nice '69 Eldorado which netted enough of the wrong type of girls to serve the car's purpose until it started costing more than it was worth. When I wanted a V8 Mustang, I discussed it with my friends at a cocktail party I was hosting. Questioning of my manhood with that kind of power ensued, as did several more cocktails. The next morning, a new V8 Mustang was sitting in my driveway. How it was acquired remains a mystery to this day, but I enjoyed it very much. And, when Richard Hammond proclaimed on Top Gear that the Fiesta ST was just the car for those who were poor and simple, but still wanted to go, turn and stop fast, I had to have one. And I still have it today, along with my CB1100.

Funny, I have never been interested in cars. Never had a "cool" one. Since a kid I've been into motorcycles. Cars are for days when there is ice and snow on the roads or it's raining a frog strangler. I think the coolest car I ever had was my
'91 Honda Accord with a manual transmission lol. Bought it when I was in over the road sales for a Highway Traffic Safety Equipment Co. I put 282,000 miles on it before trading it in on a Civic.

A couple of months ago my daughter asked me if I'd be interested in getting rid of my 2010 Honda Ridgeline which I bought new. 14 years old, had 64,000 miles on it. My really poor weather vehicle. Sat outside for the entire 14 years but still looked really good and drove like a new 2010. Needed a key to open the doors, and for the ignition. No Nav, no back up cameras, no lane departure warning, no cars passing you warning, you even had to manually turn on the headlights lol. Her old Honda Pilot was on it's last legs and she always liked my truck and needed new wheels, so I gave it to her.

Yesterday I bought a new car. A 2.5L 4cyl Toyota Camry 4 door sedan with an automatic (not CVT) trans. Supposed to get 39 mpg on the freeway and about 30 around town. About as vanilla of a car as you can get (it's even white lol). Although it has a lot of new stuff as mentioned above that my old truck didn't have. Can't buy a car without all that stuff these days. Told the salesman I'd probably never touch most of the buttons. Like I said, cars don't excite me. Should do fine if it's raining or snowing. I don't really need to go anywhere anyway. It's a car. Should last me until the state will no longer allow me to drive or I kick off, whichever comes first.

 

[Gone in 60]

A new Camry should last till the next Ice Age. Just like Mrs. G's Honda, which is a grey box that takes her to work, and Costco, and Mom's on the weekend. I've always loved cars, I work around all kinds of cars, and I think if I didn't ride, I'd still be driving fast, loud Mustangs.

These days, my car is something I keep in the garage for rainy days or when I need to carry something that won't fit on a bike, and I have a note on the steering wheel to remind me to unplug the charger before I drive it. Still, whatever I drive will be fun, and the little ST is like a motorcycle with four doors. There is the assumption that if you work in a car museum, you must drive something exotic. I always get the question... "I'll bet you must drive a really cool car, right?" "I drive a Fiesta."

 

[the Ferret]

:rofl:

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I am grateful for a cage that keeps me warm in winter, cool in summer, dry, have fair fuel economy, has a low cost of ownership, does not attract attention, and does not leak oil (nor burn oil). That is utility.

Now, I've been riding since I was a kid and it continues to stir the soul.

Between the two, my daily needs are covered.

 

[the Ferret]

I am grateful for a cage that keeps me warm in winter, cool in summer, dry, have fair fuel economy, has a low cost of ownership, does not attract attention, and does not leak oil (nor burn oil). That is utility.

Now, I've been riding since I was a kid and it continues to stir the soul.

Between the two, my daily needs are covered.

Thank goodness

 

[Ollie]

The same bike not even broken in with 1,300 miles (3 model years older) for $5,000 less sounds hard to pass. But being flat black would encourage me to pass, I hate flat painted motorcycles.

so get a 3k paint job of your choice and still be ahead 2k.

:beerchug:

so get a 3k paint job of your choice and still be ahead 2k.
But is he really $2,000 ahead? A 3 model year older motorcycle will likely be worth at least $2,000 less. Having been repainted generally lowers value on a motorcycle like that. And a final edition might not depreciate as much as a regular Thruxton.

 

[pdedse]

Interesting dilema, Mr. P... my vote would be to get the greenie...it is simply gorgeous. I wanted a W800 and bought the cafe version (brown) because it was cheap. It was fun for a year, but what I really wanted was the blue standard one. An incredible deal came up for a used 2022 W800, only $5k with 300 miles on it ...but red. I just about bought it; again, because it was just such a good price and not because I wanted a red one. I passed on it, and then I found a new left over blue w800 heavily discounted at $7k. I could have saved 2 grand with that red. But I couldn't get it out of my head--I didn't want a red one. Very happy with the blue.

 

[misterprofessionality]

The same bike not even broken in with 1,300 miles (3 model years older) for $5,000 less sounds hard to pass. But being flat black would encourage me to pass, I hate flat painted motorcycles.

so get a 3k paint job of your choice and still be ahead 2k.

:beerchug:

so get a 3k paint job of your choice and still be ahead 2k.
But is he really $2,000 ahead? A 3 model year older motorcycle will likely be worth at least $2,000 less. Having been repainted generally lowers value on a motorcycle like that. And a final edition might not depreciate as much as a regular Thruxton.

depends if you buy for resale, or usage TBH.

depends if you buy for resale, or usage TBH.
FWIW a motorcycle i buy represents money on fire. It has no value. Its life ends either at mechanical failure or a viking funeral riding off a cliff. several times in my life I have been lucky enough to trade in a bike for another bike, and each time the value of what I own has decreased significantly. that's the game. I don't deal in classics or restorations or anything like that, so value is a moot point to me.

when you consider how many miles i'm going to put on this triumph, there's no way it's going to have any value at all in about 5 years. Just like my CB, which is a beautiful and well cared for motorcycle. If i tried to trade it in i know i would struggle to get 2k for it. That's why i'm keeping it. A Bike ridden has more value than a bike traded. :biker:

Interesting dilema, Mr. P... my vote would be to get the greenie...it is simply gorgeous. I wanted a W800 and bought the cafe version (brown) because it was cheap. It was fun for a year, but what I really wanted was the blue standard one. An incredible deal came up for a used 2022 W800, only $5k with 300 miles on it ...but red. I just about bought it; again, because it was just such a good price and not because I wanted a red one. I passed on it, and then I found a new left over blue w800 heavily discounted at $7k. I could have saved 2 grand with that red. But I couldn't get it out of my head--I didn't want a red one. Very happy with the blue.

that situation is definitely more similar to where I'm at. You had your W800. I have my CB. you don't **NEED** a new W800, you just had aspirations for the blue one with the more comfortable seating position. I don't need a new bike since the CB does everything I need it to do, I just have aspirations for this perfect BRG and gold pinstripe masterpiece. I have the time and the money to get what I truly want, for once in my life. the Black triumph is your Red W800 exactly.

I think what I'm buying is partially a bike, and partially the experience of acting with zero compromise toward a goal. It's funny how when we really do that we realize that we don't get to do that very often.

 

[peterbaron]

Seen this one in Greece last summer, came from Italy.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Mr. P: Sounds like another situation that boils down to what will settle the head and keep the spirit alive.

Do what ever needs to be done, and perhaps that is nothing at all. Do it before you cannot.

 

[misterprofessionality]

OoOoOoOoOoOo purple