TRIUMPH THRUXTON R

The lithe Lotus could have upset a Jaguar XK120 driver on tight roads

Motorcycles are my longest-running love affair. Years ago, Steve Cropley and I agreed that we’d both rather own a very modest car and a motorcycle rather than some flash sports car and no bike. I’m even more convinced of that today.

Finding a bike with under 100bhp is easy and so is finding one that is still fast and fun. My choice is this Triumph Thruxton R. It’s powered by a 1200cc inline twin-cylinder water-cooled engine that produces 96bhp. Six-speed gearbox, dry weight of 206kg. The standard Thruxton has the same engine but doesn’t have the sexy Öhlins rear suspension units and upside down Showa front forks or the Brembo monobloc calipers that are fitted to the R model.

Triumph doesn’t publish a top speed for the Thruxton R but it’d be around 135mph – or about 45mph beyond the point at which your arms start to hurt and you feel you’re about to get blown off the back of the saddle. There are Rain, Road and Sport riding modes, but the engine’s power delivery is so smooth that even Sport, with its quicker throttle response, is fine on a wet road.

I don’t like old motorcycles. Mostly they’re rubbish, or, more to the point, most don’t handle properly, don’t stop properly, have tyres that don’t grip and are unreliable. I’ve had my share of Nortons, Triumphs and Laverdas and I wouldn’t want any one of them back. Riding this Thruxton R convinces me further. It has lovely handling, the brakes are phenomenal and there’s as much power as you’d ever need.

That said, the vehicle that I most covet is Ducati’s Panigale V4. Not because it has more than 200bhp but because it is so gorgeous with exquisite detailing down to the smallest bolt. And because its engine sounds so outrageous. However, I would feel the same way about it if it had half the horsepower.