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Triumph Thruxton – Where did the Name come From?

Following the news of an upcoming Triumph Thruxton 400 to replace the Bonneville Thruxton R 1200, let us take a look at the origin of the Thruxton name.

The Thruxton name plays a significant part in the marque’s history, just like the Daytona, Bonneville, Speedmaster, Trophy, Speed Twin. This is why Triumph decided to keep the name running albeit in the 400cc range, after stopping production of the 1200cc model.

What is Thruxton?

More like where, actually. It is the name of the Thruxton Circuit, in Hampshire, England.

It began as a military airbase, known as RAF Thruxton in 1942, and was home to troop carrying aircraft of both the RAF and USAAF. In fact, some of the airborne troops who took part in D-Day, 1944, took off from from this airbase.

The circuit was laid out along the perimeter of the runway since the 1950s, but the longer and present track was only fully established in 1968. History, it has since hosted the Thruxton 500 endurance race (1960-1964, 1969-1977), British Formula 3, British Formula 2, and many more. The circuit remains part of the British Superbike Championship (BSB) and British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) calendar until today.

The Thruxton 500

However, the most relevant and important race in this story was the Thruxton 500.

It all began as a 9-hour endurance race for motorcycles in 1955, followed by another two in 1956 and 1957. This 9-hour race evolved into the famous Thruxton 500 mile (800km) race from 1958.

The Thruxton 500 was a production motorcycle race, meaning the motorcycles being raced must be available to the public, not unlike the current day FIM Endurance World Championship. Each bike entered will be ridden by two riders on rotation.

Anyway, Triumph entered the inaugural endurance race in 1958 with a Bonneville T120, entered with Mike “The Bike” Hailwood and Dan Shorey as riders. They won.

The race soon caught the attention of the public. As such, motorcycle manufacturers were keen to win it to showcase their products’ performance. “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” even before Soichiro Honda made those words famous.

Triumph won again in 1961 with Tony Godfrey and John Holder after being runner ups to the BMW and AJS in 1959 and 1960. It was this win that spurred the Triumph factory to build the T120R Thruxton, which was hand-built by a team of Triumph technicians using specially picked components and precision-machined cylinder heads and crankcases. Peak power was increased and each ‘Thruxton’ engine was bench tested to deliver around 53 bhp (40 kW) at 6,800 rpm with a safe rev ceiling of 7,200 rpm. Only 52 of the Thruxton T120Rs were built in 1964/5 to meet homologation requirements for production racing. About 100 more machines were subsequently manufactured and supplied to selected dealers and riders.

It was one of the rarest Triumph motorcycles.

Rise of the modern Triumph Thruxton

In 2004, the new Triumph factory based in Hinckley, England introduced the Thruxton 900. The engine was derived from the Bonneville lineup, but has new cams and pistons 90mm pistons, taking capacity to 865 cc and power up to 70 bhp. The crank was a 360°, which meant both pistons rose and fell together. Triumph was smart to sell the Thruxton 900 as the café racer of the Bonneville lineup. (Tom Cruise rode it in The Edge of Tomorrow, by the way.)

The company then introduced the new Thruxton in 2016. It used the new 1200cc, 270º, liquid-cooled engine. There were two variants, one the standard while the “R” got Ohlins shocks, Showa forks, and Brembo brakes.

The Thruxton has since enjoyed good sales the world over, although the later-launched Boneville Bobber pipped it as the best selling Triumph.

Then, in 2024, Triumph announced the Thruxton Final Edition as they moved the performance Bonneville to the Speed Twin.

Closing

Long live the Triumph Thruxton!

Triumph Thruxton 400 Prototype Spotted

There have been many rumours about an upcoming café racer for the Triumph 400 range. It looks like it is true, after all, as a Triumph Thruxton 400 prototype had been spotted undergoing road tests in India.

Triumph had stopped production of the Thruxton 1200 (Final Edition in the main picture), and instead moved the high performance Bonneville ‘task’ to the Speed Twin. That leaves the company without a model with the Thruxton name in their lineup. To us, the Thruxton 1200 was the best Bonneville. Ever!

However, it now seems confirmed that the name will live on, albeit in the 400 range. We have ridden both the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X, and they were just amazing. On top of it, they are sold at very competitive prices. It is why both models are selling like hotcakes.

So, over to the Thruxton 400 prototype. The pictures show a café racer clad in a half-fairing, although it was an accessory for the Thruxton 1200. The handlebar or clip ons are also placed lower than the Speed 400. The rest of the bike appears the same apart from these two details.

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The engine will of course be the 398cc, single-cylinder unit built together with Bajaj Auto. It produces 39.5hp and 37.5Nm of torque, channeled through a 5-speed transmission. While it does not seem high on paper, it is entertaining enough.

Well, we cannot wait for more news about this bike. The Thruxton 1200 and its Final Edition were out of our financial reach, so maybe the Triumph Thruxton 400 could be the one!

How to Tell if Your Riding Gear is Genuine (Part 2) – RS Taichi

Continuing this series, let us check out another brand, the world-renowned RS Taichi.

To recap, we wanted to know how the makers of motorcycle riding gear take steps to ensure that you and I buy are genuine. These major manufacturers have put in much effort and cost to ensure that their products conform to safety standards in order to protect us.

However, the advent of online shopping platforms have created the problem of dishonest sellers parading copied and fake wares. And these shopping platforms are doing nothing to stop them.

Thus the onus falls back on our shoulders to ensure that we are spending our hard-earned money on genuine products.

**Courtesy of Hodaka Motoworld Singapore**

Who is RS Taichi?

The brand was founded my a professional motocross racer, Taichi Yoshimura in 1975, in Osaka, Japan. Yoshimura was raced for the Suzuki and Honda factory teams in motocross, and had the distinction of giving Honda their very first win in motocross racing.

The first RS Taichi product was a gear bag, before going on to making racing leather suits in 1978. Now, RS Taichi makes the complete range of motorcycle rider gear and accessories, from helmets to jackets, gloves, pants, shoes, inner wear, leather suits, bags, protectors, and more.

How can you detect a genuine RS Taichi product?

1. Look for the yellow Taichi tag in your jacket, gloves, pants, and bag.

2. Use a torchlight or your phone’s flashlight and shine through the tag.

3. You should see many Taichi logos.

Counterfeit RS Taichi products may have the tag, but the hologram will not show.

Conclusion

Alright, we have covered Komine and now RS Taichi, and we shall continue to cover other brands. Again, buy your riding gear from official channels. It is not worth saving a few bucks but compromising your safety.

New Colour for 2025 Yamaha R15M

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor has introduced a new colourway for the 2025 Yamaha R15M, called Signature Black.

The Yamaha R15 was first launched way back in 2018 in Malaysia, before the R15M reached Malaysia in 2022. Following its bigger brother, the YZF-R1M, the “M” means the variant has better features. As such, the R15M has a quickshifter, traction control, Yamaha Y-Connect, LED lights with DRL.

Additionally, the R15M’s design and colourways are inspired by the R1M, including this year’s edition.

However, the 2025 Yamaha R15M retains the same 155cc, single-cylinder, SOHC with VVA engine capable of producing 19hp (14.2kW) peak power at 10,000rpm and 14.7Nm of peak torque at 8,500rpm. The engine power is sent through a assist and slipper clutch, and a six speed gearbox.

To reiterate, the fuel tank capacity is 11 litres and Yamaha claims a kerb weight of 140kg.

The recommended selling price remains at RM14,988. Buyers will receive a Yamaha disc lock worth RM100.

2025 Yamaha R15M Picture Gallery

2025 Honda CBR650R and 2025 Honda CB650R with E-Clutch Arrive in Malaysia

The 2025 Honda CBR650R and 2025 Honda CB650R equipped with the Honda E-Clutch electronic clutch technology have arrived in Malaysia at long last.

The E-Clutch system retains the clutch lever and gear lever, thus allowing for manual gear shifting without utilising the lever in all aspects of riding such as while idling, moving from stop, and while the motorcycle is in motion. It basically turns a big bike into a big kapchai with automatic clutch. The clutch lever is retained and can be pulled manually by the rider should he desires so, for example when he wants to half-clutch when riding through traffic, etc. The technology is different from Honda’s own Dual-Clutch Transmisson (DCT). We will run a feature about this later.

Highlights of 2025 Honda CBR650R and 2025 Honda CBR650R

The Neo Sports Café roadster of the CB650 range, while the CBR650R is the sportbike.
Both are powered by a 649cc, four-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve engine, which delivers 94hp (70kW) at 12,000 RPM and 63Nm of torque at 9,500 RPM.

Front suspension consists of 41mm Showa Separate Function front Fork Big Piston (SFF-BP) USD forks.
Rear suspension consists of a monoshock adjustable for preload.

Updates include a new TFT screen, LED lighting, a USB Type-C charging port.
The TFT screen connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. The rider can access navigation and music streaming functions via the Honda RoadSync app.

Electronic rider assistance include Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) and 2-channel ABS.
The 2025 Honda CB650R is offered in new colours called Matte Gunpowder Black Metallic, Matte Laurel Green Metallic, and Candy Chromosphere Red, at the selling price of RM47,999.

The 2025 Honda CBR650R is offered in Grand Prix Red, and Matte Gunpowder Black Metallic, at the selling price of RM49,999.00.

2025 Honda CBR650R Picture Gallery

2025 Honda CB650R Picture Gallery

How to Tell if Your Riding Gear is Genuine (Part 1) – KOMINE

Certain brands place a lot of emphasis and create copy-proof measures at great expense. We are therefore starting this series of articles to look at how these brands protect their customers and intellectual property, starting with Komine.

The saying goes, “Imitation is the best form of flattery.” In other words, a brand is considered to be “there” when it is copied. But is it really? Of course it is not good – even destructive – for a the original maker’s reputation and bottom line, but it can also be dangerous to wear fake riding gear.

***Fake gloves sold at a ridiculous price. It’s too good to be true***

Why is it dangerous to wear fake gear?

There are standards governing motorcycle gear, from head to toe, starting from the helmet, to the padding in jacket, gloves, pants, and footwear. These standards ensure that the products are tested and proven to protect against injury. Manufacturers who wish to sell their gear must conform to these standards.

The most common standard is the European CE standard, which is adopted in more than 60 countries around the world. Certain European countries mandate that motorcyclists wear CE-approved gear, and the rider could be fined or his insurance claim voided (if he is involved in an accident) should be found not wearing CE-approved gear.

Not so with fakers. Their product may look the same, feel the same, even smell the same, but they are not the same because they are not tested to these exacting standards. Some tests carried out by bloggers and authorities have found that these copycat gear actually endanger the wearer instead of providing any form of protection.

Who is Komine?

The Komine brand he company was founded in 1947 by Komine Shunsuke, a motorcycle enthusiast. Komine products are known for being affordable, high quality, and safe. The company is now based in Tokyo, Japan.

They make many forms of riding gear, including helmets, and are the main suppliers to the Japanese traffic police.

Komine places rider safety and security above other concerns and as such, most of their jackets and pants feature CE-Level 2 protection padding.

How do you tell if the Komine product is genuine?

Every Komine’s wearable product i.e. jacket, gloves, pants, footwear, leather racing suit feature a hologram tag. To verify if it is genuine:

Turn off your phone’s macro lens feature (the flower symbol).
Bring the camera close to the hologram tag.
You should see at least one “OK” mark. The mark does not appear sharp but it is done so by design.

Fake Komine goods in the market may feature such hologram tag, too, but the “OK” mark does not show.

Conclusion

The issue of fake products is exacerbated by online shopping platforms where unscrupulous sellers claims that their products are “100% genuine.” However, it may be easy to tell when the item is offered at ridiculously cheap prices, sometimes with the excuse of “stock clearance” or “factory price”, so remember that it may be too good to be true.

Do buy from official channels for your own safety and a peace of mind.

Okay, that is all for Part 1 now. Stay tuned as we track down other brands.