They say history repeats itself. We think it does. Back in the 60’s, in the world of Rock n Roll, among peace rallies and rise of the rebellion, a new form of motorcycling took form. It was called café racing. If you aren’t familiar with the term, Good Morning; hope you slept well for the last 60 years. We aren’t sure if the culture of café racing is coming back with increased policing and track days replacing street racing but café racers sure are making a comeback. Thank God for that.

India saw the launch of Royal Enfield’s café racer Continental GT last year and boy, did it get some attention. Everybody wanted a piece of it, some disliked it, some loved it but everybody was talking about it. Then came the launch of Triumph motorcycles in India along with their Café Racer inspired Thruxton, a pure-bred British motorcycle. In the world of automobiles, Germans are the brains, the engineers; Japanese are the legs – their cars and bikes move more people around the world than any other; British are the soul. However, a part of that soul died when people moved to more reliable and modern machines. With so many British car and motorcycling companies shutting shop, it is Triumph which has managed to stand the test of times and has, well, triumphed.

I remember riding a Ninja along with a slew of modern Japanese bikes in the US, back in 2008. One bike stood out. No it wasn’t a Ducati – there were three of them. It was none other than the Triumph Thruxton. There it was, looking Oh! So pretty with its gleaming chrome, racing stripes on the tank, large naked cylinders, clip-on’s et al. It was the only bike (other than mine) I clicked during the ride.

I had a similar reaction when I went to pick the test bike – the latest Triumph Thruxton.

The latest Thruxton does away with the clip-on’s and has a low slung handle bar instead. It lends a sporty stance while still being comfortable on the back. However, with a little heavy throttle and extended arms, your wrists and forearms would get a good workout on a long ride.

The bike wears Metzeler shoes with a 130/80 17 inch rear and 100/90 18 inch front tyre, which lend it a decent ride, stability at high speeds and good grip around corners. With a 1.5 meter wheelbase and 230 kg wet weight, it isn’t a traffic carving machine. However, once we got used to the weight, it held its line well, boosting our confidence around corners. Undoubtedly, this is no street fighter. For kids who wish to scrape pegs at every corner and win drag races, look elsewhere. This machine is to be enjoyed for the love of riding at a comfortable pace, wearing a classic half-helmet coupled with old fashioned fighter jet goggles.

Ride quality is decent, as we did encounter some broken roads which did not break our backs. The telescopic suspension up front and the tubular cradle frame took the Indian bad roads in its stride with ease.

We wish the brakes had some more bite though. For a motorcycle that gathers momentum rather quick, the brakes could’ve been a tad better. Having said that, the bike does remain stable and planted under heavy braking, but don’t expect it to stop on a dime. Maybe Triumph wanted it that way, as it adds more character and enhances the nostalgic appeal of the motorcycle.