Triumph Thruxton RS
2024 Triumph Thruxton RS: 105 hp café racer, 1,200 cc twin, 197 kg dry, no longer sold new in France. Full specs, press reviews and generations.
At a glance
The Triumph Thruxton RS is a café racer powered by the 1,200 cc parallel twin from the Bonneville family, tuned to 105 hp and 112 Nm for a 197 kg dry weight, with a Showa fork, Öhlins shocks and Brembo M50 calipers. Built from 2020 to 2024 and priced at €16,495 in Germany for its final model year, it is no longer sold new in France, and the 2026 Thruxton 400 is not its replacement but a different model, a 398 cc single available on an A2 licence. Reviewers praise its engine, brakes and finish, but find it heavy, expensive and single-seat only, with neither quickshifter nor cruise control.
World press review
Meta-score
9 sources
Press ratings
Lighter, stronger and better braked than the R, as effective as a sports bike and comfortable for 3 to 4 hours; still heavy, suspension that moves around when pushed, single seat, no quickshifter for the money.
Flawless vintage styling, performance to match and surprising comfort (8 hours without pain); still heavy, tubed tyres, tends to stand up when braking mid-corner.
MOTORRAD 1,000-point scale. Exceptional finish and materials, livelier engine, tyres and brakes easy to control even in the rain; single seat and high price.
Strong engine, agile and very stable chassis, suspension and brakes up to hard riding; hard-to-read clocks and mirrors more stylish than useful.
Engine character, outstanding styling and finish; price increase hard to justify and tubed rims seen as outdated.
Authentic café racer handling, torquey engine and brakes that make it a B-road weapon; weight on the wrists after a few hours, cramped legs for tall riders.
Livelier engine with more top-end reach, suspension, tyres and brakes that defy its weight; messy cockpit wiring, demanding position, no cruise control and a high price once accessorised.
Improved in every area, lively and easy-to-control engine, top-level brakes; poor spray protection in bad weather.
Outstanding styling and finish, characterful twin, agility; slightly firm Öhlins shocks, hard-to-read instruments, price increase hard to justify.
Press synthesis
What the world’s press says
All the reviews cover the 2020 launch model year; the bike did not change technically up to the 2024 Final Edition, which was not reviewed. MCN rates it 4/5, Motorcycle.com 90.5/100, Moto.it 8/10, Caradisiac 15.3/20 and MOTORRAD 637/1000 on its own scale. The 78/100 meta-score is the average of these five scores. Visordown shows no score in its review; Bennetts BikeSocial, 1000PS and Le Repaire des Motards tested it without a numeric score.
What reviewers like: a livelier, torquier twin than the Thruxton R’s (MCN, 1000PS, BikeSocial), powerful Brembo M50 brakes that stay easy to modulate even in the rain (MOTORRAD, 1000PS), a stable chassis that is effective in corners (Moto.it, Visordown), outstanding finish and styling (MOTORRAD, Caradisiac, Le Repaire des Motards) and unexpected comfort for a café racer (Motorcycle.com).
What they criticise: weight that is still high (MCN, Motorcycle.com), the single seat (MCN, MOTORRAD), no quickshifter or cruise control (MCN, BikeSocial), hard-to-read clocks (Moto.it, Le Repaire des Motards), a position that tires the wrists and cramps tall riders’ legs (Visordown), the tubed tyres of early bikes (Motorcycle.com, Caradisiac) and a high price (MCN, MOTORRAD, Caradisiac).
Key quotes
"Leaner, stronger and a banger in the bends, the range-topping 2020 Triumph Thruxton RS is more than just a Thruxton R with a few fancy bits thrown on."
"Thanks, Triumph, the Thruxton RS takes the company’s Bonneville line to a sporting level it has yet to see, and we couldn’t be more stoked about it."
"More power, less weight, better equipment, high-quality and stylish choice of materials: no doubt about it, Hinckley has not skimped."
"Sales expectations for this model won't be anything to shout about, but one thing is certain: whoever buys this bike will be amazed by it for many reasons, or rather by the qualities it has shown, far more numerous than the flaws we found."
"Using the already excellent Thruxton R as a base is always going to create something that grabs attention and delivers big thrills."
"Is it worth upgrading from an R? That’s easy; yes."
