Cafe racer twin test
Two extremes of the cafe racer genre, head-to-head
Royal Enfield Continental GT takes on the Triumph Thruxton R.
The modern resurgence of the cafe racer-styled motorcycle is something of an odd one. The original raison d'~tre of the cafe racer was, as the name suggests, to race between cafes, or coffee bars or transport caffs.
The immediate thought is of James Dean lookalikes aboard BSA Gold Stars, Vincent vee twins and immaculate Tritons, ripping up the Tarmac and getting adoring looks from Jayne Mansfield stood beside the jukebox. Of course, the truth was somewhat different. Spotty youths, aboard cheap, everyday transport maintained to a minimal standard, all with dreams of being the next Geoff Duke or Giacomo Agostini, but only getting attention not from the local fillies, but the boys in blue . The majority would've been riding BSA
Bantams, ClS singles, or maybe even an Ariel Arrow or 350cc AJS or Matchless. A few would've managed to save up enough to afford something really flash - maybe a Velocette Viper, Norton Dominator or even a 650cc Bonneville. Any rose-tinted memories of alloy-tanked Tritons by the dozen and packs of Gold Star Beezas packed outside the Ace Cafe or Busy Bee are surely alcohol-tainted.
But the image of the cafe racer was strong, and many young lads would fit clip-ons, loud exhausts, single seats and mesh flyscreens to their bikes, whatever they were, in a vain attempt to emulate their racing heroes.
The Royal Enfield Continental GT and Triumph Thruxton R pretty much top and tail the current production cafe racer market, with the Indian machine (developed in Enfield's R&D establishment at Bruntingthorpe) being at the budget end, while the Trumpet is somewhat more exclusive, as at over twelve grand it's more than twice the price of the GT. The motorcycle equivalent of instant coffee versus a barista-brewed Columbian?
TRIUMPH THRUXTON R
Slotting in at the top end of the ever-expanding Bonneville range, the Thruxton not only has the 1200cc version of the company's water-cooled 270° parallel twin, with a meaty 97bhp and 82ft-lb, but as it is the R spec version, it also has uprated rolling gear, with twin floating Brembo discs with Brembo Monobloc calipers and master cylinder, fatter Showa USD forks with 'big piston' internals,
Ohlins twin rear shocks and super grippy Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tyres, too. Oh, and it's got narrower grips than the standard bike too, although the cool, and effective,bar end mirrors are as standard. The bike that we had on test had a couple of little extras, available together as the 'Track racer kit'. Most obvious is the fairing (which, alone, is an additional £695), but there's also the Vance &
Hines exhaust cans (louder than standard, but not too intrusive), the painted pillion seat cover,the tank strap, tail tidy and the very neat, short stem LED indicators front and rear.
First impressions - boy it's narrow. And hard. The seat is like a plank, and you have a lot of weight on your wrists. But the steering is very positive, and the whole plot really drops into the corners, and while there's not the level of feedback from the tyres that I'd really like, you do feel every bump, ripple, pebble and groove in the road. Initially, it feels like a late Seventies Ducati, or an early Nineties special, so hard is the suspension. It'd be ideal for a track bike, where the eagerness to turn would also be appreciated, but just a dozen miles on bumpy Lincolnshire by-roads gives your wrists a true hammering .
But then, jump back aboard the next day, and the bike doesn't seem quite as extreme. This is one of many bikes that a 20-mile test ride just won't cut the mustard, you need to spend a bit more time on board.
It being a trul y modern bike, the throttle is ride -by-wire, of course, and thus has rider modes that somewhat annoyingly revert to 'road' after being switched off. I'd rather that they stayed where I want it all the time as, personally, I don't feel the need to be constantly changing the rider modes on a bike that really doesn't need the option. Of course, that is just my opinion, other riders may want to tinker occasionally.
Surprisingly, the Thruxton R weighs in at over 200kg, but feels lighter, thanks to the low centre of gravity. Triumph state 6lmpg is possible, but that would have to include some rather more staid riding than our bike was used for, as it averaged a smidge below SOmpg. And it's when making progress that the R starts to come together. The
suspension works better, the riding position makes more sense, and you can cover ground in a way that will surprise a lot of people on bikes that are, seemingly, more modern. Despite the styling, this is a truly modern bike in performance!
The riding position combines with the nose fairing to create some strange weather protection - in the rain, I found that my feet got wet, as did my upper thighs, but from mid-shin to mid-thigh, I stayed dry!
Considering the above, it's clear that Triumph have built a cafe racer styled bike that is the best that it can be with the Bonneville platform. But what makes this bike particularl y special - and no doubt what contributes to the overall cost - is the attention to detail in the styling . The beautiful lines of the petrol tank and its Monza-style filler cap (which, incidentally, is just a cover for the real, screw-in filler cap!); the impeccably-styled and manufactured top yoke; the dual dials of the clocks and their chrome finials; and the way that the throttle bodies are styled to look like old-school carbs. And aside from developing these parts, Triumph have also created a huge range of aftermarket bolt-ons and replacement parts, with 141listed for the
Thruxton R!
