Motorcycle specifications Triumph1200 Thruxton RS Ton Up Special Edition 2022 One of the TT's frontiers

This new special series from Triumph takes us back to the past of the Tourist Trophy and English youth. It would be impolite to covet the Thruxton RS "TON" edition without knowing its references. Enthusiasts won't need this chapter, but there are those who will immerse themselves in the speed of the 60s.

The reason is there, initialled on the mudguard, prominently displayed on the tank, a challenge to a whole generation of "Ton-Up boys", speed-hungry bikers in pursuit of the "Ton" - an expression for the 100 mph average mark, on a circuit or a lap. Reaching this score of over 160 km/h was the benchmark of an era.

The 1200 Thruxton RS Ton Up celebrates the ode of café-racers and challenges with its Aegean Blue paint scheme. A refreshing dose of azure in a catalog dominated by black and grey. A bit of whipped cream on the mudguard and seat cover, matched by commemorative cherries bearing the acronym of the speed sought.
Grip-genoux-style plots have been drawn on the sides of the tank, and a few hand-painted details complete the vintage. Vintage? Yes; like the Gold Line, this color will be limited not in number but in time. The Thruxton Ton Up will not be available until 2022.

Let's not forget that the sportiest of the Modern Classics is endowed with a potential that honors the Ton-up Boys principle: its engine is the most powerful of the brand's twin 1200s, with 105 hp and 11.4 mkg. The spoked rims are old-school, the steel frame classic, but the equipment is both current and top-notch: Brembo M50 brakes with 310 mm discs, Öhlins shock absorbers, fully adjustable 43 mm Showa inverted forks, Metzeler Racetec RR sport tires, triple riding modes, ABS and deactivatable traction control - and to make it even more racy, Triumph has included a vintage fork head painted in a blue to match the tank as an accessory. If some machines rhyme with 88 mph, this one seems to think only of 100.

The Thruxton 1200 RS can easily sustain that speed today. Whereas in the past, you needed racing machines. The first to crack "the Ton" was Bob McInctyre on a Gilera in 1957 (on one lap). It wasn't until 1969 that a production bike achieved this performance: a Triumph Bonneville T120 driven by Malcolm Uphill.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos