Faults:

Ignition barrel replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

Outstanding British retro 1960s cafe racer, enjoying top notch build quality and performance.

A beautiful bike with clip on bars, bullet faring and spoked wheels. Mock carbs cover the fuel injectors for an authentic 1960s cafe racer look. It's a dedicated single seater, but a pillion conversion is possible.

The engine is a 1200cc parallel twin with just under 100BHP and massive amounts of torque. There are three riding modes Rain, Road and Sport... Rain mode really reigns in the power and makes the 1200 feel rather sluggish (a relative term). On the flip side, Sports mode makes the throttle response very immediate and things get very exciting very quickly indeed.

The Thruxton is well equipped with Brembo brakes, Ohlins rear suspension, ABS (which you can't disengage... as far as I can tell) and huge upside down Showa front forks... All this means you can hurl the bike around with confidence and it brings the best out in you, or the hooligan, whatever your riding skill.

Due to the huge torque, the front wheel is very keen to part company with the road so be careful... The engine doesn't rev very high either so there's quite a bit of rapid gear changing if you're that way inclined... You get used to it, but if you're used to a rev fest Japanese rocket sled, it's a bit different... If you keep the bike in a higher gear and just twist the throttle, happiness is guaranteed... 3rd gear is all you need really from 20mph to up, up and away... The roll on power is impressive and makes overtaking a joy, and using the engine as a brake is great fun, producing bangs and pops from the exhausts.

Will it out sport a Yamaha R1M, Suzuki GSXR 1000 or Honda's SP time machine?... No, absolutely NOT!! It'll scratch nicely with middling performance machines though and look better while it's about it.

The Thruxton's riding position is rather sporty, and whilst it's a bit of a chore at pedestrian speeds, once up to motorway cruising pace it's fine. It's not a relaxed riding position though and so long distance touring is tiring.

The Thruxton is a beautiful bike, a real head turner and it sounds like the trumpets of Jericho when gunned hard.