ROYALENFIELD CONTINENTALGT
The first impression is that it feels small compared to the Thruxton R, even though the Triumph is a slim machine. But the Enfield is generall y a small bike in all dimensions, with a skinny feel, although the seat is rather higher than you might've guessed . Given the smaller engine capacity, of course it's going to feel a little slower, but it still doesn't seem quite as punchy as a 650cc parallel twin could be - okay, so the factory do only claim 47bhp (other 650cc twins, such as Suzuki's SV and the Kawasaki ER, make about 70bhp), so it's never going to be a rocketship, and the wide gear ratios seemingly don't help matters, but it does feel a little stifled. Maybe the exhaust system is strangling the breathing, as it is very quiet and, unusually, it doesn't have a link pipe between the two headers . .. but, as every decent cafe racer should, it will top the ton, and sits perfectly happily at motorway speeds, even enthusiastic motorway speeds. The powerplant has a feeling of great solidity, as though it's unburstable and will live through the apolocalypse, which does make you wonder if Enfield have plans for a sportier version ...
As you'd expect from the price bracket, this isn't going to be covered in top-of-the-range goodies and parts. The clocks are basic, just a speedo, rev cou nter, fuel gauge and a trip, and there's only one light to show that the indicators are on. The right- and left-hand switchgear are basic and feel a little cheap, although seeing real throttle cables is rather comforting, rather than fly-by-wire throttles th at most fuel-injected
m achines have nowadays. Most of us have got used to a level of adjustability on our bikes, but the Enfield doesn't even have adjustable brake and clutch levers. But that basic nature means there's less to go wrong! And, reportedly, they are very easy to work on, and the electronics that are required by modern homolog ation requirements can be easily removed, unlike with other machines (BMW are notoriously difficult). It's a little less uncompromising than the Thruxton, helped by the swan neck clip-ons and less radical rearset footpegs, and a full day's riding probably won't see as many aches as you'd get from a long day in the Thruxton's saddle. But then, to cover the same distance, you'll likely be sat on the Enfield's seat for a longer time ...
While the suspension is of a bud get variety, the chassis works perfe ctly well, no doubt thanks in part to the tubular steel frame being developed by chassis supremos, Harris
Enginee ring. On a bumpy backroad, it'll not kick back through the b ars or seat like the h ard ride of the Triumph, although it does wag its head a little over skittish road surfaces. It's not anywhere near approaching a tankslapper, just a feeling of vague uncertaint y, much like a bike from the late Seventies or early Eighties, and something that you actu ally get used to very quickly, and it b ecomes
character rather than nervousness . It would be interesting to see if this changes with different tyres, and whether it gets any worse with tyre wear.
The brakes aren't as efficient as, say, something on a modern sports bike, but being Bybre products, they're good quality, and well matched to the suspension (it may not be a common name, but they're made by Brembo - Bybre, get it?).
Providing that you're on a sinuous piece of tarmac, with no other traffic to have to overtake, the Enfield is close to being as much fun as the Triumph. But if there's traffic in the way that you need to squirt past , then you really have to work at it with the Conti. Retaining momentum is the name of the game, and it's like riding
a 125 again . But for the fact that it is tra ctable enough to pull top gear from 30mph - not especially smoothly , as it feels like a big single when you do so, but it does indicate that the torque curve is rather more impressive than the bhp curve!
Chasing the Triumph down some twisting tarmac shows up the fact that the Triumph is significantly more developed and with higher spec components (and a much bigger powerplant), but at double the price you would expect a big difference in the two machines' abilities!
CONCLUSION
If I had six grand in my sky rocket ready to spend on a motorcycle, ra not hesitate at buying a Continental GT. It's got as much, if not more, than just about any other new bike you can buy for that kind of money, along with a style and cache that so many others are lacking. But if I had double that kind of money to spend on a brand new machine, would I chose the Thruxton R? Here, my choice isn't as simple. It would be double the horsepower for double the money, but is it double the bike? The
Triumph is a fantastic machine, but gives the vibe that it'd be best as being a Sunday toy - a machine that is pampered, kept in a heated garage under a silk dust sheet, and only let out to play when the weather is perfect, and the roads are smooth and deserted. The Enfield could very easily play the part of everyday transport, a commuter with style that still gives some weekend fun. Would you want to use the Triumph every day, through all weathers and in snarling traffic? After all, for the price of the Thruxton R, you could buy two Enfields, use one every day, and still have some spare cash to uprate the second with suspension and engine upgrades for a true cafe racer, especially when you look at the money that the Triumph Track Racer kit costs, and there are lots of hotrod parts available for the Enfield - 865cc big bore and hot cams anyone? ...
So, given the base price of the Enfield, you could add a few choice aftermarket parts and end up with a very capable bike for significantly less than the Thruxton. But it willstill look like a standard Continental, and it'll probably not bode well for the three -year warranty and roadside assistance that come with the bike.
The Conti GT would be easy enough to pick up your beau, or to chuck a bag on the back for a couple of days away,yet the Thruxton R, with its pillion seat cover (and lack of pillion pegs!) would prevent either option. Okay, so that could be rectified easily enough, by passing some more money over the counter at your local Triumph dealers for some pillion provision and a luggage rack or panniers.
And what of chip shop points? Both bikes create comments when parked, although the type of remarks made is different. Referring to the Enfield, talk is of 'Are they made in India?' 'They're a great price, aren't they?' and 'Is it better than the Bullet?'But if you're on the Triumph, the comments are far more complementary and focussed on the aesthetics and high-level componentry.
In short, if you're after a bargain, speak to Royal Enfield. If you have the dosh and like the finer things in life, then look towards Hinckley.