KIWI RIDER 11 2019 VOL1 | Page 26

RS TRIUMPH THRUXTON ON THE WAY T riumph Motorcycles has announced a new RS model will soon be joining the Thruxton lineup via the brand’s social media platforms. Teased in a 10-second long video, Triumph isn’t giving us much in the way of info other than a quick glimpse of the bike’s side cover adorned with the red RS logo. We can assume a few things about the bike, however. Firstly, this will likely not be a higher specification bike than the recently released limited edition Thruxton TFC. With the whole game- plan with the Triumph Factory Custom line to offer high-end exclusive motorcycles, it makes no sense for the British firm to offer a higher spec bike for the mass market. the current Thruxton R, and much like the RS trim became the top-tier offering in the Street and Speed Triple families. This means we can expect the bike to at least feature Öhlins suspension, Triumph’s brilliant second-generation TFT dash (as debuted on the Scrambler 1200) and other exclusive features to set the bike apart from the rest of the range. Triumph is making us wait until November 5 for all the details, and we can’t wait to see just what the exact spec of this new addition to the Triumph modern classic range is. What we do expect, however, is that the new bike will become the new halo of the Thruxton range, either replacing or superseding BMW R1800C B MW’s big-bore cruiser made its design debut at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy earlier this year as the Concept R18, and with test mules appearing in spy shots all over the internet we’re betting to BMW will be just about ready to show off the full production version of their first step into the cruiser market in 15 years. Based around an all-new 1800cc flat-twin, the R1800C will be the Bavarian manufacturer’s first offering into the big-bore cruiser segment since the R1200C ended production in 2004. While that bike heavily utilised R1200GS technology such as the Telelever front suspension system and the same boxer engine, the R1800C is expected to be a completely new bike from the ground up. 26 KIWI RIDER We look forward to learning the full details and final specification of this bike, as it will surely be an interesting option for riders who aren’t sold by the American iron from Milwaukee or Springfield. BMW is also rumoured to be ready to reveal an F850RS based around the Concept 9cento which debuted at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este last year and the next generation S1000R at the EICMA show, bringing the company’s focus wholeheartedly back to the street for this year’s show. Look for the full low-down from the 2019 EICMA show in the next edition of Kiwi Rider.