Triumph Thruxtonr

Power: 96bhp Engine: 1200cc parallel twin Economy: 50mpg

º Don’t think retro, think classic supernaked. Triumph’s Thruxton R might look like it’s designed for folk who favour flat caps and roll-ups, but you shouldn’t be fooled. Beneath the Monza filler cap, fuel tank strap, shiny bits and old-school plug cap is an exciting, engaging and thoroughly modern naked motorcycle.

Though 96bhp might not sound a lot these days, Triumph’s big twin is a superb high-performance road engine. With short gearing and tightly-packed ratios it pulls hard from bugger-all revs, cannons out of corners on its bulbous midrange and delivers a wheel-lifting top-end sparkle. It’s an equally willing chassis; the Thruxton R feels up on its toes and ready to turn, its sporty geometry giving fast responses and accurate steering. And because it’s an R model you get plush forks, posh Öhlins twin shocks and arm-bending front brakes. It’s hilarious for carving up ‘proper’ sportsbikes on a twisty trackday. And just to make sure this package is as compelling as possible the Triumph is festooned with other quality parts and impressive finishes.

List price for this dynamically superb and visually appealing lump of pleasure is £12,400. But Triumph have recently introduced a Thruxton RS, with a smidge more power and a few updated details, for £13,000. Rumour has it that the new RS means the R will disappear from the range next year, which is supported by what’s happening at dealers

– all Thruxton R demos have disappeared, and remaining stock is fabulously cheap. Showroom-fresh bikes are down to £10,500; go preregistered, and they start at £9995. There are used bikes fetching that.