Considering Buying A 1200speed Twin Or Thruxton...

I own old motorcycles that don't have electric start.In fact they don't have much apart from wheels, an engine & a frame (and brakes). I no longer ride every day but do go on relatively long trips lasting a few days and usually around 1K miles - as far as I am concerned, more is good.

The industry would like to pigeon hole me, probably as a sports tourer rider and try and offer me what they think I should want; I am just not interested. I quite like a half fairing but don't want a full.

I would like a visually attractive modern bike with the following luxuries:

• Electric Start
• Cruise control
• centre stand (i.e., it's available and I can buy/fit it if I want if it's not already provided)
• Fun engine, not marketing compromised/strangled
• ability to fit luggage, throw-overs are fine
• can customise, pillion rail/grabs would be nice
  
• good range - if the tank is miniscule, then a larger one is an option either OEM or 3rd party

I have looked at:

• Kawasaki Z900 and would buy one if it had cruise control
• KTM's - but they are as attractive to my eyes as a wart
• BMW have a 1000cc half faired rocket ship with a great tank, but that makes the KTM look beautiful
• Ducati 900SS - but it's fully faired and the tank isn't that great
• Yamaha MT10 - designed for someone else (I have had two Fazer 1000's)
• Other Kawasaki's - about as attractive as the BMW
• Suzuki - nothing to see here
• MV Agusta - Nah, meh.
• Indian - ridiculous tank
• Harley - can't cope.

So I find myself back at Triumph. I've already had a T509 from Jack Lilley's (good bike) and a 955 Daytona which was a huge disappointment after stepping off an FZ1000.

I hadn't clocked the 1200 Triumph's but it seems they really have something here, so I though I'd dig a little deeper.

Looking at the Thruxton, it's got:

✓ electric start
✓ optional throwover panniers & mounts
✓ optional pillion rail (with seat)
✓ great engine
✓ optional half fairing​

Great! so Triumph have recognised people might want to go out for more than a 20 minute ride *and* take some luggage! What's it missing?

× cruise control
× centre stand (even as an option)
× larger tank (even as an option)​

I understand Triumph physically removed the ability from the Thruxton ECU to provide cruise control.

This is whilst a moment's lack of attention to the speedometer can lead to prosecution/ban; I mean what else would you be looking at? Maybe the lower bars don't leave room, but then again they could offer the Thruxton with higher bars. Beats me.

OK, let's see what you can get for a Speed Twin 1200:

✓ cruise control
✓ electric start
✓ great engine​

So on the bike which has cruise control, none of the useful sports tourer options are available.

For both, I would have loved to have a centre stand option and it would be really nice to have a significantly larger tank available; think Norton 750 Roadster with 10 litre tank & the 850 Interstate with 19 litre tank.

So what to do?

• Fit McCruise to the Thruxton? I'd rather not
• Are there dedicated/welded frame mounts for the half fairing on the Thruxton for the half fairing and if so, do they exist on the Speed Twin? I am aware the bars are different, that would be my problem
  
• Are there dedicated/welded frame mounts for the pannier mounts for the Thruxton and if so, do they exist on the Speed Twin?

It seems to me Triumph could offer a perfect bike - or one that could be customised by the buyer to be so. I don't want a Speed Triple 1200 BTW.

So where to go from here? Over to you guys for your knowledge & guidance please.

 

Thanks for the information and taking the trouble to reply. I have a couple of things to sort out, so I have time to think.

 

I have had a good look and the headstock lugs for the Thruxton fairiing are not present on Speed Twins, so if I bought a Speed Twin it would either be weld lugs (& deal with possible loom issues as the headlight would be further out) or a bikini fairing - or leave it alone. If the Thruxton had cruise control, I think I'd already be a new owner.

 

Absolutely not - I have had two beemers (R90/6 & R100RS) - they're OK but I am glad they are in my past. I really do need to take a 1200 (T or ST) out for a spin, as they apparently seem to offer the enjoyment I have had from owning Ducati's.

Having said that, BMW do seem to offer some rather fetching colours like San Remo Green Metallic.

 

I have a 1976 Wing too! Am selling it as part of the war chest for the new bike as it grounds out rather sooner then I'd expect.

Thanks for the information, as I suspected, the tank is a limitation, and it sounds like a nice looking half fairing would be useful too.

I spotted these bags on eBay and they looked quite promising to me.

 

I have a friend who has one, could beg a ride but he is in the frozen north (or at least the midlands ).

 

I am not there yet; still have a Gold Wing to offload, and am deffo going to the NEC bike show where I will be asking lots of questions on the Triumph stand and having a sit on all of them. I'll be looking at anything else too which might suit my needs, but Triumph have a head start. I still don't understand why Triumph removed the cruise control ability from the Thruxton ECU.

I wish you happy rides.

 

Thanks for the idea, I have ridden one (and the previous Terblanche Multistrada) and I've been a Ducati fan & owner for forty years, having owned numerous bevels, 996SPS, ST4S and ridden most of what has come out of the factory since 1975; I still have bevels (and a Wing, soon to be gone). I am not into adventure bikes - I know they have range, comfort, luggage options, sometimes cruise control but they are a bit tall and just don't feel right to me - a bit too much 'sit up'. I've had a good look at the Ducati SuperSport 950 which has everything I want (would rather a half fairing), but there aren't many dealers. I am going to see where I can go with Triumph and my finances. I did look at the Triumph Speed Triple last year at the bike show, and it's a great bike; my reasons for not pursuing it are that I would undoubtedly test it's limits, not a good plan if one wants to stay alive/keep one's licence.

 

My SS and yes, the number plate is obfuscated: