Impressions of the BMW R nineT and Triumph Thruxton R

Motorcycles should tug right at your heart strings and win over your soul for themselves. BMW’s R nineT was made for this. Triumph’s new Thruxton R wants to follow suit. A trip on the search for the middle, our own and those from Germany.

“Where to?” Tobi, photo rider for the test, looks questioningly. “To Niederdorla”, the author throws back. That is the middle of Germany – at least that’s what they claim there. The colleague does his best to contain his enthusiasm. No matter. And if routes should be destinations, a specific point gives a direction for your own compass. And the way there is certainly not a bad one.

Tobi grabs the Triumph Thruxton R. After pressing the starter, the corners of his mouth move upward. Sonorously, the twin speaks up loudly from its two stainless steel pipes. Its lively expressions flit like music to your ears, but do not maltreat your eardrum. A bass with a fine finishing. As extra sound candy, the Englishwoman sounds beautifully comforting from the megaphone pipes every time you close the throttle.

The photographer flies by on a BMW R 1200 R

A magnificent combustion sound is also emitted by the BMW R nineT into the surroundings. Only louder and much rougher. It is akin to rude rockers and not cultured symphonic lovers. The gears find each other hard with both, but precisely. Out of the city, onto the road. Do a couple of kilometres quickly before curves are to follow curves. Bolting ahead on eternal straights strains both of us, it’s a little dull. Tobi gets closer, looking for eye contact, nods. The left hand counts to three. At 140 km/h, the Triumph Thruxton R and BMW R nineT tension the muscles. The Bavarian boxer has a couple more of those. It pushes ahead briskly. The Triumph disappears gradually from the rear-view mirror. Even if the performance curves of BMW and Triumph aspire to almost be in lockstep, the boxer still delivers a couple extra hp at the top, revs higher. The blow was made.

Until a BMW R 1200 R flew by from behind. On board is the photographer from this story. Sitting upright on the MOTORRAD duration tester he eagerly waves across, pointing at the tank. It is as always in life: There is someone who is stronger. And there is always someone who shows up for the morning departure with a half-full tank. The next petrol pump is ours.

Tobi gets off the Triumph Thruxton R relaxed. Despite stumbling, the English iron fits him exceptionally well. You can audibly hear the heart of a racer beating in his chest. Whereby the Triumph is pleasant. The narrow tank and long seat leave lots of room for sliding around. “It needs it too”, says the Thruxton pilot. The seat badgers you with two pressure points. Especially your nerves while driving steadily. The BMW R nineT also does not offer a perfect seat. The knee angle on it is ideally oriented for people shorter than 5 feet 6 inches. Use the passenger pegs when driving fast. It makes it more bearable. But comfortable? Definitely not. Which is also due to the hardly tuned strut. It never filters away rough edges. My skin in the cross hares like the hammer on the anvil in the forge. Undamped and merciless.

The boxer shakes like a wet poodle

Petrol swashes up to the rim in all the tanks. Enough autobahn for now. It has to be the next exit. The Spessart is calling. And the cold with it. At least the BMW R nineT has heated handlebars if otherwise scanty and therefore atypical BMW equipment. They warm my hands. On the Triumph Thruxton R, Tobi has to think warm thoughts. But now there is no more space in his brain. The road winds wildly through the landscape, lures with curves to the horizon. The engines set the pace. Their torque brings us forward as if weightless, allows for idleness. Driving for pleasure. But there is another way. Ultimately, there is plenty of untapped potential in the two cylinders. The BMW R nineT rolls ahead. It does not wobble, does not stir, it is stable. Does the hard strut have advantages after all?

Persistent, Tobi keeps close behind me. The next corner follows. The BMW R nineT on the outside, the handling-promoting handlebars gripped and gently downshift two gears in the BMW gearbox. The boxer shakes like a wet poodle. A flat twin after a patriarchal custom. The two 320-series decrease the speed in the front in a very well-controlled manner, despite too much empty run at the brake lever. The notch scratches delicately over the asphalt. And out of the curve. The throttle valves release their full cross-section. So, dear Triumph Thruxton R, eat my hot exhaust stream from the Akrapovic pipes and put your next thoughts on record.