"The sporty machine has been improved in every relevant area."
"But the Thruxton RS's wholehearted character makes this machine the queen of neo-retro bikes."
Pros
- Torquey 1,200 cc twin full of character
- Powerful, easy-to-modulate Brembo M50 brakes
- High-end chassis (Showa, Öhlins, Metzeler Racetec RR)
- Café racer styling and top-quality finish
- More comfortable than expected for a café racer
Cons
- Heavy for a sports bike (197 kg dry)
- Single seat as standard
- No quickshifter or cruise control
- Hard-to-read LCD clocks
- High price
- No longer sold new in France
Our review
Is the Thruxton RS still on sale?
No. Triumph ended Thruxton production in 2024 with a final series called the Thruxton Final Edition. The Thruxton RS has disappeared from Triumph France’s website and configurator, which does not list it among previous model years either. This page describes the 2024 model year, the last one built; technically, the bike had not changed since its launch in 2020.
Triumph has announced no direct successor. The 2026 Thruxton 400 only revives the name: it is a 398 cc, 42 hp single, available on an A2 licence, sold for €6,795 by Triumph France and part of the 400 range. In the current range, the same 105 hp twin powers the Speed Twin 1200 RS, a roadster, and its limited-run Cafe Racer Edition with clip-on bars.
Versions and prices
In 2024, the Thruxton RS came in Jet Black and Jet Black / Silver Ice. Triumph France no longer publishes its price, so this page gives no new price. For reference, Triumph Germany listed it at €16,495 in Jet Black and €16,845 in Jet Black / Silver Ice.
The Thruxton Final Edition is based on the RS, with Competition Green paint, hand-painted gold lining on the tank and seat cowl, black side panels and mudguards, a dedicated engine badge and a certificate of authenticity. Triumph priced it at £15,095 in the UK.
How good is the engine?
The 1,200 cc liquid-cooled parallel twin (97.6 x 80 mm) has a 270° crank. In RS form it gets high-compression pistons (12.066:1), revised ports and cam profiles, a lighter crankshaft, clutch, balance shafts and alternator, and a magnesium cam cover. It makes 105 hp (77 kW) at 7,500 rpm and 112 Nm at 4,250 rpm. Compared with the Thruxton R, Triumph quotes 8 hp more, peak torque reached 700 rpm lower, 20% less inertia and a red line 500 rpm higher. The gearbox has six speeds and the clutch is torque-assisted.
Reviewers unanimously praise this engine: MCN finds it stronger than the R’s, 1000PS finds it lively and easy to control, and Bennetts BikeSocial likes its top-end reach.
How does it ride?
The tubular steel frame carries an aluminium swingarm, a 43 mm Showa Big Piston upside-down fork and twin Öhlins piggyback shocks, all fully adjustable, with 120 mm of travel. Two Brembo M50 radial calipers grip 310 mm floating discs, and the 17-inch spoked wheels wear Metzeler Racetec RR tyres. At 197 kg dry, the RS remains heavy for a sports bike, but MCN, Visordown and Moto.it praise its stability and effectiveness on twisty roads. Motorcycle.com notes a tendency to stand up when braking mid-corner, and MCN suspension that moves around when pushed.
On the bikes tested in 2020, the spoked rims required tubed tyres, criticised by Motorcycle.com; the Final Edition’s spec sheet lists tubeless rims.
Equipment
Three riding modes (Rain, Road, Sport) adjust the throttle map, ABS and traction control, which can be switched off. The ABS is not cornering-optimised. Twin analogue clocks include LCD screens (gear position, range, fuel consumption, service indicator); Moto.it and Le Repaire des Motards find them hard to read. The bike has ride-by-wire, an LED daytime running light, an under-seat USB socket and an immobiliser, but no quickshifter, cruise control or connectivity. It comes as a single-seater, with the pillion kit offered as an accessory.
Fuel consumption and maintenance
Triumph quotes 4.9 L/100 km (114 g/km CO2), giving a range of about 295 km from the 14.5-litre tank (the owner’s handbook gives 14.0 litres). Bennetts BikeSocial recorded the equivalent of 6.4 L/100 km on the on-board computer. The handbook calls for an oil change every year or every 16,000 km and a valve clearance check at 32,000 km. No recall affects the Thruxton RS (NHTSA, RappelConso).
