Triumph Thruxton Archives

What do Motorcycle Names Mean? (Part 1)

Motorcycle names can be as interesting as the bikes themselves.
There are ones which made you wonder what they mean.
There are just too many, thus we’ll break them into parts.

Motorcycle names can be as interesting as the bikes themselves. Manufacturers usually choose them based on heritage, branding, range or the kind of emotions they allude to.

There are too many to think about, so we’ll put in what comes to mind.

1. BMW GS

The “GS” moniker made its appearance in 1980 with the R 80 G/S. It stands for Gelände/Straße (or Strasse), or off-road/road in German. Appropriate for the dual-sport bike.

2. Ducati 851, 888, 916, 995,996, 999, 1098

Ducati superbikes were named with numbers between the 750 SS/Pantah and Panigale. The numbers simply pointed out the bikes’ engine capacities. Other models had and do have their capacities in their names, of course, but they include specific names such as Hypermotard, Monster, Multistrada, Scrambler, Supersport.

3. Ducati Panigale

The Panigale is named after the Borgo Panigale industrial district in Bologna, Italy. It’s also where Ducati calls home. Do make sure that your Panigale doesn’t have the “e” missing, because “Panigal” is a soap manufacturer in the same district.

4. Ducati Paso 750

Debuting in EICMA 1985, the Ducati Paso 75- was a tribute to Italian GP racer Renzo Pasolini. Popularly known as “Paso,” he crashed during the 250cc Monza race in 1973. Jarno Saarinen (who pioneered the kneedown technique) who was directly behind couldn’t avoid Paso and also crashed. The accident caused a chain reaction which involved 12 riders and took the lives of Paso and Saarinen.

5. Triumph Bonneville

This one is quite easy. The Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, United States is the prime location where land speed records are made or broken. As for the Triumph Bonneville, it’s an homage to the “Devil’s Arrow,” piloted by Johnny Allen in 1955. The “streamliner” (which basically looks like a rocket) was powered by a Triumph 650cc parallel-Twin which was tuned to burn methanol. It hit a two-way average speed of 311 km/h.

6. Triumph Thruxton

The Thruxton name is actually a racetrack in the UK. But Triumph had built special models for the Thruxton 500 endurance in 1969. They came away with 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd placings. It was the start of the café racer era.

2020 Triumph Thruxton RS Teaser Video

Another teaser, but it’s for the 2020 Triumph Thruxton RS this time.
The Thruxton R was one of the best bikes we’ve tested.
But it was the best factory café racer of all.

Here comes another teaser video. But oh dear, it’s for the 2020 Triumph Thruxton RS.

It’s a very short video, showing the Thruxton RS badge on a side panel and telling us to that it’ll be launched on 5th November. That’s the second day of EICMA 2019. No other detail was presented.

The all-new Thruxton RS – Launching 8.30am, 5th November 2019 pic.twitter.com/1FILKlgnN3

— Triumph Motorcycles (@UKTriumph) October 15, 2019

If there’s any indication of what’s new, the previous bike was called the Thruxton and Thruxton R. But the “R” was so good, so entertaining, so satisfying to ride that we don’t know what to expect of the “RS.”

The previous model had super smooth fuelling, predictable and linear throttle, and a punchy 1200cc liquid-cooled, 270-degree crank, parallel-Twin engine. The power plant is marked as “HP” for “High Power,” instead of the Bonneville T120 and T100’s “HT” (High Torque) variety.

And as with all Triumph’s the handling was superb right out of the box. The “R” version we tested had Öhlins shocks at the back and Showa BPF forks up front.

We wrapped up our tests by pronouncing the Thruxton R as the best factory café racer, bar none.

Triumph then followed up with the limited edition Thruxton R TFC. Clad in carbon fibre, only 750 were made.

We can’t wait for the new RS!

SEPULUH MOTOSIKAL YANG DINAMAKAN SEMPENA LITAR LUMBA (BAHAGIAN 2)

Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans Mk I – Sumber imej www.motorcyclespecs.co.za

(more…)

Ten Motorcycles Named After Racetracks (Part 2)

There was a time when manufacturers named their motorcycles after racetracks.
The names were as memorable as they were interesting.
Here’s the final part of this series, closing with a bike that’s currently in production.

We complained in Part 1 of this series about how boring new motorcycle names have become, but in Part 2 Ten Motorcycles Named after Racetracks, there is one current bike in production which is named so and thankfully, it goes as great as its name. Can you guess which one is it?

5. Moto Guzzi V50 Monza

Moto Guzzi V50 Monza – courtesy of www.madeinitalymotorcycles

Moto Guzzi was clearly in financial problems in 1973 when De Tomaso took over with the backing of the Italian government. The management decided that smaller, less expensive bikes was the solution, resulting in the 500cc V50 and 350cc V35 in 1976. They were less than popular, so Moto Guzzi created a more powerful version of the V50 called the Monza in 1980. V35 also went through a similar makeover and was named the Imola.

4. Yamaha RD400F Daytona Special

Yamaha RD400F Daytona Special – Courtesy of www.motorcycleclassics.com

Named after the infamous Daytona track, the 1979 RD400F Daytona Special commemorated Yamaha’s successes at the track and also the last of street-legal two-strokes in America. When the RD350LC introduced, it was only sold in Europe but imported in the States as a competition-only motorcycle.

3. Triumph Daytona 500

Triumph Daytona 500 – courtesy of www.bikesrestored.com

When American racer Buddy Elmor won the 1966 Daytona 200 aboard a Triumph Tiger 100, it was the first victory at the track for Triumph. Triumph then launced a 500cc, twin-cylinder roadster called the Daytona to commemorate their feat (there was also a Tiger Daytona in 1967). Moving forward to the current Triumph Motorcycle Ltd era, the Daytona name was used specifically for the Hinckley-based manufacturer’s sportbikes. The Daytona lineup were universally praised for its performance and sublime handling until being phased out in 2017.

2. Moto Guzzi Le Mans

Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans Mk I – courtesy of www.motorcyclespecs.co.za

Moto Guzzi build the 850 Le Mans Mk I from the iconic 1971 750cc V7 Sport, which was the first production motorcycle to feature a five-speed gearbox and hit 200 km/h. Guzzi upped the displacement to 850cc, as well as adding new disc brakes. It was the world’s fastest and best handling motorcycle of its time. Guzzi called it the “Le Mans” after the infamous racetrack in France. The 1976 Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans Mk I is most collectible Italian motorcycle today (sorry, Ducati).

1. Triumph Thruxton/Thruxton R

In 1965, Triumph hand-built 52 bikes as homologation specials in order to contest in the Thruxton 500 mile (800 km) production endurance race. Many enthusiasts believe that it was this series of races that created the café racer era as standard production motorcycles were modified for extra performance.

In 2004, John Bloor’s Triumph Motorcycles Ltd. produced the new Thruxton 900 as the café racer of the new modern classic Bonneville lineup. In 2016, the Thruxton was revised and featured the new 1200cc liquid-cooled engine. A “hotter” R version was also added which featured Brembo brakes, Ohlins shocks and Showa BFF forks.

The result is the new Thruxton R is the best factory café racer in the market.

Triumph Thruxton R Test & Review

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