Exclusive ride of Triumph’s supercharged Thruxton, as raced by Foggy.
Built purely so Carl Fogarty could win a sprint race, Triumph’s blown Thruxton R could just be the future of performance. Bike holds tight on an exclusive blast...
FORGET YOUR INTERGALACTIC BMW S1000RR and ignore Kawasaki’s warp-speed ZZR1400. Sure, they’re both ultimately faster than Triumph’s supercharged Thruxton R, but what makes this hopped-up 1200 so addictive isn’t the quantity of grunt, but the way it’s delivered. We’re not talking sportsbike power here, but hot-rod thrust. And it’s far more satisfying. Ease away with the standard, light clutch and the Triumph toddles along with the glitch-free response and rounded pulses of a regular Thruxton. Other than a deep burble from the pipes there’s nothing to say it isn’t a stocker. However, stray past 2500rpm, tease the twistgrip and things get very exciting very quickly indeed. There’s the whoosh of fast-moving air, a hardening of the exhaust, and the Thruxton leaps forward as if attached to a mighty bungee tethered beyond the horizon. It swallows gears as fast as you can feed them, blower chirping at rapid-fire gearshifts and the speedo needle moving like a Catherine Wheel. Before you can shout ‘bloody hell’ the big twin goes from dawdling politely, to pointing at the last digits on its speedo in top and wondering why you’ve stopped supplying more gears.
What really makes this whoop-out-loud thrust so inescapably appealing is that it doesn’t need full throttle or inaudible revs. Roll along at 50mph in top gear, squirt in some fuel and this Triumph surges forward; not with overwhelming horsepower, but with a sense of unstoppable gusto. It’s a whole new way of going fast. Yet this isn’t some fragile hyper-tuned lash-up but a safe, friendly, accessible creation using bolt-on parts. Just as surprisingly, it’s the work of Triumph themselves and not a lunatic in a shed. There’s a bike festival in Germany called Glemseck 101. Running for over a decade, it’s a sizeable event full of customs, traditional specials and time-honoured bikery that draws people from across Europe. A main feature is an old-style flag-start sprint race, so Triumph Germany asked the factory to build a couple of bikes specifically for this crowd-pleasing dash; one to be ridden by some journalists, and the other to be piloted by Triumph ‘global ambassador’, multiple WSB champ and jungle spokesman, Carl Fogarty. To their credit, Hinckley said yes. Class rules dictated 1200cc, two cylinders and a standard-length swingarm, so Triumph commissioned TTS Performance in Northamptonshire to supercharge a couple of Thruxton Rs. Attaching a supercharger (or blower) to an engine is proper old-school tuning, used on everything from the Merlin V12 in the Supermarine Spitfire, to radical 1950s hot-rods, to hairy 300bhp watercraft. A supercharger is basically a pump. It’s driven mechanically off the end of the crank (a fluid drive version using exhaust gas to spin the pump is a turbosupercharger, or turbo) and compresses air at the engine’s intake, increasing its density. More air is shoved into the engine, allowing more fuel to be burnt for greater combustion pressure, and thus generating more oomph. TTS designed, machined and fabricated a set-up using a Rotrex supercharger that’s big enough for a significant torque increase, yet small enough for efficiency and flexibility. Compressing air adds heat which can cause an engine to knock, so TTS used an
‘It’s proper old-school tuning, used on everything from Spitfires to 1950s hot-rods’
intercooler to lower temperature – think of it as a radiator for the intake. Compression ratio was reduced for the same keepit-reliable reason, using a cylinder head from a T120 version of the engine. An aluminium plenum chamber went inside the standard airbox housing (with air shoved in at 8psi of boost, size isn’t an issue), the ECU was remapped and injectors have increased capacity. There’s a blow-off valve too, to release unwanted pressure and give essential aural treats. The bikes were assembled at Triumph by three development technicians: Mark Cossar, Chris Arnott and Lee Pepper. Both the Thruxtons are the same spec, with lightweight wheels from Triumph’s accessory range, braced swingarms plus a fivetooth smaller rear sprocket. However, while the first bike (‘The Bulldog’) stayed naked this second bike (‘The White One’) also got accessory ’bars, hand-modified race fairing and seat unit from a Daytona 675, a boost gauge in a subtle clock surround and colour-matched Öhlins shocks. There are tiny lights too, and a little more baffling in its hand-built exhaust system. The blower pushes the 1200cc twin from 96bhp to an easy 139bhp, with torque increased by 40% to a stonking 116 lb.ft. That’s 18 grunts more than a Kawasaki H2. But adding the supercharger hasn’t altered the bike’s character. Triumph’s hot-rod doesn’t need more revs or extra riding effort; there’s just shed-loads more wallop everywhere in the rev range. Yet, crucially, if you’re steady with the throttle and keep the engine at low revs, where it’s not making boost, it’s still a charming thrummer. There’s no irreversible engineering either. It even uses the standard bike’s clutch. With its taller gearing minimising accidental wheelies, the blown Thruxton’s cake-and-eat-it combination of surging thrust and total usability allowed Foggy to see off all comers in the Glemseck sprint races. Hoorah. In a world where sports tourers are expected to make 160bhp and 1000cc sportsbikes rev to 14,000rpm, there’s freshness in the way Triumph’s blown Thruxton R gets blood pumping. It’s real, usable, flexible performance that doesn’t sacrifice the charm of the stock bike. And there are unique sensations from the surge, noise and sheer engineering joy of the supercharged delivery: catapulting from standstill to 80mph is all flat exhaust thud and whistling, chirping blower; roll-on drive is delivered with a gratifying rush of muscle. No, it’s not cheap (see below). But, as a middle-aged bloke fond of his licence, I’d have a supercharged Thruxton R instead a Yamaha R1, Harley Low Rider S or Ducati Monster R any day of the week. What a fabulous, engaging, imaginative, inspirational, shiny, touchy-feely motorcycle.