Triumph Motorcycles have been adding a myriad of updates and special editions to their 2022 Modern Classic lineup. We’ve seen a whole new styling range named the Bonneville Gold Line Edition, the Street Twin EC1 which was inspired by an inner-city London suburb (huh?) and the 221 Triumph Rocket 3 R and GT that celebrate the behemoth 2 wheeler’s 221 Nm of power. Another special model amongst the latest to break cover is the new Triumph Thruxton RS Ton Up Special edition, a cafe racer-inspired bike that has, for obvious reasons, caught our eye.
“Inspired by the legendary Ton Up boys of the 1950s and ’60s – the original café racers, and the first-ever production 100mph lap of the Isle of Man TT achieved by Malcolm Uphill in 1969 – the new Thruxton RS Ton Up Edition celebrates the passion and iconic style of the record-breaking Thruxton with a unique design scheme that is available for one year only.” – Triumph Motorcycles
The 2022 Triumph Thruxton RS Ton Up SE will be a single year production model with the first examples slated to go on sale in January 2022. Featuring a bold Aegean Blue tank and a Fusion white front fender and tail unit – the bike’s colour scheme is a homage to Welsh motorcycle racer Malcolm Uphill. Uphill rose to fame in 1969 after being the first racer to set an average lap speed of 100mph on a production motorcycle at the Isle of Man TT. Consequently, he also took home the first-place trophy in the Thruxton 500 endurance 750 production class.
The motorcycle Uphill rode that year was a Triumph Bonneville. His win was not only a huge personal victory but a pivotal moment for Triumph Motorcycles. Thanks to Uphill the Bonnevilles ability to sustain a pace of over 100mph was proven. The knock-on effect it had on Triumph sales was considerable. Soon the Bonneville was the bike of choice for a whole generation of young riders and it became an icon of the British cafe racer subculture.
Similar to the other 2022 special edition models from the Hinckley factory, the Thruxton RS Ton Up SE is more of a styling exercise than a complete model revision or significant upgrade. What you get is “premium custom detailing”, as Triumph is calling it, which is essentially unique colour finishes and graphics.
Along with the Malcolm Uphill Bonneville race bike inspired paint scheme, the Thruxton RS Ton Up SE features unique 100 graphics (signifying 100mph) on bold red racing number style panels. The fuel tank features unique blacked-out knee indents and the side covers follow suit. Special edition lettering on the side panels and the words Ton Up on the tank designate the bike as a unique model. Silver pinstripes hand-laid by Triumph’s own in-house artisan and a spattering of blacked-out components complete the look.
As for the rest of the Triumph Thruxton RS Ton Up SE, it’s all standard RS affair. You’ll find the same Monza style filler and brushed steel strap on the fuel tank, twin brushed stainless steel exhausts and mufflers, bar-end mirrors and a wasps tail style saddle.
The performance of the RS Ton Up Special Edition is also identical to the stock model, but it’s nothing to be sniffed at. The RS comes standard with a high-performance version of the Bonneville 1200cc twin. Peak power is 105 PS and there’s 112Nm of torque. Stopping power comes from a comprehensive Brembo set-up while the suspension is a mix of premium Öhlins (rear) and Showa (front) components. You also get ABS, different riding modes, switchable traction control, a torque-assist clutch and a handy USB charging slot under the seat.
The Triumph Thruxton RS Ton Up Special Edition will be priced at $27,150 AUD plus on-road costs. That’s around $1,560 more than the standard Thruxton RS. To put that into perspective that’s around about what you’d expect to pay for a metallic paint option on most new cars. The big difference here however is that you’re buying a limited edition model.