Generations
The modern Thruxton appeared in 2004, based on the air-cooled 865 cc Bonneville, and switched to fuel injection in 2008. In 2016, the Thruxton 1200 and Thruxton R adopted the liquid-cooled 1,200 cc twin. The RS replaced the R in 2020.
Who is it for?
For an A-licence rider looking, now on the used market, for a café racer with period styling but a sports-bike chassis. The clip-on riding position, single seat and lack of cruise control make it better suited to brisk rides than to long journeys.
Specifications
| Displacement | 1200 cc |
|---|---|
| Power | 105 hp (77 kW) @ 7,500 rpm |
| Torque | 112 Nm @ 4,250 rpm |
| Weight | 197 kg (dry; Triumph does not publish a kerb weight) |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 1.88 |
| Seat height | 810 mm |
| Fuel capacity | 14.5 L |
| Fuel consumption | 4.9 L/100 km — 114 g/km CO2 (Triumph figure) |
| Maintenance interval | Oil change every 16,000 km or 1 year — Valves: 32,000 km (Triumph owner's handbook) |
| Engine type | Parallel twin with 270° crank, 4-stroke, SOHC, 8 valves, liquid-cooled |
| Cooling | liquide |
| Transmission | 6-speed, chain drive, assist clutch |
| License | A |
Engine detail
| Bore x stroke | 97,6 x 80 mm |
|---|---|
| Compression ratio | 12,066:1 |
| Fuel system | Multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection, ride-by-wire |
| Valve train | SOHC, 4 valves per cylinder |
| Max power RPM | 7500 units.rpm |
| Max torque RPM | 4250 units.rpm |
| Starter | Electric |
| Euro standard | Euro 5 |
Chassis & running gear
| Frame type | Tubular steel with steel cradles, anodised aluminium twin-sided swingarm |
|---|---|
| Rake angle | 22.8 ° |
| Trail | 92 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1415 mm |
| Front suspension | 43 mm Showa Big Piston upside-down fork, fully adjustable, 120 mm travel |
| Rear suspension | Twin Öhlins piggyback shocks, fully adjustable, 120 mm travel |
| Front brake | Dual 310 mm Brembo floating discs, Brembo M50 four-piston radial monobloc calipers |
| Rear brake | Single 220 mm disc, Nissin two-piston floating caliper |
| Front tire | 120/70 ZR17 |
| Rear tire | 160/60 ZR17 |
| ABS system | Non-cornering ABS, cannot be switched off |
Electronics & rider aids
| Riding modes | Rain, Road, Sport |
|---|---|
| Traction control | Yes |
| Quickshifter | No |
| Cruise control | No |
| Dashboard | Twin analogue clocks (speedometer, rev counter) with multifunction LCD screens |
| Connectivity | None |
| Other features | Ride-by-wire, Switchable traction control, LED daytime running light and LED rear light, Under-seat USB socket, Immobiliser, Heated grip ready |
Ergonomics & rider fit
| Riding position | Café racer: 22 mm clip-ons, torso leaning forward, rear-set footpegs |
|---|---|
| Passenger comfort | Single seat as standard (pillion kit as an accessory) |
| Wind protection | None (no fairing) |
| Payload | 210 kg |
The Thruxton RS imposes a café racer position: 22 mm clip-ons, torso leaning forward and rear-set footpegs, with an 810 mm seat. Motorcycle.com found it surprisingly comfortable, pain-free after eight hours in the saddle, and MCN finds it comfortable for three to four hours. Visordown, however, reports noticeable weight on the wrists after a few hours and cramped legs for tall riders, and Le Repaire des Motards finds the Öhlins shocks a little firm. It is a single-seater as standard, with the pillion kit offered as an accessory. Maximum payload is 210 kg.
