Triumph Spikes The Thruxton 1200 R Cafe Racer’s Coffee Mug With Stronger RS Brew

Just days after launching the 2020 Street Triple RS overseas, iconic British bike maker Triumph has teased the Thruxton RS in a short clip via its social media handle. And going by the brand’s positioning strategy, expect the Thruxton RS to sit right on top of the pecking order in the Thruxton -- if you discount the ultra limited TFC, that is.

The Triumph Thruxton range currently comprises of the standard model and the Thruxton R, which comes packed to the brim with premium mechanical components. This comprises of a Showa USD fork, Öhlins rear suspension with piggyback reservoir, Brembo monobloc calipers, master cylinder and twin floating discs as well as sticky Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tyres. Expect the Thruxton RS to kick it up a notch with top-spec mechanical components, minor design tweaks and maybe even a unique paint option. 

In essence, we could expect the Thruxton RS to act as the middle ground between the Thruxton R and the Thruxton TFC, which was launched earlier this year. The big piston forks from Showa on the “R” are likely to be replaced by units from Öhlins. The rear setup may remain unchanged. Much like the TFC (Triumph Factory Customs), the Thruxton RS is expected to feature a retuned 1200cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine with lighter internals and higher lift cams to help it breathe better. A free-flowing exhaust system and a half fairing are expected to be on offer as standard as well.

To put things into perspective, the Thruxton R, in its current state of tune, produces 97PS and 112Nm of peak torque using the same engine. The TFC version manages to shakedown 10 additional horses thanks to a reworked heart. 

Additional changes may come in the form of LED lights, Triumph’s second-gen colour TFT screen and a couple of electronic rider aids considering the current market trend. While this is purely speculative, we could expect at least some of these changes to make it to the Thruxton RS, if not all. The entire story will unravel itself on November 5 at the 2019 EICMA in Milan, Italy.