The stock air cooled Thruxton may have the ‘go faster’ styling, but it doesn’t have a go faster weight. Dry the Thruxton comes in at 205kg, the same as the stock Bonneville. With this in mind, its no wonder the sportier named machine was launched with the rebored 865cc engine up from the 790cc’s in 2004, a year before the T100, and three years before the standard Bonneville – giving the Thruxton a much needed edge.
The weight of the new liquid cooled machines may still be close to that of the older models, with the entry 1200cc Thruxton weighing 206kg and the R at 203kg, but thats where any comparison ends. With a better frame and more power, the Thruxton is light years ahead of the previous generation, they simply are the better machine.
Though for me, when it comes to building a custom, a carb model Hinckley Triumph Twin wins hands down! – Its purity over the newer models makes it the better choice over both the later EFI models and the new 1200cc Thruxton’s. That said it’s a 2012 EFI Thruxton which is the basis of Bad Winners latest build, the Zero Gravity, a Triumph turned into a “high performance racing machine”.
Walid from Bad Winners wanted to create a clean, simple and much lighter version of the Thruxton, to “improve the bike, find the perfect geometry, the perfect setting of performance and style”. Walid started with the frame, cutting back to the shock mount reinforcements. While he was at it Walid also removed the rear peg-mounts and much of the unwanted bracketry.
The Thruxton’s classic styling has been drastically altered with the fitting of a custom made Yamaha SR400 styled fuel tank and leather clad seat-cowl, rolled from aluminium in house at Bad Winners. This new tank replaces the stock EFI unit, which contains the pump and pressure regulator. 
But like myself Walid prefers the purity of the carburettor, and this Thruxton was crying out for a set of Keihin CR35’s!. Fitting carbs to a EFI model Twin is no easy task, which on this occasion was done by replacing the stock ignition and a lot of wiring with a Motogadget m-Unit, m-Lock and a custom CDI box which Walid tells me can be plugged into a computer to get the perfect ignition point.
For Walid the Thruxton’s handling needed work, to start the Zero Gravity was fitted with a set of upside down forks sourced from a Daytona 675, attached to the Twin using the original Daytona yokes modified to fit. I don’t think the carbon-fibre 675 mudguard fitted works on the Thruxton, it may look cool, but In my unwanted opinion it’s out of place on a Classic Twin. 
With the front getting such a big upgrade, the stock Thruxton’s notoriously bad rear shocks had to go, almost any upgrade is a good upgrade when it comes to the Hinckley Twin, but to keep the bike balanced, a set of Bitubo shocks were chosen – which Walid describes as a good match.
Next was to ditch the Thruxton’s aluminium wheels, though lighter than those fitted to other Twins, but still not light enough for the Zero Gravity, instead fitted with a set of 17” Dymag CA5 Carbon fibre wheels, wrapped in Michelin Power Cup Evo tires, with the front brakes being upgraded to a dual-disc Beringer system. A combined set-up described by Walid as “making such a difference, so light and so precise in the same time”.
The clip-on’s are from Renthal, fitted with Motone Micro switches, which are wired into the Thruxton and on to the Motogadget Blaze turn-signals via a Motogadget m-Unit. The speedo on the Zero Gravity is the Motogadget Motoscope Classic, a gauge more focused on engine speed, than that of the bike – the fitting of those Keihin CR35 carbs paired with Arrow headers capped with Spark end-cans, allows the engine to breathe, and to deliver a little more power to a much lighter machine.
Seeing these bikes on the web is one thing, owning such a super cool and lightweight Thruxtom is an altogether different story. Fortunately Walid is building a limited run of five bikes in various configurations for you to buy starting at €23,390 with a 16 week delivery time. Expensive perhaps, but this is a custom, and you are unlikely to sit next to another at the Traffic lights.
Details are as follows
Thruxton Stage 1 specs (€23,390):
•1-year engine guarantee
•Keihin CR35 Carbs
•Orginal from fork lowered
•LSL 17″ Rims
•YSS Eco Line Rear suspension
•Beringer Simple disk break
•Metzeler RR tires
•Home made CDI Box
•Fully equipped with MOTOGADGET products
•(Chrono, M-Unit Control Box, M-Switch commands)
•Simplified electric wiring
•Handmade leather seat
•Sparks exhaust
•All bike accessories included
•(XXX Back light, LED turn signals, fenders, handlebar, grips)
•Fabrication of all special parts
•Powder coated paint
•Tank painting
Thruxton Stage 2 specs (€29,990):
•1-year engine guarantee
•Keihin CR35 Carbs
•Daytona 675 Front fork
•Dymag CA5 Carbon fiber wheels
•Michelin Power Cup Evo tire
•Bitubo Rear Supension
•Beringer double disk break
•Home made CDI Box
•Fully equipped with MOTOGADGET products
•(Chrono, M-Unit Control Box, M-Switch commands)
•Simplified electric wiring
•Handmade leather seat
•Sparks exhaust
•All bike accessories included
•(XXX Back light, LED turn signals, fenders, handlebar, grips)
•Fabrication of all special parts
•Powder coated paint
•Tank painting
Full details and links Web
