Triumph Thruxton 400 Review: A Bonafide Cafe Racer!

It was inevitable. A proper cafe racer in the 400 cc segment by a manufacturer who not only produces big capacity cafe racers, but also one whose motorcycles were among the first ones to be converted into cafe racers back in the sixties.

- SYED SHIRAZ SHAH

In fact, these motorcycles earned their peculiar nomenclature much later when they became famous for short sprints between "transport cafes" (cafes where truckers halt) in Britain.

Not only that, a popular, and informal, race format back then called "record-racing" used to involve cafe racers racing to a predetermined point and back before a record (a song) could finish playing on the cafe's jukebox. Hitting a ton (100 mph or 160 km/h) while at it also got them to be known as ton-up boys.

In the next few sections, along with the Thruxton's review, you will also get to know what makes a cafe racer, and how a cafe racer is different to a conventional motorcycle.

DESIGN

A cafe racer is essentially a regular production motorcycle that has been stripped of all the non-essential parts by its owner to make it lighter. If you have been around motorcycles even for a short while you'd know how that aids performance and handling. Therefore, stuff like drivechain covers, heavy fenders, big saddles, etc., were thrown away and replaced with lighter units. Also, most cafe racers were nakeds; however, a few owners did put fairings for better aerodynamics (and aesthetics) to achieve the aforementioned ton. They also worked on the engine and gearbox, which is something you'll learn in the next section. For now, we'll focus on the design of the motorcycle.