And the photographer again – with a flat foot

No chance. The English lady cannot be shaken off, sits down beside me. The sonority of the British twin with 270-degree crankpin offset delicately penetrates my ear. Tobi crouches taut as a bow on the Triumph Thruxton R. The time has come at the next braking point. He decelerates well-delayed into the curve, downshifts the gears easily thanks to the slipper clutch, taking a lot of momentum with him. And flies wonderfully oblique around the corner.  The Thruxton has more cornering clearance than the BMW R nineT. And it needs less of it. It relies on moderate tyre widths. A 160 in the rear suffices for it. Good for agile handling The BMW wears a 180 tyre on the aft rim. The suspension elements of the Triumph sense the street relief confidently, the dampened Showa fork potters around significantly tighter than at the presentation (MOTORRAD 7/2016) and the Öhlins stereo struts are hard, but right. Thruxton, the name is derived from a southern English circuit. Never has it fit better to the café racer in the Triumph programme than with this model.

In complete harmony with our bikes, we scurry through the corners relaxed. Each different, each equal to euphoria. Only one thing is missing. You guessed it. It is the photographer. The BMW R nineT and Triumph Thruxton R stop on the roadside. Question marks remain. Wobbly, a BMW R 1200 R comes to a short time later. The photographer says something about a puncture. The rear tyre of the water boxer has run out of air. The scrutinising look at the tyre reveals: We should not have ridden on the narrow gravel road earlier. A wood splinter has punctured the tread. What now? A check at the time shows 7:00 pm here in no man’s land near Eisenach. The nearest petrol stations and their air compressors are now ours – until the hotel for the night. Stop, fill with air, drive on: the rhythm of the next kilometres.

The Triumph Thruxton R with modern ingredients

In the sunshine, the two modern classics await departure the next morning. Passers-by stay, heads turn in their direction every second. The bikes are not just soul-catchers, but also eye-catchers. The many fine details of the Triumph Thruxton R urge you to linger. A motorcycle that skilfully seasons a successful retro line with modern ingredients. Just two examples of this are the engine cover in the pre-unit look or the injection hidden under the disguise of an old Amal carburettor. The BMW R nineT does not have such decoration. It explains purism as a maxim, places the main elements of a motorcycle in the foreground, such as the drive, chassis, tank and wheels.

We owe the fact that we continued with all three motorcycles at all on this day to the team from Cycle World from Ammern. Thanks to the pick-up service and spontaneous tyre change, the R 1200 R was able to get rolling again quickly. After all, we still had to get to the middle of Germany. Almost inconspicuously, a note stone waits for us here. Otherwise we are surrounded by much emptiness. No place to stay. Niederdorla did not capture our souls, did not touch our hearts. But the place in our core was already given away anyway. To the BMW R nineT and the Triumph Thruxton R. Even if the price for them is a high one. EUR 14,500 for the Triumph, 14,900 for the BMW – without extras and additional costs.

 

Technical specifications

 

	BMW R nineT	Triumph Thruxton R
Model year	2016	Not stated
Motor
Number of cylinders, design	2, boxer engine	2, in-line engine
Bore / stroke	101.0 / 73.0 mm	97.6 / 80.0 mm
Displacement	1170 cm³	1197 cm³
Valves per cylinder	Four valves per cylinder	Four valves per cylinder
Compression	12.0	11.0
Output	81.0 kW (108 HP) at 7,750 rpm	71.5 kW (96 HP) at 6,750 rpm
Max. torque	119 Nm	112 Nm
Number of gears	Six-speed gearbox	Six-speed gearbox
Rear-wheel drive	Cardan	Chain
Chassis, wheels, brakes
Frame	Supporting engine-gearbox assemblage	Lightweight cradle frame
Spring deflection front/back	120 mm / 120 mm	120 mm / 120 mm
Tyres	120/70 ZR 17, 180/55 ZR 17	120/70 ZR 17, 160/60 ZR 17
Front/rear brake	320 mm four-piston fixed callipers / 265 mm dual-piston floating calliper	310 mm four-piston fixed callipers / 255 mm dual-piston floating calliper
ABS	Yes	Yes
Dimensions and weights
Wheel base	1476 mm	1415 mm
Steering head angle	64.5 °	67.2 °
Trail	103 mm	92 mm
Dead weight with a full tank of petrol	Not stated	Not stated
Seat height	Not stated	810 mm
Permissible total weight	430 kg	432 kg
Maximum speed	217 km/h	217 km/h
Price
New price	EUR 14900	EUR 14500