Wave Goodbye to the Modern Cafe Racer, Triumph's Thruxton

• Triumph is officially ending Thruxton production, but not before it goes out on a high note, with a Thruxton Final Edition.

• Based on the Thruxton RS, the Final Edition of Triumph's modern cafe racer will have Brembo, Showa, and Ohlins hardware.

• Special green paint with hand-painted gold trim and special edition badging make up the majority of the visual cues for this last-call model.

Motoring enthusiasts tend to gravitate to old airfields. Closed runways and defunct Royal Air Force fields are great places to build race tracks for machines that like to go very fast. And some rather important names have come out of such places.

Namely, the now legendary Triumph Thruxton, which was birthed out of a South East England raceway known as Thruxton Circuit. Formerly a World War II airfield, Thruxton Circuit and the Triumph Thruxton actually go hand-in-hand, as three Triumphs took the top three spots in a 1969 500-mile endurance race.

Triumph history makes a big jump from 1964, when the original Triumph Bonneville Thruxton model was built in Meriden, to 2004, when the Thruxton name returned. Split between the Hinckley facility and Triumph's Thai factories, the Thruxton took its standard, upright Bonneville frame and dialed everything up.

Rear footsets, a small flyscreen, analog instruments, and a seat cowl made up the majority of the ergonomic changes, adding an aggressive riding position and old-school racing look. Power levels weren't stunning, but a torquey warmth smoothed over most complaints about the 865cc, four-stroke, 360-degree air-cooled twin and its 68 hp and 53 lb-ft of torque.

Still, the Thruxton wasn't exactly modern in the 21st century, either. But Triumph managed to remedy this in 2016 when it relaunched the Thruxton nameplate with a water-cooled, 1200cc engine. 30 pounds heavier but with 42% more power, the Thruxton, Thruxton R, and Thruxton RS models were genuine 21st-century performance bikes.

With a twin swingarm, new cams, bigger pistons, plus adjustable suspension, the second-generation modern Thruxton was a hot rod of sorts. Performing like a modern twin racer while heralding back to its 20th-century styling is a recipe for sales success for many metropolitan motorcyclists. Nearly 100 hp and 83 lb-ft of torque isn't too bad either.

But all that fun is about to go away, Triumph says. Based on the ultra-high-performance Thruxton RS model, Triumph says it aims to create a desirable collectors’ item, naming it the Thruxton Final Edition. It will come with a folder full of verified documentation, all signed by members of the Thruxton 1200 design team and Triumph CEO Nick Bloor.

Visually, Triumph is painting it with a Competition Green metallic hue and adding black side panels as well as mudguards for an appropriate amount of contrast. Hand-crafted design is still on display, too, as hand-painted gold lines ordain the gas tank. Special, final edition badging is plastered all over the otherwise inconspicuous model, naturally.

Mechanically, the Thruxton Final Edition is nearly identical to its Thruxton RS. The revered 1200cc 270-degree twin meets Showa Big Piston Forks and twin Öhlins piggyback rear suspension units. All adjustable, of course, and mounted together with Brembo M50 radial brake calipers and floating 310mm Brembo discs.

Triumph says the styling of the Final Edition Thruxton is important to its racing roots. From the Monza-style fuel filler cap to the brushed stainless steel tank strap, and clip-on handlebars, the modern Thruxton is equipped for the track as much as the cafe.

"The Thruxton has a special place in the hearts of many motorcyclists, and we are all immensely proud of this Final Edition...The Thruxton will bow out of production at the very pinnacle of its development with a special edition that secures its place in the history books of Triumph Motorcycles," said Triumph Motorcycles’ Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Stroud.

Triumph didn't specify how many Thruxton Final Editions will be built, but it did say how much these models will cost. If you want to buy a piece of motorcycling history, Triumph says, you'll need $17,995. All told, that's only $500 more than a Thruxton RS. Order books are open now, but the units won't arrive until Spring 2024, making it a 2025 model year.

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