Ownership & maintenance
~6.4 L/100 km (Bennetts BikeSocial: just over 44 UK mpg on the on-board computer; 38 mpg, or ~7.4 L/100 km, for a second tester)
L/100km
Real-world consumption
~~295 km (calculated: 14.5 L tank / Triumph's 4.9 L/100 km); ~225 km with the consumption recorded by BikeSocial
km
Estimated range
| Oil change | every 16,000 km or every 12 months |
|---|---|
| Valve check | every 32,000 km |
| Spark plugs | every 32,000 km |
| Chain | Tension checked daily; lubricated at every service, more often in harsh conditions |
Average service cost
About £180 per year in the UK (MCN estimate)
Warranty
2 years / Unlimited mileage (Triumph France's current policy)
Triumph’s owner’s handbook has no 1,000 km service: the first visit is the first annual service. Oil and filter are then changed every year and every 16,000 km, whichever comes first, with the air filter at 16,000 km. Spark plugs are replaced at 32,000 km, like the fuel filter, and valve clearances are checked at the same interval. Coolant is changed every 3 years, brake fluid every 2 years and fork oil at 64,000 km; chain tension is checked daily. MCN puts the annual servicing cost at about £180 in the UK. Triumph France currently offers a 2-year, unlimited-mileage warranty across its range.
Direct competitors
Compare →| Model | MSRP | Power | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph Thruxton RS | — | 105 hp (77 kW) @ 7,500 rpm | 197 kg (dry; Triumph does not publish a kerb weight) |
| Triumph Speed Twin 1200 RS2025 | €17,595 | 105 hp | 216 kg (wet) |
| BMW R 12 nineT2026 | €18,300 | 109 hp | 220 kg (kerb, fully fuelled) |
| Yamaha XSR900 GP2026 | €13,499 | 119 hp | 200 kg (wet) |
| Kawasaki Z900RS2026 | €13,299 | 116 hp | 216 kg (wet) |
Generations
- Thruxton 900 (carburateurs)2004 – 2007
865 cc · 70 hp · 72 Nm · 205 kg (dry)
Café racer derived from the air-cooled 865 cc Bonneville, with clip-on handlebars, rear-set controls and a humped seat.
- Thruxton 900 (injection)2008 – 2015
865 cc · 68.1 hp · 68.4 Nm · 205 kg (dry)
Switch to sequential electronic fuel injection with secondary air injection to meet Euro 3.
- Thruxton 1200 / Thruxton R2016 – 2020
1,200 cc · 97 hp · 112 Nm · 203 kg (dry)
New liquid-cooled 1,200 cc twin, ride-by-wire, ABS, traction control and three riding modes, with the R adding a Showa Big Piston fork, Öhlins shocks and Brembo monobloc calipers (97 PS according to MOTORRAD; 203 kg according to MCN).
- Thruxton RS2020 – 2024
1,200 cc · 105 hp · 112 Nm · 197 kg (dry)
Replaces the R: 8 hp more, peak torque 700 rpm lower, 20% less engine inertia, 6 kg lighter, Brembo M50 calipers, Metzeler Racetec RR tyres and Euro 5 compliance, followed by the Final Edition farewell series in 2024.
| Generation | Displacement | Power | Torque | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thruxton 900 (carburateurs)2004 – 2007 Café racer derived from the air-cooled 865 cc Bonneville, with clip-on handlebars, rear-set controls and a humped seat. | 865 cc | 70 hp | 72 Nm | 205 kg dry |
| Thruxton 900 (injection)2008 – 2015 Switch to sequential electronic fuel injection with secondary air injection to meet Euro 3. | 865 cc | 68.1 hp | 68.4 Nm | 205 kg dry |
| Thruxton 1200 / Thruxton R2016 – 2020 New liquid-cooled 1,200 cc twin, ride-by-wire, ABS, traction control and three riding modes, with the R adding a Showa Big Piston fork, Öhlins shocks and Brembo monobloc calipers (97 PS according to MOTORRAD; 203 kg according to MCN). | 1,200 cc | 97 hp | 112 Nm | 203 kg dry |
| Thruxton RS2020 – 2024 Replaces the R: 8 hp more, peak torque 700 rpm lower, 20% less engine inertia, 6 kg lighter, Brembo M50 calipers, Metzeler Racetec RR tyres and Euro 5 compliance, followed by the Final Edition farewell series in 2024. | 1,200 cc | 105 hp | 112 Nm | 197 kg dry |
Manufacturer figures (otherwise specialist press). Weighing conditions differ between generations: compare weights with care.
Available colors
Manufacturer recalls
No known recalls for this model.