Triumph Thruxton Brat/Tracker Project

RatBikeRod

New Member
Hey guys, new to the forum and thought I would post up a project I just began on a new Thruxton I picked up in December.

Been looking for a good forum to be apart of as I am with some of my other bike dealings. I also have a Ratted '05 Harley Road King Custom and a '96 BMW R1100GS. However, I may have to sell them this year based on family needs (daughter getting married...). We will see.

I just swapped in my '13 Rocket for the '15 Thruxton to reduce my cost some.

So I have yet to run the first tank out of the Trump but have begun the project. So far I have;

- Shaved the front fender - have a loop on order from New Bonneville
- Put 1" risers - I am 6'5" so I end up pretty hunched over, this helps a bit without detracting from the look
- eBay Rear Fender - that I will shave down
- Removed the fly screen and rear cowl
- Switched to Shinko rubber
- Swapped to bullet turn signals and moved the rear to the shock towers
- Ordered a Dime City retro tail light
- Lossa Engineering Stubbie cans are on order

A pic is below. I still want to;
- Swap seat to a brown Brat style seat
- Swap the shocks out and fork springs to something better
- Build a set of black rims I have from a Scrambler
- Rework the gauge set up in some way
- Possibly add a bit of copper electroplating on chrome bits
- Circular Race number side panels
- Relocate the key
- Rework/replace the shifters and pegs

IMG_1153.jpg
 
Good project bike. I was only checking out Triumphs today at the local showroom.

Keep posting updates with images, always nice to see progress.
 
Had Triumphs for years, just love the brand and their motors are fantastic.

The last Thruxton I had I did not do much to, but this one will get a heavy make over.
 
One element that I am considering is whether or not to do a rear frame loop. I really need to decide before I place the tail light or position it so I can add a loop later, I guess.

Any thoughts pro/con on rear loops?

I do think they make the back of the bike look a bit better.
 
I'd take your time with the hoop.

I've seen a few nice looking bikes where the rear subframe has been kept largely stock (ish) and they can look good and perform their function as well.

What style rear guard/light/seat are you thinking of? Will a hoop play a part in the overall style you want? Maybe, you could introduce a brace to work as a guard/seat mount?

There are two styles available pre-formed (on ebay), either flat or 20* kick up and they're made to suit the dimension of the subframe rail.

Rear tyre clearance needs consideration.
 
I don't think it really needs a hoop. It looks like in the picture that the rear frame section is pretty close to a hoop already. I would be hesitant to chop that beaut. I think the stocker could be made to work more easily.
 
After getting the new tail light in and setting the eBay fender for cut down I will not have much room for a loop that does not have a pretty heavy upward loop bend. So that is going to be a later on decision point after I cut everything down and get comfortable with the look/setup.

This weekend I will cut down the fender and mount the new tail light, so pictures will be coming.

The Lossa Engineering Stubbie Cans which were supposed to be delivered by U-Suck Postal Service did not get delivered as my 2-day delivery should have been. And they of course have no idea where my package is. So, exhaust may be on hold for a bit. :-\

I want to find a set of racing oval side panels but they are both back ordered from BC and far too expensive. Soooo, any ideas/links on fabricating these? There has to be a more cost effective solution that does not require that I cut up the stock covers.
 
Wouldnt it be more trackerish with the scrambler crank really? :)
I prefer 360 every day of the week but i never compared dirt traction between the two configurations.
 
I'm going to pattern and make my own alloy side panels either incorporating number roundels or just use alloy number roundels fixed on brackets. Not decided yet.

These (on UK ebay but a US seller) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/set-3-OVAL-Al-MOTORCYCLE-VINTAGE-RACING-NUMBER-PLATES-3-10-X12-OVAL-ALUMINUM-NEW-/141587404889?hash=item20f7445859:m:mKKYCGYXXgJSi4Ds4EnOjWw
 
Thanks for the links and pic's, going to be working on that soon.

Today I got the fender cut down, the tail light installed and the Lossa Stubbies installed. I used the Motone wiring harness which made hooking up the rear turn signals and tail like very easy.

Here is a before and after shot of the original rear fender and the eBay unit I scored cheap actually in the same color!

Before;
IMG_1150.jpg


After:
IMG_1161.jpg


Here are a few shots with the seat on and the Stubbies. Yes, the tail light ended up VERY close to the seat (read, touching);

IMG_1162.jpg


IMG_1163.jpg


Stubbie goodness;

IMG_1164.jpg
 
I refer the short guard, same colour is your bonus ball right there.

Is there a way of lowering the light unit on the bracket so the tail of it tucks under the seat?
 
Weather was decent today and I got to take her out for a little ride. The Stubbies are loud but sound absolutely great. Lots of decel popping and a bit of idle popping as well. Will try to make it over to the dealer for the Aero 2-2 download which should help.

Trying to decide if I order a set of dB Dawg's to tone it down a bit.
 
After the ride today I am a bit more comfortable with the heavy feel of the front with the bigger more aggressive tire.

The front loop I got will not fit due to rubbing on the bolt heads, so I will have to try to find some button head allen heads. Did find that my front rim is a bit out of round as well. Not cool on a brand new bike, means it came from the factory that way. :mad:

Looking at next steps.
 
Considering these as well;

Rear brake flip bracket to move it to a top mount;

caliper_bracket_black_triumph_grande.jpg


And these Exhaust clamps cause they are just old school and cool;

Triumph_finned_exhaust_clamps_grande.jpg
 
RatBikeRod said:
Here is the seat cover I am considering;

Seat_.jpg

Me likey....I have rather the same intention with my seat. Tan leather diamond stitched in black thread with black leather sides to include the small hump. I want a small flap of tan to ride up the tank a bit (80mm) and tan piping. Just talking about this last night and will get it done soon I hope (sending it to a friends missus who is an upholsterer).
 
Very nice. I like your idea and I would like to have a friend who's wife was an upholsterer.

The nice thing about the cover I linked is that it is dead cheap at $150 and supposedly easy to install.

Taking her over to the dealer to get the Aero 2-2 download on Saturday. Tried to do it on Tuesday but could not make that happen.

Supposed to be a really nice weekend, so I will get some better shots posted of the setup to date.
 
On the tuning front, can anyone tell me if I do the Aero 2-2 tune to allow some compensation for the Lossa Stubbies, should I do the following as well;

- Air Injection Removal
- o2 Sensor Elimination

I really do not want to have to go to a full tuner setup if possible. I dont mind some decel popping, but I don't want to burn a valve either. Which I shouldnt as it tends to get fat not lean with these changes.

Thoughts?
 
I'm a little confused by the O2 sensor delete. That would keep it from getting lean. I would suggest an O2 optimizer that would allow you to lie to the system, keeping it slightly fat.
 
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